Preschool Apple Lesson Plans
More than just a tasty snack, apples offer preschoolers rich learning experiences! This preschool apple lesson plan will help children explore key concepts like counting, colors, textures, and the life cycle of a tree through engaging activities for every area of your classroom.
There’s so much that can be taught in relation to a preschool apple theme! We guarantee that your lesson plans will be filled to the brim with tasty activities and hands-on fun.
Preschoolers are all about exploring and connecting, and that’s exactly what thematic learning is designed for. When we focus on one topic, like apples, we give kids a chance to explore and learn within a simple frame of reference.
Apple-themed lesson plans make learning both exciting and memorable for preschoolers. Hands-on, fun activities tied to real-life experiences resonate deeply with young children. By using a familiar topic like apples, you are making learning more relevant and relatable for your preschoolers.
At Stay-at-Home Educator, we are happy to provide you with structured, playful activities that make learning both fun and educational. If you are seeking more thematic lesson plans, we have bundled together over 46 weeks worth of fantastic themed learning fun in our learn at home lesson plans bundle. With it all in one place, you will have a year’s worth of thematic learning, ready to go!
Benefits of Teaching an Apple Theme in Preschool
An apple theme is a fantastic way to engage preschoolers in hands-on learning. It provides a natural context for exploring various subjects, including math, science, literacy, and art, while also promoting sensory exploration and healthy eating habits.
Here are some other benefits of teaching apple theme lessons and activities for your preschoolers:
- Seasonal Relevance: Apples tie perfectly into fall, making learning feel timely and relatable. Our preschoolers love connecting their learning to the world around them, like the apples they see at the market or in their lunchboxes.
- Multi-Subject Integration: With an apple theme, you can seamlessly incorporate math, science, literacy, and art into one cohesive experience. For example, counting apple seeds can double as math practice, while reading apple-themed stories builds literacy skills. Our children need this kind of well-rounded exposure to develop multiple skills simultaneously.
- Hands-On Learning: Apple-themed activities offer plenty of opportunities for sensory play and motor skill development. Our preschoolers want to touch, feel, and explore,whether they’re using their fingers to paint apple shapes or examining the seeds inside a sliced apple.
- Connection to Real-Life Experiences: Apples are familiar to most preschoolers, making them a great starting point for exploration. When children recognize what they’re learning, it builds their confidence and enthusiasm.
Topics to Include in Your Apple Lesson Plans
Looking for engaging apple-themed lessons that cover sensory exploration, art, math, and science? This apple-themed unit is the perfect solution! Using just apples, preschoolers can explore a wide range of concepts.
Here are some sample lessons to include in your plans:
- The Life Cycle of an Apple: Teach your preschoolers how apples grow, starting from a tiny seed, to a flowering tree, and eventually to a fruit ready to eat. Our preschoolers love watching growth processes unfold – imagine their excitement learning how the apples in their hands started so small!
- Parts of an Apple: Teach your preschoolers about the stem, skin, seeds, and core. They will surely enjoy learning how each part of the apple has a purpose. Cutting open apples together can turn into an adventure in discovery.
- Apple Tasting & Graphing: Introduce sorting and graphing by tasting apples and charting preferences. Our preschoolers love sharing their opinions, and this activity can turn simple likes and dislikes into early math practice.
- Johnny Appleseed: Share the story of Johnny Appleseed and connect history and storytelling with your apple lessons. Our children want to hear fun stories, and this tale is both engaging and educational.
- Apple Math Concepts: Count seeds, sort apples by size or color, and practice simple addition or subtraction using apple-themed objects. Young children need these foundational math skills in a playful context to truly grow in mathematics.
- Science Experiments with Apples: Test if apples float, explore what happens when they’re left out to oxidize, or see how cooking changes their texture. Your preschoolers will be amazed by these simple yet fascinating experiments.
Apple-Themed Activity Ideas for Preschool
Complete your apple theme with these exciting activities! Covering everything from taste tests and sensory play to creative art projects and active movement games, these ideas are perfect for both home and classroom use.
Art Activities
- Apple Stamping: Use halved apples dipped in paint to create unique prints on paper.
