Stay At Home Educator

intentional teaching for purposeful learning

  • About
    • Copyright / Disclosure / Privacy Policy
    • Contact
  • Preschool Lesson Plans
  • Literacy
  • STEAM
  • Development
  • Thematic Activities
  • Play Ideas
  • Shop
    • Cart
    • Checkout
    • My Account

Apple Seed Counting and Subtraction with FREE Printable

This post may contain affiliate links, which means that at no cost to you, I may earn a small sum if you click through and make a purchase.

September 10, 2014 by Sarah Punkoney, MAT 7 Comments

This apple counting activity is a simple, yet effective way to each one to one correspondence in you apple preschool theme and it pairs perfectly with other apple themed preschool activities, as well as fall or autumn themes. Get your free apple printable at the end of this post.

Free Apple Counting Mats for Preschool and Kindergarten

free preschool printable apple seed counting

Apple themes are easily one of my favorites to teach. I don’t know if it is because it comes so early in the school year and I haven’t had a chance to start wishing for a break, or if there really is something about apples that are so intriguing.

Although, in full disclosure, who can resist sharing a fresh crisp apple that is just the right combination of sweet and tart? (Well, I can. I’m pretty selfish when it comes to a great fall apple).

But my point is this, we all love apples, and as such we all love doing apple activities in preschool because our enthusiasm penetrates our students, making them excited and curious about one of our very favorite things that fall offers us.

So this apple counting activity, or apple seed math activity, is always welcome in preschool, and no matter how I change my lesson plans, I always include this activity, in addition to some of our others.

Partly because of the above, but also because I’ve made a FREE printable to go along with the original activity, which makes it ideal for differentiating class instruction. You can read all the different ways to use this printable at the end of this post.

Hint – You can use it for teaching preschool addition and to teach subtraction, too.

I love to introduce this as a class, often during circle time or during small group math instruction, and then I leave the apple counting mats in our math center so children have the option to select them as they like.

If you’re not a preschool teacher, you can also use these as counting mats for kindergarten, too.

Try These Preschool Apple Theme Activities

Included in this pack are six apple theme activities for preschoolers. You’ll get three literacy activities for you apple theme and three math activities, too.

  • Apple Activity Pack for Preschoolers
    Apple Activity Pack for Preschoolers
    $5.00
    Add to cart

Apple Seed Counting and Subtraction Activity

Let me start out by sharing that not all preschoolers are ready for subtraction activities, and that is absolutely ok!

This apple printable doesn’t have number sentences to fill in. It just introduces the very basic concepts of “taking away” from a group.

Materials

  • 0-5 dice
  • free apple download at the end of this post
  • small black buttons or black beans
  • dice for subtraction activity

The Set Up

Print and laminate the apple counting mat and place it on a tray. You will need a tray to catch all the stray buttons (apple seeds) from rolling away.

Place the black buttons in a small dish next to the tray with a die. Now, invite your preschooler to join you in some apple theme learning activities.

The Apple Seed Counting Activity

To execute this activity, invite your preschooler to roll the die and identify the number.  I purposely chose not to use a dot die because I wanted my preschoolers to become more familiar with numeral names. Once the numeral has been identified, your preschooler can then count out the corresponding amount onto the apple, thus counting the “apple seeds.”

apple seed counting mat for preschool

For a more advanced version, challenge your preschooler to compare two sets of seeds.  If working alone, he can compare two apples he has rolled for, or a partner can roll for the second apple.  Once the seeds are set out on both apples, preschoolers can identify which apple has more seeds.

Another option is to use a die with a higher set of numbers, say 11-16, or use two dice and the total from both dice must be added to the apple.

Really, there are several possibilities.  Even at its most basic form, this activity is a wonderful one to teach or reinforce one to one correspondence skills.

