A is for Apple: Learning Through Crunch and Color
- Mrs. Briana & Mrs. Christine
- Sep 2
- 3 min read
🍎 Awesome Apple Adventures for Your Preschool Classroom
Fall is the perfect time to dive into an apple theme with your preschoolers (it also can be the perfect companion theme when learning about the letter A)! The autumn season is already full of things kids notice—colorful leaves, cooler weather, and trips to pumpkin patches. Plus, preschoolers have a natural curiosity about the seasonal changes. Apples are the perfect hook and open the door to so much fun, hands-on learning. From math and science to art and movement, apples are one of those themes that makes teaching feel fresh, fun, and easy to tie into every part of your day.
Why Apples Rock 🍏🍎🍏
They’re colorful, tasty, and the perfect way to spark curiosity while sneaking in tons of learning.
Apples are more than just a yummy snack—they’re little learning powerhouses. They’re easy to find, connect to real life, and can be used across every area of your classroom. Here are some ways we like to bring apples into our classroom in the Fall.
Apple-Inspired Centers
Math Magic: Use apple counters, pom-poms, or cutouts to practice patterns, color sorting, and one-to-one counting.
Check out these fun, hands-on apple centers we’ve put together for your classroom! Literacy Fun: Turn your dramatic play area into an apple orchard with baskets, trees, and letter apples. Kids can “pick” an apple, say its letter and sound, and match it to the right basket or objects that start with that sound. Add a farm stand for extra play with counting, selling, and social interaction.
Sensory Bin: Fill a tub with red “apples” (plastic ones), Apple Jacks, red and green pom-poms, cinnamon sticks, mini pie tins, felt pie tops, plus scoops, baskets, and tongs for sorting and pretend play. An apple sensory bin is a fun way for preschoolers to learn through play. It helps build fine motor skills as children scoop, pour, and pick up objects, while also encouraging math and science skills like sorting and counting. Sensory bins spark language, imagination, and social play, and they can be calming for little ones.
Our Apple Sensory Bin
Crunchy Math Connections
Count apple seeds after a snack.
Graph which apple color the class likes best.
Measure apples with snap cubes.
Science That’s Sweet
Explore the apple life cycle
Life Cycle of an Apple Video Try sink-or-float experiment with whole apples, slices, and seeds.
Predict how many seeds are inside before cutting an apple open. This can open into a greater than, less than lesson. Was your prediction greater than or less than the actual number of seeds in the apple?
Taste-test different apples—sweet, tart, sour—and let kids describe the flavors. Tie in the student's 5 senses; do the different color apples have the same taste, smell, texture?
Arts, Crafts & Cooking
Stamp apple prints with paint.
FREE- Apple handprint art. This charming 8x10 print makes a sweet and frame-worthy keepsake for Fall.
FREEBIE! Apple Handprint Art Cook together! Simple recipes like applesauce or muffins are great for practicing sequencing, measuring, and teamwork.
Family Fun Connection
Invite families into the fun! Ask parents to share their favorite apple treat or recipe. Our students always enjoy sampling apple chips, freeze-dried apples, apple straws, Mott's apple bars, as well as apple slices with caramel dip. You could even create a class recipe book full of yummy apple traditions.
Move & Groove Apple Style
Play “apple picking”- For a quick wiggle break, have kids pretend to be apple trees. Stand tall with arms as branches, sway side to side in the wind, then stretch high as apples grow. Finally, squat down low and pretend to pick the apples one by one. They can fill up their wheelbarrow and then wheel it back to the farm.
Roll red, yellow, and green balls (“apples”) back and forth to a partner.
The Core of It All
Apples are simple, seasonal, and so much fun. They turn everyday preschool moments into exciting learning adventures. It's always a student favorite theme in our classroom, so grab some apples this fall and watch your kids explore, play, and learn with big smiles on their faces!
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