- Fingerprint Apple Tree: Create a tree outline and use fingerprints as apples on the branches.
- Play apple alphabet matching games, where letters are matched to corresponding apples.
- Read-aloud books such as The Biggest Apple Ever or The Apple Pie Tree. Your preschoolers will enjoy stories that bring the apple theme to life.
- Apple counting game: Play a fun counting game that your preschoolers are sure to love. Simply print out our free printable, grab some adorable apple manipulatives, and you are ready for some counting fun!
- Apple counting cards for one-to-one correspondence: You can print out these adorable apple counting cards that offer perfect practice for the important skill of one-to-one correspondence. Depending on the needs of your kiddos, they can use manipulatives as they count each apple or just their finger.
- Apple graphs: Create simple apple graphs showing which apples everyone likes best. Preschoolers typically LOVE taste-testing followed by “graphing their own delicious data”.
- Apple Oxidation: Observe how apples turn brown when exposed to air, and have a simple discussion and examples of oxidation.
- Apple Volcano: Say what? Yes, you read that correctly. Your preschoolers will erupt with excitement with the apple volcano experiment! All you need is apples, baking soda, and vinegar. We promise this one will be a favorite!
- Apple Density: Test whether apples sink or float, letting your children predict and test their ideas.
Sensory Activities:
- Apple Sensory Bin: Fill a sensory bin with with faux apples, dried oatmeal (or filler of your choice), acorns, scoops and whatever else goes with your apple theme. Your kids will love this sensory experience. Bonus if you use apple-scented oatmeal to also engage your preschoolers’ sense of smell!
- Apple-scented Playdough: Create apple-scented playdough and let your child shape their own apples. Preschoolers love activities that engage their senses and allow them to create.
- Applesauce Writing Tray: This activity is exactly as it sounds- your preschoolers get to practice letter formation in applesauce. Messy? A little. Fun? A lot. If they aren’t comfortable using their finger, they can use an object like a paintbrush or small spoon.
Cooking Activities:
Cooking with your preschoolers is a wonderful experience for them! Especially when they get to taste the delicious final product! Check out these easy apple-tastic recipes or make some of your favorites:
Movement Activities:
- Apple Relay Race: Organize a relay race where children carry apples on spoons or other tools.
- Pretend Apple Picking: Use baskets and beanbags (or other soft objects) to simulate picking apples from a tree. This promotes motor skills and is also a lot of fun!
FAQs About Preschool Apple Lesson Plans
Why should I include an apple theme in my preschool lesson plans?
Apples are versatile, seasonal, and relatable to children, offering opportunities to integrate multiple learning domains into one engaging theme.
What subjects can be taught using an apple theme?
You can teach science (life cycle of an apple), math (counting and graphing), literacy (alphabet and storytelling), art, and even cooking skills.
Are there any good apple-themed books for preschoolers?
Absolutely! Some great options include The Apple Pie Tree by Zoe Hall, Ten Apples Up on Top! by Dr. Seuss, and Apples, Apples, Apples by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace. Plus, so many more!
How can I make Apple activities hands-on for my students?
Incorporate sensory bins, apple tasting, stamping art, or simple cooking activities like making applesauce or cutting apples to explore their parts.
What are some easy apple science experiments?
Test if apples sink or float, observe what happens when they oxidize, or explore how heat changes them by cooking them.
Can I include an apple theme even if it’s not fall?
Yes! Apples are a versatile theme that can be used year-round. Connect the activities to nutrition, growth, or even a farmer’s market unit.
What are some tips for managing apple-themed cooking activities with preschoolers?
Use pre-cut apples, involve students in safe, age-appropriate tasks like stirring or mashing, and keep the recipes simple, like making applesauce or no-bake apple snacks.
Apples- crispy, juicy, sweet, delicious! We hope that your preschoolers are super excited to learn all about this amazing fruit. The opportunities for learning are endless in an apple theme.
Get ready to crunch your way through learning with hands-on preschool apple lesson plans. Your preschoolers will be so thankful for all the opportunities that apple-themed lessons naturally provide.
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.
