Basic Parachute Moves to Use with Any Song

Using a parachute in elementary music lessons is one of those things that, once you get the hang of it, it's hard to stop yourself from using it all the time! It was intimidating for me at first but honestly now that my students and I have figured out how to do a few basic moves, I just use the same moves in different combinations with different listening pieces to reinforce form, meter, and other musical elements in an engaging way!

Obviously there are plenty of other ways to use the parachute, but here are the most common moves I use for movement activities in the music classroom (some typical parachute moves are best left for the PE teacher with a full gym), and the musical elements and concepts I use them to teach.

1. Walk in a circle: students all face the same direction around the circle, hold the parachute with one hand, and walk on the steady beat. I usually will match the phrasing or time signature by having students switch directions for each phrase/ measure.

2. Up and down: students all face the middle, hold the parachute with both hands, and slowly move the parachute up and down. This is a great one to either reinforce longer phrasing or a slower tempo- they should move it slowly enough to create a "balloon" with the parachute.

3. Shake: students all face the middle, hold the parachute with both hands, and use quick and small movements to shake the parachute. I usually use this when the song is about something with water, or something shaking/ moving, or there is a section with a lot of fast notes. This move is even more fun if you toss in a couple ping-pong balls or very light stuffed animals to watch them bounce around the parachute as it moves!

4. Sway: students all face the middle, hold the parachute with both hands, and sway back and forth (clockwise/ counterclockwise). This is harder than it looks because to get the parachute moving correctly everyone has to move to the same direction, which looks opposite from the person you're facing! This is a great move for reinforcing a triple meter feel, or to move with a middle tempo beat.

Once you know how to do a few basic moves with the parachute, it's easy to put together a movement piece to match any listening piece you want to use in your lessons! Just pick one move for each of the sections to match the form of the song and you've got a great way to reinforce form, beat, meter, tempo, and even lyrical themes or rhythms depending on the song.

If you're worried about having enough room to move around with a parachute, or not sure if your students are behaviorally ready for that level of activity, try starting with these stationary parachute activities! I started with those first the first year I started using a parachute and it helped me, and my students, feel much more comfortable with using the parachute in the classroom before I had an entire class holding it and moving around!

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Cup Games for Upper Elementary Music

Who knew a simple plastic cup could be the source of so much learning and engagement for those tough-to-please upper elementary students?!? Over the years I've found a handful of cup games that have become unexpected favorites for my 4th-6th graders. If you're looking for something new to keep your upper elementary students musically engaged, these are surefire hits!

1. Escatumbararibe

The cup game that started it all for me was this Brazilian cup song I started teaching my 6th graders years ago as part of the bigger unit I teach them each year on the music of Brazil. It is just hard enough to hold their interest but attainable enough to avoid too much frustration. I start off teaching it without the passing element, and then eventually build up to passing the cups around the circle, but you could keep it an individual activity (which makes it slightly easier and does not require as much floor space) by just having students tap the cup in front of them instead of passing it. I will say, though, that one of the reasons I think this activity is so successful is that the passing part is slowed down enough that if one student is off for some reason there is enough time for everyone to recover without the whole circle falling apart, so if your students struggle with passing games generally, this one may be one they can handle (and I have more tips on teaching passing games successfully below). Read my post on my Brazilian unit for the song and demonstration of the game, including a slowed down tutorial.

2. Sleigh Ride

I created this super simplified cup routine to go with "Sleigh Ride" way back in 2014 and that video tutorial has been one of the most popular videos on my channel ever since! But I have a confession: while I labeled it as easy enough for Kindergarten- which it is, and I have used it with Kindergarten successfully multiple times- I actually use it most often with 5th grade. That's because it's easy enough for students to pick up in 1-2 run-throughs without me having to break down each movement, so it's perfect for introducing Rondo form, which is part of my 5th grade general music curriculum! Because I want it to be something students can pick up right away to experience the repeating and contrasting sections I don't do it as a passing game, but it could easily be adapted to a passing game by having students "tap-tap-pass" in the A section instead of tapping 3 times and switching hands as demonstrated in the video above, if you wanted to add a level of challenge or make the activity more cooperative.

3. Addams Family

This one has made the rounds on the internet since Marti Chandler came up with it decades ago but it's worth sharing. I don't use it as consistently as I do the first two, which have a permanent spot in my curriculum, but I do pull it out with my 4th-6th graders when I need something fun and different, and it's a great way to get students to experience triplets, identify A and B sections, or even review repeat signs. This video has an excellent visual that also shows the same mnemonic devices I use to teach the different patterns. I have always done this as a passing game because it is highly repetitive and simple enough for students to learn, but this could easily be adapted to take out the passing element by having students flip the cup over, or drag it in small circles in front of them on the floor, etc on the beat in the B section.

As I've mentioned for each of these cup games, they can all be done as individual cup song routines or as passing games. If you, like me, have found passing games seemed to suddenly become a lot more difficult to teach in the last 10 years, I am happy to report that I have, in the last few years, discovered a teaching strategy that has made it possible for me to do passing games successfully again! You can read all the details about how I teach them now in this post.

