As soon as a crisp autumn breeze fills the air, you know it’s time to start exploring all the fun fall themes with your preschoolers. From falling leaves to Halloween, it is a season full of fun topics to explore!
One topic that is a favorite to teach kids about in the early days of fall is apples. A symbol of the changing seasons, apples are the perfect theme to kick off fall with.
Beyond being a fun (and yummy) theme to help kids enjoy the season, apples are excellent to use as a focus for prek lessons in all subject areas. Come with us as we dive into a variety of apple-themed activities that are sure to captivate the curious minds of your preschoolers and bring a bushel of fun to your classroom or home.
Apple Activities for Pre K
We have gone beyond just getting you started on planning for your apple themed lessons. Instead, we created 5 different resources that are ready for you to teach (with very little planning needed).
Each of our apple activities covers a different subject area or learning skill. Let’s take a look at what areas are covered:
As you can see, each of these activities covers a different subject area or important set of skills taught in preschool. These don’t just cover several areas of learning, but several days’ worth of learning activities!
That’s right, each one comes complete with enough activities to cover several days (or weeks) of learning. In addition, every single activity comes with a detailed lesson plan. Therefore, making it easy for you to implement each lesson and activity.
Continue reading to learn more about each of these activities and what is included in each packet.
Apple Song Preschool Activities
Circle time is an essential part of any preschool program. This means that regardless of what theme you are teaching, you want to have circle time activities to align with that theme.
Therefore, we created several apple themed activities for circle time. Including, an apple song activity!
Here is a quick look at all of the activities you will find in our circle time apple activity pack:
teacher overview
detailed circle time lesson plans
print or projectable text
2 reread/review the text activities
3 responding to text activities
song lyrics with a familiar tune + 2 corresponding activities
pocket chart poem + 2 corresponding activities
3 game-style whole class activities
5 corresponding independent worksheets
1 emergent reader
Apple Math Activities for Preschool
Math is a core subject that students at all grade levels need practice in, including preschool. Therefore, regardless of what theme you are focusing on we suggest aligning it to math standards.
This is actually easier than you may think. Why? Because most items included in a theme can be counted and sorted – like apples!
Even though it is easy, it does still take time and we know that your time is precious. So, just like the other activities we went ahead and planned everything you need.
Below you will see the different apple theme math activities we created for you and your preschool students.
Count to 10: Apples
Count and Stack: Counting
Clip It: Comparing Numbers
Puzzles: Apple Patterns
Spin and Graph: Apple Colors
In addition to the five different math specific activities, this resource also includes additional activities to support the development and fine motor skills:
Sorting: Apple Attributes
Build It: Shapes and Fine Motor
Place the Worm: Positional Words
Sensory Bin: Apple Pie
Beyond these math and motor skills activities, several Prek literacy apple activities can also be found in this one packet.
Apple Literacy Activities for Preschool
As we mentioned above, when you purchase our Math and Literacy Centers for PreK you get apple activities for BOTH math and literacy. Therefore, providing you with even more learning activities for your kids.
Here are the literacy activities for preschoolers that you will find in this resource.
Spin and Cover: Rhymes on the Orchard
Apple Tree Match: Identifying Beginning Sounds
Spot and Dot: Finding Letters
Name Craft: Bushel of Apples
I Like Apples: Easy Reader
Clip It: Upper and Lower Case Match
Oatmeal Writing: Letter Formation
Free Write: Apple Writing Center
Apple Stamping: Apple Craft
Apples Apples Apples Read Aloud
LAlong with the literacy activities provided in our math & literacy center resource we have also created an apple theme read aloud. The book we selected for this theme is “Apple, Apples, Apples” by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace.
“Apple, Apples, Apples” is a delightful children’s book that tells the story of a curious and adventurous little bunny named Minna, who embarks on a journey to learn all about apples.
The book begins with Minna visiting an apple orchard with her family. As she explores the orchard, she discovers different types of apples, each with its own unique shape, color, and taste. She learns about popular apple varieties like Granny Smith, Golden Delicious, and McIntosh.
Throughout the book, Wallace includes charming illustrations and interactive elements. These interactive elements are a unique part of the book and a wonderful way to engage readers further.
Your students will follow Minna as she collects apple leaves, makes apple prints, and creates apple collages. Moreover, they will take part in the activities by counting apples and identifying different apple varieties with Minna.
Beyond the interactive elements of the book, the interactive elements of our “Apples, Apples, Apples” read aloud will further engage your students. Through this engagement, students will be able to further develop their comprehension skills using this delightful book.
Reading Activities for “Apples, Apples, Apples” by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace:
Detailed lesson plans
Comprehension questions
Whole group response to text activities
Response to text worksheets
Writing pages
Vocabulary cards and worksheets
Quiz for “Apples, Apples, Apples”
Apple Craftivity template
Apple Science Activities for Preschoolers
One area of learning that may get overlooked in preschool is science, particularly STEM. While STEM can become more advanced along the way, preschool is a wonderful place to begin for students.
Just like math and literacy, STEM activities can also easily be aligned with a theme. You can see this in our Apple Harvest STEM activity.
In this PreK Stem Activity, students will make a sturdy bin that will hold apples sorted into three separate colors. To complete this task, they will follow the Engineering Design Process that guides students through inquiry.
Even if you have never done a STEM activity with your students before, and are not familiar with the Engineering Design Process, we have provided you with everything you need to get the job done! Easily!
Below is a look at everything you will find in this ready to teach STEM activity for PreK:
In addition, this project can easily be completed using materials you probably already have in the classroom. Such as paper or cardboard, tin foil, foam, pipe cleaners, craft sticks, apples or small red, yellow and green objects for sorting.
Step-by-Step Lesson Plans
STEM Exploration Process posters
STEM Event and Exploration posters
Vocabulary Cards
Explore Science Connections with QR Codes and an Infographic
Materials List
Apple Bin Labels
Planning Poster
Recording Sheets
Reflection Sheets
Preschool Apple Exploration Stations
Last, but certainly not least in our five apple themed activities are our Exploration Stations! These stations are designed to help young learners explore apples through several hands on activities.
These stations are perfect for helping preschoolers develop fine motor skills along with their knowledge of new concepts. In addition, your kids will love how they get to begin growing as independent learners!
As with our other apple activities, we have provided you with all the necessary lesson plans and materials to help you set up these stations in your own preschool classroom.
9 printable exploration stations
Text to read aloud to students
Tent signs for each station
Editable work-boards
Editable checklists for students
Labels
Letter banner template
These materials will help you set up nine different Apple Exploration Stations for Prek:
Explore: read informational sheets
Build: use the cards to build apples with different objects
Color: use the code to color apple sheets
Make: look at the cards to make play dough apple trees
Sort: place the apple life cycle in the correct order
Play: test to see if apples sink or float
Create: follow the directions to make an apple core craft
Match: cut and paste to match apple parts
Write/Draw: taste different types of apples then write or draw your favorite
The Best PreK Apple Theme Activities
It is hard to choose just one apple activity that we think is the best because we love them all! Moreover, as you can see above each activity is designed to support a different area of learning.
Therefore, we bundled all of them up so you get all of these amazing activities in one set! With everything bundled together, you will have more time to kick off your own fall outside the classroom with activities like leaf-peeping or maybe … apple picking?
