There are so many fun apple activities for toddlers & preschoolers that can be done anytime of the year. In order to make learning about apples meaningful for young kids, implementing this theme in the fall is best.
WHY FALL IS THE BEST TIME FOR LEARNING ABOUT APPLES
Fall is a time when many kids are heading out to apple orchards with their family. Naturally, a trip out to the field to pick some apples or eating apple donuts with mom or dad will broaden the child’s learning experience in a fun and hands-on way.
Kids will have the chance to connect the dots between what they have learned with you and what they are experiencing in their community.
This post contains affiliate links.
APPLE LESSON PLANS
Consider your young audience when you begin thinking about what you want the kids to gain from the experiences you share with them about apples.
Toddlers and preschoolers think in a very concrete way. Concrete thinking means they process information in a literal way.
According to Good Therapy,
“Concrete thinking is the first form of thinking children master. Very young babies think extremely concretely, and most research indicates that they cannot conceive of an object as existing if it is not physically present. As development continues, children develop object permanence–the ability to think about things that are not present–but still struggle with abstract thoughts.”
It’s important to keep in mind how toddlers and preschoolers process information when creating your apple lesson plans. Choose activities that will allow them to see, hear, touch, smell and taste apples; giving them the most meaningful experience!
APPLE ACTIVITIES FOR TODDLERS AND PRESCHOOLERS
There are so many fun ways to learn about apples! Today I am sharing the activities that were the most successful in my family child care program.
Under each activity, you will see a note that will help you know what to say to your clients about each activity. Informed clients = happy clients.
LEARNING ABOUT APPLES THROUGH MATH
- TRAY
- SOLO CUPS
- MINI TOY APPLES OR POM POMS
- MARKER
- TODDLER TONGS
This apple math activity is simple to set up and can be saved from one year to the next! Grab 3 Solo cups and wrap each one in green, yellow and red paper. To add a literacy element, write “red, yellow, and green” on each cup. Set the cups on a tray to keep the supplies in one place. Use small toy apples (or pom poms work great too!) and these funky kid-friendly tongs. Kids can sort the apples (or pom poms) into the colored cups!
KEEPING YOUR CLIENTS INFORMED BY SAYING THIS:
Dear Parents,
Today we had fun working on a sorting activity which allowed us to tune in to our classification skills. Classification means to group items by their similar traits. Classification is an important pre-math activity as kids will learn about grouping numbers when they are older!
MATH: APPLE COUNTING WITH CLICK BLOCKS
Set up a workstation tray and fill it with red, yellow and green click blocks. Tape apple labels of various colors around the tray and write a number on each one. The goal is for the child to find the paper apple, identify the color and choose the same color of click blocks to build a tower that coordinates with the number on the apple.
Dear Parents,
Today we worked on some 1:1 counting using click blocks that matched the colors of our apples. The goal was to build a tower with the same number of blocks that were on our apple. Not only was counting tricky, but so was linking the blocks together which was a great exercise for our tiny finger muscles!
MATH: APPLE PIE SCOOP & COUNT
- PRINTER PAPER
- COTTON BALLS
- MARKER
- EMPTY COOL WHIP CONTAINER
- ICE CREAM SCOOP
Consider this activity the cutest homemade math center you will ever create. The good news is you can save this one from year to year. All you need is a printer, an empty cool whip container, an ice cream scoop (Dollar Tree!) and cotton balls.
Do a quick Google search for “apple pie” and click on images. Pick your favorite one and print 3-6 copies in color. (You could also draw your own apple pie!) Write a number under each pie. [Tip: Laminate the printed pictures for longevity.] Fill a cool whip container with cotton balls and set a scoop near by! Kids can put the corresponding number of dollops on each pie!
Dear Parents,
Today we served up some ‘fresh apple pie’ to our friends! Our job was to add as many scoops of Cool Whip (cotton balls) to the pie as the number shown under the pie. This was a great chance to practice number recognition as well as 1: 1 counting! A lot of us can count to 10, but are working on understanding that each number equals a quantity. In this case, the number 6 requires us to count out ‘6’ cotton balls.
