Nothing gets me in the Back-to-School spirit like apples! I love using them in deserts, using apple-themed decor around our homeschool room, and of course I LOVE lighting up our favorite apple candles! So it comes as no surprise that I NEEDED to include Apple Preschool centers in our Preschool curriculum! Keep reading to learn all about the 15 activities included!
CLICK HERE for more apple-themed learning resources!
To use these printables, you can follow the PRE-MADE lesson plans for a week full of fun! Each of the 5 pre-planned days your students will have 1 read aloud, 1 Math activity, 1 Literacy activity, and 1 Fine Motor activity to work on. This is a great pace for little learners! But if you’d like to spread the activities out or rearrange them according your own child’s needs, simply print our provided Build-Your-Own Plans page and make your own plans!
This set of Apple themed Toddler and Preschool activities is sure to give your little learners TONS of fun practice! Children will have 15 center-style activities to choose from – 5 Math, 5 Literacy and 5 Fine Motor centers. In addition, I’ve included book recommendations for 5 apple picture books and links to their read aloud videos on YouTube!
Apple Math Activities
This set of printables has 5 fun apple-themed activities for practicing early Math skills. Children will practice number formation, number identification, counting, colors, and shapes. Our Preschool activities always include the use of small manipulatives for added fine motor skills practice!
Apple Numbers
There are so many ways to use this one set of cards! To begin, have children count the apples on the trees and cover them one-by-one with a manipulative of their choice. This is a great way to practice one-to-one correspondence! Then, children can use those same manipulatives to build the number on the card. Or trace the number with a dry erase marker if they’re ready.
Want to extend this activity? Guide students as they put the cards in number order from 0-10, or even backwards from 10-0! And if you’re also working with older students and siblings, they can use these cards to practice comparing numbers and addition by adding up the leaves on more than one card!
Apple Bushel 10 Frame
A 10 Frame is a great way to practice counting and building amounts! Since each square is only filled with one manipulative, this it a perfect picture of one-to-one correspondence. It also sets learners up for understanding odd/even numbers and addition in later years!
To complete this activity, children choose a tree card. They’ll count the apples on their tree and build that amount on the 10 Frame with their manipulatives.
Apple Color Sorting Cards
Many of our Toddler/Preschool sets include themed sorting cards. They are such a fun way to practice identifying colors using supplies in your own home! Spread the cards out on a table or floor and have children sort manipulatives from their Fall sensory bin. Or, allow them find items around their room or in the kitchen to sort by color! You can even use them as “flash cards” to help children recognize the colors!
Shape Roll & Cover
We love turning school practice into game time! To “play” this game, children roll the shape die and identify the shape they land on. Then, they find and cover the matching apple shape on their mat with a manipulative from their Fall sensory bin. Keep playing until all the apples have been covered!
Apple Shapes Building
Building cards are so fun for strengthening fine motor skills. And they’re even better when you include academic practice, like with these apple shapes building cards! Children who are ready for tracing practice can trace the shapes with a dry erase marker. Or, practice extra fine motors by building the shapes with play dough or “tracing” the shapes with small manipulatives from your Fall sensory bin!
Apple Literacy Activities
In addition to the Math centers, this set includes 5 early Literacy activities! Children will practice skills like letter identification, letter formation, beginning sounds, and handwriting practice with apple vocabulary words!
Apple Letters
These happy little apple cards are so helpful for a variety of activities! We start by identifying the letters, kind of like flash cards. (If your little ones are ready, you can also discuss the beginning sounds of each letter as you identify them.)
Then, we use a variety of manipulatives to build letters on the apples and trace them with dry erase markers. One of our favorite bonus activities is to put the letters in ABC order!
Alphabet Find & Cover
I love turning sensory bins into academic experiences! To step up your sensory bin game, add these sweet little alphabet cards to your bin. Children choose one card at a time, identify the letter on the card, and then find and cover its match on the mat!
Apple Letters Matching
Let’s go apple picking! (From our sensory bin, of course!) This activity combines so many skills! Children get a fun sensory experience by rummaging through their bin to find a picture card. Then, they hunt for the matching upper and lowercase beginning sound cards!
Beginning Sounds Roll & Play
Can you tell we love to play games in school?? To use this activity, children roll the letter die and identify the letter they land on. Then they find the next available picture on the board game that begins with the letter they landed on, and move to it. Continue playing until they reach the end of the game!
Apple Vocabulary
These vocabulary cards have probably become one of my favorite parts of these sets, especially this set from our apple theme! They are a simple way to combine so many areas of practice. Children will identify apple vocabulary, practice handwriting and spelling, and review beginning sounds!
Apple Fine Motor Activities
Don’t forget the fine motor fun!! When working with little learners, strengthening fine motor skills is a must! These 5 activities will have your children working hard and having TONS of fun!
Apple Play Dough Pictures
Littles love play dough! So why not include it during school time?! Children love using these cards to build different parts of the apple life cycles.
Build a Scene
Let your kiddos get creative by creating a play dough scene! With this mat, children will use play dough to fill the wheelbarrow with “apples”. This is a great way for them to strengthen fine motor skills!
Pre-Writing Tracing Strips
If your little ones needs some extra pre-writing practice, these strips are for them! The wide “lines” on the strips give lots of wiggly room as children trace them with a dry erase marker. It’s also great fine motor practice to build the “lines” with play dough and small manipulatives from the apple-themed sensory bin.
Scissors Practice
Scissor skills are a super important skill to strengthen as your little ones grow! These apple-themed strips have all different apple images for students to cut towards. If they’re not quite ready for scissors yet, you can even laminate the strips and turn them into a tracing activity with a dry erase marker!
Apple Emotions Matching
Matching mats work overtime when it comes to combining lots of skills! This particular matching mat practices fine motor skills, visual discrimination, matching, and emotions vocabulary! Children choose an apple card from their Fall sensory bin, identify the emotion they see, and match it on the mat. This is also a great opportunity to discuss the different emotions with your child, talking about times they’ve felt the different emotions and how they can respond!
And… I Planned FOR YOU!
This set of activities (and all of the other 40+ sets in our bundle of Preschool themes) include a full week of print and go visual lesson plans! Want to build your own? Use the included BYO plans page! These thematic centers were designed with growing learners in mind, so this page allows you to choose which activities your child is ready for right now!
Ready to learn with your toddlers or Preschoolers ALL YEAR LONG?! You can save TONS when you grab this set of centers in our Full Preschool Curriculum! The curriculum includes 12 monthly bundles full of centers, morning bins, and NO PREP worksheets. AND – they’re complete with monthly lesson plans for each! You’ll find themes for holidays, seasons, and all sorts of “anytime” themes like Dinosaurs and Space!
LET’S HANG OUT!
I’d love to chat and get to know you better! You can find us below in some of our favorite places to hang out. Can’t wait to chat with you about your Preschooler’s learning journey!
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