Parachute Games for Babies

Your baby begins to engage in the world around him when he is only a few months old. By seven months, he knows how to smile, laugh, sit alone and make noises with his mouth to try to communicate with you, so it's a great time to introduce him to game play. Start with an engaging parachute game.

  1. Peekaboo

    • A game of peekaboo teaches your baby that objects still exist even when he cannot see them. At his young age, he will be amused at appearances and disappearances. Have him sit or lie down on a mat under the parachute. Have other adults help you hold the parachute over his head. Lower the parachute so that your faces are covered, then lift the parachute back up again to reveal them. Your baby will be surprised to see your faces repeatedly appear and disappear.

    Jumping Animals

    • Play a simple game using a few of your baby's favorite stuffed animals and the parachute. Let your baby sit on a mat. A few feet away, have other adults or older children work together to move the parachute up and down. As the parachute is going up and down, throw some of your baby's stuffed animals onto it. Your baby will be amused watching the animals jump and hop around.

    Car Ride

    • Use the parachute to make a pretend car ride for your baby. Set him in the center of the parachute. You and a few other adults can gently pull the parachute in a circle make it move like a traveling vehicle. While moving the parachute, pretend you are really the driver of the car by acting out turning the keys of the ignition, putting on a seat belt or beeping the horn.

    Ocean Waves

    • Recreate the feel of ocean waves with an easy game. Set your baby in the center of the parachute. With the help of a few other adults or older children, lift the parachute up and down to create a rippling wave-like effect. Play island music in the background. To make the game more entertaining for your baby, call out your her name every so often and stop the rippling movements to catch her attention. Then start again.

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