APPLE TASTE-TEST & GRAPH
- 3 DIFFERENT TYPES OF APPLES (red, green and yellow)
- HOMEMADE GRAPH TO RECORD THE RESULTS
Probably one of the most common apple activities for preschoolers is the apple taste-test and graphing exercise. There is good reason for this! It’s fun, kids get to try different kinds of apples, and by graphing their favorite flavor you are introducing young kids to recording & comparing data!
Dear Parents,
We put our taste buds to work as we sampled red, green and yellow apples! Ask your child which one was their favorite! We explored what it means to record our results by making a graph. Each child was invited to add their outcome to the graph. We used words like “most” and “least”. Ask your child which color of apple was the overall favorite in the group!
APPLE SEED ESTIMATING TAKE HOME ACTIVITY
- SANDWICH-SIZE ZIP LOCK BAGS
- APPLE (one per child)
- INSTRUCTION SHEET (see below)
This is a great interactive activity families can do with their child at home; then send back the results for you to discuss as a group. Talk about the word Hypothesis and how it’s just a fancy word for “guess”. Demonstrate how to cut the apple open, take out the seeds and attach them to the handout so each child knows what to do with mom or dad when they get home.
GRAB THE FREE PRINTABLE HERE!
LEARNING ABOUT APPLES THROUGH ART
- GREEN CONSTRUCTION PAPER
- RED CONSTRUCTION PAPER
- GLUE STICK
Keep this project simple! Cut out tree tops using green paper for each child. Offer apple cut-outs (paper circles will work too!) in the center of the table. Review glue stick etiquette with this fun tip!
Let the kids attach as many apples as they want to their tree top! When they are finished, help them count each apple by using their finger to tap each one as they count.
(Note: You could also use red paint and make apples using their fingerprint!)
CREATE A FUN DISPLAY! Hang all of the green tree tops on the wall and add a giant trunk to make a class tree!
Today we created a beautiful apple tree by focusing on teamwork and what it means when everyone does one small thing to make one big thing! While we worked, we were refining our glue stick skills and ended the activity by counting the number of apples we put on our tree top! Please check out our beautiful apple tree on the wall!
DRAMATIC PLAY: APPLE HEADBANDS
- GREEN, RED OR YELLOW CONSTRUCTION PAPER
- GLUE STICK
- STAPLER OR TAPE
- APPLE STICKERS (OPTIONAL)
- CRAYONS
This next activity is more product-oriented (which I like to keep to a minimum). Product-oriented art projects offer a ‘finished product’. I’m cool with this one because these headbands are so stinkin’ cute, it’s a must to celebrate apple week and offers a great photo opp!
Cut strips of red construction paper and attach to achieve your desired length to assemble a head band. Set out supplies such as crayons, markers or apple stickers. You could even glue apple seeds to the headbands! Then have the kids attach an apple cut-out to the center of their band. Personalize it by asking what their favorite flavor (color) of apple is and use that color of apple cut out for their headband.
Assemble the headbands by sizing the band to the child’s head and secure with tape or a stapler. Take obligatory cute photos:
NAME RECOGNITION: APPLE NAME PUZZLES
- GREEN, RED OR YELLOW CONSTRUCTION PAPER
- BLUE CONSTRUCTION PAPER FOR BACKGROUND
- GLUE STICK
- BLACK MARKER
This next activity is great for kids who are learning how to spell their name. It does take a bit of prep-work on your end, but the kids are so happy to complete the puzzle project because in the end they get to read their name!
Offer each child a piece of construction paper for the background. Cut out a large apple shape and write their name across the middle of the apple. (Be mindful of spacing as you will cut out the letters into strips next). Cut the apple vertically into strips; separating each letter into an individual puzzle piece strip. Give each child their name puzzle strips. (Out of order is best!) Offer kids a green piece of paper to cut out their own leaf.
CREATE A FUN DISPLAY! Hang all of the name apples on the wall to build community within your program! Kids will enjoy finding their name and their friends’ names as well.
Today we spent some time on name recognition; working on remembering the letters in our name and the correct order! Our name puzzles are hanging proudly on our wall so we can practice identifying our own name and our friends’ name!
