An apple a day…lets the tot learn and play through these apple literacy activities! This week, we took a look at the most popular fruit eaten by Americans: apples. And let me tell you, even though this fruit is so common, it is something that our preschoolers haven’t really thought about or investigated that much. So, while this apple preschool theme is simple, sometimes simple is better. Take a look at our apple literacy activities for preschoolers here.
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Apple Lesson plans
Apple Freeze
Apple Alphabet Game
“A is for apples / Apples grow on trees / Find any letter / And stop when I say freeze!”
My elementary kiddos would chuckle because I am famous for making up songs or chants for everything. Songs help us remember so much more! I’m still trying to figure out how it works in our brains, but when N’SYNC pops on the radio, I can bust out the whole song without even thinking!
Scatter the lettered apple cards around the room before proceeding to sing my awesome song. At the song’s end, freeze on a letter and mark it with a dot marker on the recording sheet.
This was a great way to practice letter identification while up and moving—it got us giggling, too!
Tips: Before playing this game, be sure to go over expectations. Practice freezing when the teacher says freeze. Have students place their recording sheet on their heads when they are done to know when to start singing the awesome song again!
Materials:
- Apple Freeze
- dot markers
- clipboards (optional)
Apple Syllable Smash
Apple Counting Syllables Activity
I’m unsure about your kiddos, but mine love using the hammer! We can just set out a log with some nails in it, and boom! The kids are entertained for at least 45 minutes. (A game of hammerschlagen is perfect for entertaining adults, too!)
With this apple syllables smash activity, there’s not only a hammer but tons of foundational skills.
First, the children rolled out three balls of red play dough, which is also a great way to build up the muscles in their tiny little hands.
Then, they said the apple-themed word, which built their vocabulary bank. Finally, as they said the word, they smashed a ball of play dough for each syllable—perfect for phonemic awareness.
The smashing and the hammer just took engagement to a new level of fun with this apple literacy activity for preschoolers!
Materials:
- Apple Syllable Smash
- wooden hammers
- red play dough
- clothespins
Apple Tree ABC
Apple Initial Sound Activity
Climbing the crabapple trees outside was a favorite pastime. I, of course, had my designated spot that no one else could claim or face an unavoidable death glare.
And just like I had my favorite spot, each of your magnetic letters has a particular spot on these apple trees.
Whether you use this apple literacy activity as an uppercase, lowercase, or initial sound match, your preschoolers will love placing each magnetic letter on its matching apple without any death glares from me.
Materials:
Apple Rhymes
Apple Literacy Activities
For our next apple-themed literacy activity, we worked on rhyming skills by sorting apple rhyme cards into two categories: rhyming and non-rhyming words. This can initially be done as a whole class or in small groups to demonstrate how to identify rhymes. Once students understand, it makes a perfect independent activity for your apple literacy centers.
To take this activity a step further, we introduced onset and rime practice with apple word flippers, helping students explore word families.
I can’t believe how quickly my little one is picking up reading skills—it’s so exciting to watch!
Materials:
Applesauce Writing
Sensory Letter Formation
We swapped our usual salt trays for applesauce to make letter formation extra fun! It was a sensory delight—writing letters while enjoying the smell, texture, and taste of applesauce made this activity a hit. Since we were diving into our apple theme, using applesauce as a writing medium was too good to pass up. It made letter writing sweet–literally!
We used the letter cards from Apple Freeze as guides to shape each letter. Each child had a red plate with a small amount of applesauce and practiced writing and saying the letters from the cards.
My little one was so excited that she’s already asked to do it again—probably because she got to lick her fingers every time!
Tip: Have your students wash their hands before starting—those delicious fingers will be impossible to resist!
Materials:
- Apple Freeze cards
- red plates
- applesauce
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MORE Apple Activities for Preschoolers
Exploring apples through these literacy activities has been a fun and meaningful way to engage young learners. From letter recognition to rhyming words, there’s so much potential in this simple, everyday fruit. I hope these apple literacy activities spark creativity and learning in your classroom.