I know upper elementary students can be difficult to keep engaged in musically meaningful learning sometimes, so I hope this gives you some new ideas to try with your students! If you want to see how these fit into a sequenced curriculum that keeps students engaged year-round, be sure to check out my general music curriculum. What are other songs you have used with cups for upper elementary? I'd love to hear your successful lesson ideas in the comments as well!

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Stationary Elementary Music Parachute Activities

I've been inspired by my self-contained elementary music classes to incorporate more seated/ stationary movement activities this year and one of my new favorite ways to do that has been with a parachute! I bought a parachute for my classroom a couple of years ago and was always too intimidated to actually pull it out, but these seated activities have turned me into a believer. Here are my favorite parachute songs that students can do sitting down, including activities appropriate for a wide range of ages from preschool up through middle school.

Besides being easier to manage, stationary parachute activities are also perfect for students with mobility difficulties, small classroom spaces, and to use when students have less physical energy like after recess or PE class, so these are really versatile for a lot of situations.

PK-2nd grade: Shake, Shake, Shake

This song by Nancy Kopman is specifically written for use with a parachute, so it's a great first activity to try with the parachute! The words make it pretty obvious what to do with the parachute, and there are some little surprising pauses in the music that students have to listen for to stay with the song which makes it more exciting! My younger students love this one and it was a great introduction to using the parachute and some basic moves that everyone can pick up quickly.

PK-3rd grade: The Rain Falls Down

I used this song by Stephanie Leavell when I was first starting to use my parachute in class and it worked great! This song is a great way to help everyone get used to using the parachute correctly and it's also just a lovely activity for calming everyone down while reinforcing beat, long notes, and phrasing. I use the same simple, repetitive movement pattern through the entire song: bring the parachute down for 4 beats, up for 4 beats, then sway back and forth (with arms up) every 2 beats for 8 beats, then repeat. I have everyone do the half note sway in the introduction so that we start with the parachute up to begin with the first downward move when the first verse begins.

1st-6th grade: Azizam (Persian version) 

This was one of the most popular songs from my Music In Our Schools Month multilingual song bracket this year (I made a last-minute swap with another song when I found it online) so I decided to use it as a movement activity to introduce form as well! For the chorus we shake the parachute near the floor to create "waves", and for the verses we sway back and forth on the beat while holding the parachute near our laps. It sounds simple but it was a great way to reinforce the A and B contrasting sections and practice some new moves with the parachute- swaying in a circle and getting everyone going back and forth in the same direction is tricky at first, but cool once they get the hang of it! And of course I love that this version of Ed Sheeran's song features more of the Farsi language and Iranian musicians!

I was so much less intimidated by the idea of using a parachute once I realized how much we could do seated in a circle instead of standing/ walking around! If you're just getting started using a parachute in elementary music class, I highly recommend starting with everyone seated first and then you can always add in locomotor movement later. 

Movement props are such a fun way to mix things up while reinforcing musical concepts! You can see my favorite activities for the stretchy band in this post, and some of my favorite scarf songs for each of the 4 seasons in this post for more movement prop ideas! Do you have other favorite seated parachute activities for elementary music lessons? I'd love to hear about them in the comments!

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Scarf Songs for Every Season

I love using a simple movement prop to spark students' imagination when they are responding to music, and there is no simpler movement prop than scarves! I also love incorporating seasonal material when it fits well with the concepts we're working on, especially with my youngest students, so I've found some wonderful scarf songs for all four seasons that have been a hit with my early childhood and Kindergarten classes over the years. 

The nice thing about each of these is that the scarf movements for each one are pretty self-explanatory if you listen to the lyrics. One of the hardest things about teaching younger grades is how much material you need in each lesson to match their short attention spans! So I admit when I find new songs I often play the recording in class and just follow along with my scarf with the students until I learn it, then I'll switch to singing it myself (and eventually having the students sing with me of course). 

1. Fall: Blowing in the Wind

Technically this song is about the wind so I suppose you could use it in winter or spring as well, but for some reason I always find it fits so nicely with my other fall leaf songs. This is definitely my top favorite scarf song of all time!

2. Winter: Winter Scarf Song

My students love this one because of all the snow references! I am always amazed at how much students will ask to sing this song over and over again.

3. Spring: A Little Seed

The thing I love best about this song is that you can do it together as a class, but you can also use it to sing to each child individually and have them reveal their scarf "flower" at the end of the song to put it back in the container as a way to make the cleanup process go a little more smoothly.

4. Summer: Popcorn Kernels

I think I associate popcorn with summer because that's the only time I have time to watch movies? In any case I like to throw this one in at the end after we've done a longer movement activity with the scarves before we put them away.

I hope this gives you some fresh material to use with your younger students any time of year! What are your other favorite seasonal scarf songs to use with your students? I'd love to hear your favorites in the comments.

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