My friend Kelly, over at Typically Simple were sharing more apple ideas and she writes about two more really great apple projects! Here site is full of great resources and printables too! Check ’em out!
DRAMATIC PLAY: APPLE ORCHARD
- TOY APPLES
- APPLE PIE
- APPLE BASKETS
- SCALE
- TOY KITCHEN
- MARKET STAND
- TOY MONEY
- TOY DONUTS
- OTHER APPLE RELATED TOY FOODS
- CASH REGISTER
- APPLE BUNTING
- PAPER COFFEE CUPS FOR PRETEND CIDER
Transform your market stand into an apple orchard that offers apple cider, apple donuts, apple pie, applesauce, and apple juice! Gather all things apple and let kids pretend to sell it! I loved using this printable set from Vanessa over at Pre-K Pages!
This week, our crew has the chance to pretend they work at an apple orchard! So many valuable skills are being targeted as the kids engage in pretend play. Let me list a few: turn-taking, problem solving, counting, communication, negotiating, manners, and more!
PARACHUTE FUN: LEARNING ABOUT APPLES THROUGH GROSS MOTOR PLAY
- TOY PARACHUTE
- PLASTIC APPLES – these are fun for hiding letters or numbers in!
- FOAM APPLES – a softer option
This next activity is open to your creativity! Get out your parachute and put some foam or plastic apples in the middle. Let the kids shake the parachute and try to work with their peers to keep as many apples on the parachute as possible! We liked to sing our favorite apple songs as we waved the parachute to see if we could keep the apples on throughout the entire song!
On the outside it may look a little chaotic, but our work with the parachute today required us to practice the following skills: following directions, self-control and team work! We had a blast giggling our way through trying to keep the apples on the parachute as we sang our favorite apple songs.
COOPERATION: APPLE ROLLING WITH FRIENDS
- LARGE CARDBOARD BOX OR LARGE SHALLOW CONTAINER
- BOWLS OF RED, YELLOW & GREEN PAINT
- APPLES
- WHITE PAPER
Kids will absolutely love this activity that requires some major teamwork and communication. Write each child’s name on their paper and place it on the base of your large container (secure with a tiny piece of tape if you’d like). Have the kids gently drop their apple into the color of their choice. Coat the apple well and place it in the box. The kids must work together to roll the apples around as the fruit leaves a trail of paint on their papers.
*If you are worried about the mess, take this activity outside!
Our art time got a little crazy today! We put the paint brushes aside and painted with our featured fruit: apples! This activity required some major communication and teamwork between each group of kids!
EARLY LITERACY: LEARNING ABOUT APPLES THROUGH BOOKS
There are a lot of great books about apples, but why not make one of your own? If your family has visited an apple orchard recently, take photos and print them to make a quick story book! You could also ask the families in your program to share their own apple orchard pictures to add to the book! Kids LOVE seeing themselves in print! Laminate the pages or use page protectors for added durability.
TIP: Head to your local library and do a quick search on the computer for “apples” as the keyword or in the title. Round up as many books as you can and add those books to your book shelf!
LEARNING ABOUT APPLES IN THE KITCHEN
Do you cook with your group? If not, it’s time to start. These easy apple recipes allow kids to get some hands-on cooking experience, grow their vocabulary, and gain some new skills!
I would highly suggest investing in an apple peeler. This Pampered Chef one is my favorite. We don’t use it very often, but when we do, it is well worth every penny.
FAVORITE APPLE RECIPES TO MAKE WITH KIDS
Our art time got a little crazy today! We put the paint brushes aside and painted with our featured fruit: apples! This activity required some major communication and teamwork between each group of kids!
APPLE SCIENCE ACTIVITIES FOR PRESCHOOLERS
- ONE APPLE CHOPPED OR SLICED
- LEMON JUICE
- 2 BOWLS
In front of the kids, chop up an apple (this is a great time to show them the different parts of an apple! Here is a great printable about the parts of an apple made by Katie over at A Little Pinch of Perfect!
Tell the kids you are going to add lemon juice to one pile of apples and leave the other dish plain. Time to bring up that big “H-word” again! ‘Hypothesis!” What is their hypothesis or guess? What do they think will happen to the two bowls of apples?
