Parachute Merry-Go-Round
Holding the parachute with one hand, children turn in a circle like the horses on a merry-go-round, changing how they move and which way they go. It builds basic locomotor skills and spatial orientation.
How to play
- In a circle, everyone holds the edge with their inside hand, the one next to the fabric; the teacher explains that we are merry-go-round horses (1 min).
- When the music plays, the merry-go-round starts walking slowly; when the music stops, it stops (1 min).
- Change the step: tiptoes, giant steps and a little horse trot (1 min).
- The teacher calls "Turn around!": let go, turn, hold with the other hand and go the other way (1 min).
- Slide-step sideways facing the fabric, holding with both hands, one way and then the other (1 min).
- The merry-go-round runs out of power: slower and slower until we stop and lift the fabric up high (1 min).
Rules
- We all go the same way.
- If someone falls, the merry-go-round stops.
- Music means move; no music means freeze.
- We hold the fabric, we don't yank it.
Variations
Easier
For 3-year-olds, use only walking and tiptoes, and the teacher walks inside the circle showing the direction.
Standard
For 4-year-olds, add trotting and direction changes on "Turn around!"
Harder
For 5-year-olds, add sideways gallops and two-foot hops, and change direction without coming to a full stop.
Adaptations
- Limited mobility: a child in a wheelchair rides along pushed by a classmate or adult, and the group matches their speed.
- Autism: place the child next to the adult and always use the same song so they know when it starts and ends.
- Visual impairment: the child holds the fabric with the inside hand and a classmate holds the other hand to signal the changes.
Learning goals
- Move in different ways as a group.
- Change direction on a signal.
- Match their own pace to the group's.
Equipment for a class of 25
- Rainbow parachute: 1
- Music
Teacher tip
Show the direction with a big arm gesture before you start. If the circle shrinks toward the middle, stop and ask them to "stretch the fabric like a nicely made bed."
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