Every fall, when the crabapples had fallen from the tree, begun to rot and smell, and turned into a big, squishy mess, we were given the dreaded task of cleaning it up. While these crabapple trees were the best for climbing, this was the downfall (literally, of the crabapples). No matter how much we raked, we still picked them up by hand, one mushy crabapple at a time. The perk: all six children in my family have excellent fine motor skills! Now, I don’t expect you to take your preschoolers to a crabapple tree in the fall to work on those fine motor skills. Instead, here are some apple fine motor activities that are much less mushy.
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Apple Lesson plans
Apple Tree STEM Challenge
Apple Fine Motor Activity
Can you say, “Challenge?” My kiddos love whenever I bring out an activity in which they have to get the most or build the highest or anything that is a competition – even if they are competing against themselves.
It must be their competitive spirit, which they undoubtedly get from their parents.
In this apple fine motor activity, we used a toilet paper tube as a tree trunk and balanced green popsicle sticks on top.
Without knocking over the tree, the kiddos placed red pompoms on top as the apples, counting to see how many they could gently balance. If they knocked their tree over, they recorded the number of apples they stacked on the card and tried again!
Materials:
- Apple Tree STEM cards
- cardboard tubes
- green popsicle sticks
- red pompoms
Apple Shapes
Apple Playdough Activity
I see it all the time: teachers and parents out there making the perfect playdough. It’s so quick and easy, right?!?
I didn’t have red play dough on hand, so I decided to whip up a batch. Well, I experienced not one, not two, but three play dough fails with this next activity. It was either sticky or clumpy. Does anyone else feel my playdough pain?
While my playdough was still decent, we made these apple shapes. First, we rolled out the dough, which is excellent for strengthening those hand muscles. Then, we used cookie cutters and plastic knives to cut the edges of each shape.
Another way we practiced the shapes was by rolling out playdough worms and placing them around the perimeter of the shape on the card.
This activity is excellent for shape identification and fine motor skills; all rolled up in one big playdough ball. It’s even easy to set up (as long as you can whip up a batch of play dough without my problems).
Materials:
Pompom Apple Picking
Apple Fine Motor Activities
Since moving into our home over four years ago, we’ve uncovered countless surprises in our backyard, especially since we arrived in winter. In the spring, vibrant red tulips emerged, soon followed by striking tiger lilies. Delicate white wildflowers began to dot the grass, transforming our yard into a hidden garden of unexpected beauty.
And we discovered we have a peach tree that actually produces fruit! We seriously thought it was dead when we moved in, but it’s not! My husband climbs the tree every fall and tosses the peaches down for me to share with our neighbors. Such a thrilling discovery!
This next apple fine motor activity brings back memories of our surprise-filled backyard. Instead of picking peaches, place red pom-poms as apples on the tree printout, then use tongs to “pick” them off—it’s a delightful surprise for little hands!
Materials:
Apple Push Pin Art
Apple Fine Motor Activities
Me: Why do I never have any money?
Also me: Oooh, Target Dollar Spot has new mini erasers.
Well, save your money because you can develop all the fine motor skills with this next activity without splurging. All you need are push pins, and I’m sure the school provided those within their allotted budget.
Print the dotted apple outline on green or red paper, set it on the carpet, and let your preschoolers playfully poke away, building up those fine motor skills without derailing your personal budget.
Materials:
- apple outline
- red and green paper
Worm Holes
Counting Fine Motor Activity
Wormholes in space = a folded galaxy allowing shorter travel between two points.
Wormholes in apples = gross fruit incomparable to the coolness of space wormholes, but they make for a quick, easy apple fine motor activity.
Just cut out the apples and let your preschoolers punch wormholes to match the number on the apple, hopefully warping some of the time of your day away.
Materials:
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MORE Apple Activities for Preschoolers
These apple fine motor activities are a fantastic way to help your little ones strengthen their fine motor skills without picking up hundreds of gross crabapples like me. From picking pretend apples with tongs to rolling out apple shapes, these hands-on activities improve hand strength and make learning a fun and memorable experience. So gather your materials, add a little creativity, and watch your kids light up as they build skills through play!
