It’s Apple Time! Apple Activities, Ideas, and Freebies for Kindergarten

One of my favorite things about fall has always been that there are so many opportunities for thematic teaching (which I love!). An apple theme allows for easy integration of science, math, literacy, and even social studies.

Read on for some simple and fun apple activities!

Apple Science Activities

An apple theme invites some fun (and tasty) hands-on science activities as well as opportunities for learning about life cycles and the needs and parts of plants. Consider having a taste test with a few different varieties of apples while discussing the senses. Use vocabulary such as tart, sweet, and crunchy. Other apple activities could have students exploring the parts of an apple and following up with an anchor chart labeling activity or exploring different ways to prevent cut apples from browning when exposed to air. Apple activities are an excellent way to bring age-appropriate science experiences to your kindergarten or first-grade classroom!

Read on to find tips and videos for implementing some of these apple activities! (Or, if you want to check out a ready-made apple unit, click through to see this one, which includes an informational PowerPoint! You can find it here in the website shop or on TPT.)

This simple video shows children how to set up an apple browning experiment. Follow it up with some observational drawing and writing in a science journal!

Here’s a very informative video about the life cycle of apples. It includes many interesting facts about apples and orchards, as well:

This short animation provides an amazing visual to help children understand the life cycle of an apple:

In my website shop, you can find this Apple Unit (also on TPT), which includes a slideshow and many other printable materials for crafts, writing, and more apple activities! You can also find a set of Digital Apple Activities (also on TPT) that are perfect for use at a technology station or for a school-home connection!

Apple Activities for Math

To incorporate math into your apple theme, consider opportunities for estimating (seeds in an apple, bites to the core), measurement (using a balance scale to compare with classroom objects), and graphing (who likes green, red, or yellow apples best?). Children can also make up math story problems with an apple theme that their classmates can solve with drawings.

Here’s a simple free apple ten frame game children can play alone, with a partner, or in a group. Using mini-erasers, round counters, or craft pompoms, have students roll a die to fill their bushel basket ten frames. Find the free printable here in the freebie library (or by clicking on the picture).

This counting song is a fun one–write the words on sentence strips and have the children replace the numbers as they sing and read!

Find my set of print-and-go apple activities for kindergarten math here in the shop (or here on TPT)!

Apple Activities for Literacy

An apple theme provides lots of opportunities for building literacy skills. There are many wonderful informational children’s books about apples, and apple science pairs perfectly with informational writing. Another simple reading activity is to write apple sentences incorporating sight words or relevant phonics skills for students to read with a pointer. This is a great way to reinforce print concepts! Having children help compose (and write) the sentences during shared writing or small group time is even more meaningful!

In my website shop, I have these Differentiated Apple Readers (also on TPT). This set includes books on three apple topics each written for three different levels. These are great for small group work and for practice reading at home. You can also find a free set of Johnny Appleseed readers following this format in my freebie library!

Social Studies Apple Activities

A great way to bring social studies into your apple theme is to learn about Johnny Appleseed. Children love reading and writing about this folk legend!

This video from Cool School does a great job of giving kids interesting facts about Johnny Appleseed:

These free Johnny Appleseed readers are great to send home to share with families after students have had a chance to read them at school. You can find them in my freebie library. 🍎

Thanks so much for reading! I hope having these apple activities and ideas all in one place will be helpful as you plan your apple theme!