Related Reading

One to One Correspondence Counting Activity
Apple Drop Counting: A One to One Correspondence Math Game
  • Apple Activity Pack for Preschoolers
    Apple Activity Pack for Preschoolers
    $5.00
    Add to cart

Apple Seed Subtraction Mats

As I stated earlier, not every preschooler will be ready for subtraction, even in its most basic form, such as that found here. If at any point your preschooler feels frustrated, or continuously makes mistakes, that’s a sign to come back to the subtraction mats when he’s had more practice with basic counting.

For the subtraction mats, select a set of numbers that will allow your preschool to experience success. Choose numbers 6-10, 11-15, or 16-20, depending on their skills level.

Invite your preschooler to identify the number at the top of the apple seed subtraction mat. Count out the corresponding number of black buttons or beans and place them on the mat. Then, roll the dice and take away that number. Have your preschooler count the number of apple seeds left over.

apple seed counting mat for preschool

I like to work one-on-one with my preschoolers as they get the hang of all the steps. Once they get to the end, I will point to the beginning numeral on the mat, and say something like (example):

You started with 16 seeds. Then you took away four seeds, and now you have 12 seeds!”

Doing this will get your preschooler used to simple mathematical language used in subtraction.

Get your apple seed counting and subtraction mats here!

Apple Themed Picture Books

If you are considering this apple seed download to add to your other apple addition worksheets and printables, consider the following books.  They are some of our favorites.

Sarah Punkoney, MAT

I’m Sarah, an educator turned stay-at-home-mama of five! I’m the owner and creator of Stay At Home Educator, a website about intentional teaching and purposeful learning in the early childhood years. I’ve taught a range of levels, from preschool to college and a little bit of everything in between. Right now my focus is teaching my children and running a preschool from my home. Credentials include: Bachelors in Art, Masters in Curriculum and Instruction.

stayathomeeducator.com/

Filed Under: Apples, Counting & Number Identification, Mathematics, Number Sense, Thematic Activities Tagged With: featured

« Initial Sound Picture/Letter Matching Version II
Graphing Lesson Plans For Preschoolers »

Trackbacks

  1. Tips for Making Apple Pies With Preschoolers says:
    November 9, 2014 at 6:50 am

    […] Apple Seed Counting: a One to One Correspondence Activity […]

    Reply
  2. One to One Correspondence Counting Activity says:
    June 29, 2015 at 6:46 am

    […] to one correspondence is a major skill preschoolers learn. This one to one correspondence counting activity is not only fun, but is also a bit more advanced than traditional counting activities, so […]

    Reply
  3. 6 Low-Prep Apple Activities for Preschoolers (Printables) says:
    September 6, 2016 at 5:54 am

    […] other benefit of these apple playdough mats is that they encourage fine motor development with the apple seeds. We used dried black beans but black buttons would also work, or small dark pebbles. And, having […]

    Reply
  4. Apple Life Cycle Printable + Other Apple Activities says:
    February 8, 2017 at 3:44 pm

    […] Apple Seed Counting […]

    Reply
  5. 30+ Totally Fun and Simple Apple Activities for Kids! - This Outnumbered Mama says:
    April 28, 2017 at 11:39 am

    […] Apple Seed Counting from Stay at Home Educator […]

    Reply
  6. 15 Fall Literacy and Math Centers for Preschoolers - Stay At Home Educator says:
    September 7, 2017 at 5:11 am

    […] Apple Seed Counting – FREE printable! Children use black buttons to practice counting and one-to-one correspondence skills. […]

    Reply
  7. Sneaky Squirrel Counting Game + Other Fall Printables for Preschoolers says:
    August 16, 2018 at 5:44 am

    […] they work hard to ferret away acorns for winter. That’s what keeps happening in this fun fall counting printable. That sneaky squirrel keeps stealing the acorns, and your preschooler will giggle all the […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Search This Site

Stay Connected

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter


PRINTABLE SHOP
PLANNING
LITERACY
MATH
DEVELOPMENT
THEMES
PLAY
Visit Sarah @ Stay At Home Educator's profile on Pinterest.
Stay At Home Educator

© Copyright 2015 Foodie Pro Theme · Genesis Framework · Customizations by Kara Carrero ·

Wordpress