Check back in on your apple experiment at the end of the day and make your observations together.
Ask your child tonight about our apple science activity! See if they can remember what the word ‘hypothesis’ means! Kids were encouraged to share their guess as to what they thought would happen over time with our chopped apples. Experiments in early childhood allow kids to explore their curiosity, to try problem solving, and to discover new ideas!
APPLE MATCHING GAME
- RED SOLO CUPS
- GREEN CONSTRUCTION PAPER
- CIRCLE PUNCH (optional)
- HOT GLUE (or liquid glue will work too)
This adorable matching activity takes a little bit of prep work but is adorable. Kids are drawn to the interesting looking ‘apples’.
Cut out small leaf shape pieces and hot glue them to top of an upside-down red solo cup. Create as many as you’d like. Write a letter or number on the inside of the cup OR punch out green circles and draw a letter or number to be covered by the cups. Make sure you make two of each as this is a matching game.
Check out our festive matching game! The kids had a chance to practice their letter (or number) recognition by pairing up the surprise that was underneath the cup. When 2 kids played this game at once, it allowed for some great turn-taking! We worked on using phrases like “good try!” and “great job” and “my turn” throughout the game.
LEARNING ABOUT APPLES THROUGH SENSORY PLAY
Fill your sensory bin (or a large tub) with oatmeal and add your preferred amount of cinnamon, nutmeg or apple pie spice. Include various scoops such as measuring spoons, cups, pull-apart apples, pom-poms, muffin tins, mixing spoons, and mixing bowls.
Our sensory table is now filled with oatmeal and apple spices! Sometimes it’s difficult to see the benefits of having a tub of oatmeal for kids to interact with. Here’s the cool part: the kids are practicing fine motor skills, problem solving, and exploring through dramatic play as they pretend to be bakers!
APPLE PIE PLAY DOUGH AND APPLE TREE MATS
There are so many fun ways to transform play dough into something that will add value to your current theme or topic! Grab your favorite homemade play dough recipe (this is my favorite) and sprinkle in some apple pie spice while you are kneading the dough.
Props to add to your apple pie play dough activity:
- These funky play dough mats!
- Rolling pins
- Muffin Tins
- Pipe cleaners (for apple stems)
- Pie plates
- Play dough scissors
LIGHT TABLE APPLE ACTIVITY
- ZIP LOCK BAGS (FREEZER STYLE)
- WATER BEADS: RED, YELLOW & GREEN
- LIGHT TABLE
Fill 3 separate Zip Lock bags with water beads. One for each color of apple you are featuring. Double bag the each bag for added security, but monitor this activity as kids explore to make sure nothing is punctured. I added some small magnetic letters (a-p-p-l-e) and some apple beads I had in a craft bin to add some fine motor work!
LEARNING ABOUT APPLES THROUGH LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT
There is something about sign language that kids are drawn to. So why not teach them how to say ‘apple’? I’ve included ways to say “apple” in other languages below!
- American Sign Language: Place a closed fist up to the middle of your cheek with the knuckle of your pointer pushed in to your cheek; making a dimple. Twist your wrist back and forth twice as your knuckle touches your cheek.
- Spanish: ‘Manzana’ (“Mahn-zah-nah”)
- French: Pomme (“Po-em”)
- German: ‘Apfel’ (“Ahp-ful”)
APPLE SONGS
I never wrote my own apple songs, but rather scoured the internet for catch songs that the kids enjoyed and taught us a thing or two about apples.
MY FAVORITE APPLE SONGS:
- A-P-P-L-E
- I LOVE APPLES – this one lists off all different apple names!
- WAY UP HIGH IN AN APPLE TREE
- APPLES AND BANANAS
Hey there! I hold the work of early childhood educators (my title for family child care providers) in the highest regard! If you are looking for ways to better your business or to find inspiration to bring joy and meaning to your classroom, then you've come to the right place! Click here to read more!
I love this post! SO packed with amazing information and ideas! No need to scour pinterest, because you’ve covered it all. I especially love the “shoot, share, inform” parts to help me think of how I can make connections at home. I’m doing apples this week, so this was perfect! Going to add a few of these ideas for sure! Thanks Roz!!