A is for Apple Arts and Crafts

Letter A Apple Stamping

Cut an apple in half, dip it in paint and have preschoolers stamp it on a piece of construction paper. Look at the design it makes and the way the seeds look.

Letter A Collage - Have preschoolers cut pictures of things that begin with the letter "A" out of magazines. Help preschoolers to glue the pictures onto a piece of construction paper. Display the letter "A" collages around the classroom.

Marble Painting Apples. Have preschoolers paint a piece of paper by marble painting. When the paper dries, use an apple template to help preschoolers cut an apple shape out of the marble painting.

A is for Apple Math and Science

Apple Sorting - Give preschoolers a collection of apples in a variety of colors. Have preschoolers sort the apples by colors. This could be used as a math center or a group activity. Provide pieces of construction paper in red, green, and yellow. Have preschoolers place the apples on the matching piece of paper. This activity can also be done using apple pictures cut out using a template.

Apple Math - Use a template to cut out several different sizes of apples. Have preschoolers order the apple shapes from smallest to largest.

Apple Seed Counting - Save, wash, and dry the seeds from several apples. Divide a piece of construction paper into 4 squares. Write the numbers 1-4 in each square. Have preschoolers count out the same number of apples seeds as the number in each square says. As preschoolers perfect this skill you can practice this activity using higher numbers.

Seed Estimation - Have preschoolers touch a whole apple and guess how many seeds are inside. Cut it open and count the seeds together with the preschoolers. See who guessed the closest.

Make homemade applesauce with the preschoolers. This can be done easily by peeling and slicing two pounds of cooking apples. Add 1/3 cup of water and sliced apples to a pot and simmer until apples are soft. Mash apples with a potato smasher and add about 1/3 cup of sugar. Add cinnamon to taste and mix well. Serve while the applesauce is warm. Preschoolers can participate in each step along the way and love to eat something that they have helped to cook.

A is for Apple Music and Movement

Sing "Apple, Apple, On the Tree" (to the tune of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star")

Apple, apple, on the tree,

I know you are good for me

You are fun to munch and crunch

For a snack or in my lunch.

Apple, apple, on the tree,

I know you are good for me!

- Taken from The Mailbox Letter of the Week Book 1

Sing the ABC's. Practice using sign language as you sing each letter. Even if the preschoolers do not know every letter, watching you use sign language will keep them interested in the song.

Apple's in the Parachute - Use a 6ft or 12ft parachute, depending on the number of preschoolers, and bounce small red balls or balloons in the center of the parachute.

A is for Apple Pretend Play

Cut out and laminate apple pictures. Attach a piece of Velcro to the back of the apple picture and to a green tree template posted on your wall. Let preschoolers pretend to go apple picking.

Add empty plastic jars and toy apples or small red balls to the pretend play center. Have preschoolers pretend to cook applesauce in the pretend play center using a toy kitchen and toy cooking tools.

A is for Apple Language and Reading

Preschool Book Review - Applebet - An ABC by Clyde Watson

Johnny Appleseed by Steven Kellogg

Johnny Appleseed by Reeve Lindbergh

How Do Apples Grow? by Betsy Maestro

From Seed to Apple (How Living Things Grow) by Anita Ganeri

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Hi! I'm Rachel Lister, the Preschool Education writer at PreschoolRock.com. I live in Utah with my husband and two beautiful boys. When my oldest son was born, I quit my teaching job and opened a home daycare and preschool. I love to help preschoolers learn about the world around them. They make life interesting and I can't imagine doing anything different. If you have any ideas, suggestions or comments, feel free to contact me.

Helpful Tips for Parents

• Screen learning (educational apps and videos) supplements but never replaces human interaction as a teaching medium. Learning happens most efficiently in social, conversational contexts.

• Read aloud daily for at least 15 minutes. This single habit is the strongest predictor of kindergarten reading readiness and long-term academic success.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the role of technology in preschool education?

High-quality educational apps and programs (PBS Kids, Khan Academy Kids, Starfall) used in limited, adult-co-viewed sessions can supplement preschool learning. However, interactive human experiences (conversation, shared book reading, hands-on experimentation, social play) remain far superior as primary learning modes. Screen-based learning is most effective when it is: co-viewed with an adult, limited to 30–60 minutes per day, followed by extension activities in the real world (after a nature app, go outside), and consistently educational rather than commercial.

Related reading: See also our counting activities and our writing readiness guide for more ideas on this topic.

🎓 Skills Your Child Will Develop

• 📚 Pre-Reading Skills — Activities that involve letters, sounds, rhymes, and print directly build the phonological awareness and letter knowledge that are the two strongest predictors of successful reading development.
• 🤔 Critical Thinking — Being asked "why do you think that?" and forming and defending an answer develops the analytical reasoning children need for reading comprehension, mathematics, and evidence-based argumentation.
• ✏️ Pre-Writing Development — Drawing, tracing, and early mark-making develop the fine motor control and visual-motor integration that handwriting requires — making every drawing activity a contribution to writing readiness.
• 📖 Story Structure Understanding — Understanding that stories have a beginning, problem, solution, and ending develops narrative comprehension — the mental schema children use to make sense of increasingly complex texts throughout their school years.

A is for Apple Circle Time

Talk about where we get apples from. Talk to the preschoolers about how apple trees grow from seeds and apples grow on the apple trees. Show them some seeds from the inside of an apple.

Feel Bag - Put some apple seeds or an apple inside a paper bag and have preschoolers reach in and touch it without looking. Ask the preschoolers to guess what is in the bag.

Make a Letter "A" Box. Fill a box with toys and objects that begin with the letter "A". Have preschoolers add items to the box as they play.