What You Need

4 - 5 medium sized apples

1 bag of caramel pieces

2 tablespoons of water

Popsicle sticks - one for each apple

Wax paper

Butter

How You Do It

Step 1:

Cover a plate with wax paper.

Step 2:

Butter the wax paper (this keeps caramel apples from sticking to the plate).

Step 3:

Put caramel pieces and water in a saucepan over low-medium heat.

Step 4:

Stir consistently until caramel is melted.

Step 5:

Put one popsicle stick in the apple where the stem is located.

Step 6:

Roll apple in caramel or spoon caramel onto apples.

Step 7:

Roll caramel apple in candies or cookie pieces if desired.

Allow preschooler to taste caramel piece before it is melted. Then allow preschooler to taste caramel from the mixing spoon (when it is cool enough). Ask preschooler if it tastes different after being melted!

Make It More Challenging

This project introduces preschoolers to the concept of solids, liquids, and gases. Before making the apples, ask preschoolers what they think will happen to the caramel when it is placed over heat. Allow preschoolers to observe the caramel on the heat in the beginning, middle, and end of the melting process. Be careful they don't burn themselves! Ask preschoolers what happens to ice or ice cream in the heat. Try freezing something in your refrigerator allowing preschoolers to look at it before and after it is frozen. (Yogurt is great for this idea!)

I'm Monica Paynter, the Preschool Projects writer for PreschoolRock.com. As the Mom of two preschoolers, I love creating projects with my children. Projects promote positive relationships between parents and preschoolers. If you have any suggestions, questions or ideas for this site, please contact me.

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Preschool Projects is Copyright 2006 - Monica Paynter

PreschoolRock.com is Copyright 2006 - Stacey Lloyd - All Rights Reserved.

Helpful Tips for Parents

• Define the project goal together before starting — a child who understands what they're building is more motivated and makes better decisions throughout the process.

• Document the project with photos and notes. The documentation becomes a record of thinking and process that the child is proud of — sometimes more than the finished project itself.

• Allow projects to take longer than planned. Rushed projects miss the depth that makes them educational. The process is the point; the deadline is secondary.

• Science projects that span weeks — growing plants, tracking weather, observing a chrysalis — teach longitudinal observation and the patience that underlies scientific temperament.

Frequently Asked Questions

What tools can preschoolers safely use for projects?

Appropriate tools for preschoolers under supervision: child-size scissors (from age 3), blunt needles for basic sewing (from age 4–5), sandpaper (under 4 is fine), hand drills (with adult stabilizing the work — age 5), hammers with guidance (age 4 with proper safety setup — wood into wood, not fingers), and glue guns (adult manages the gun, child applies — hot glue is burn-safe with this setup from age 4 with close supervision). Real tools, used correctly and safely, are more developmentally rich than toy versions. The critical safety principle: one tool at a time, under continuous adult supervision, with clear safety rules that are always enforced.

How do I store in-progress projects safely?

Designate a specific project storage area: a high shelf where small children can see but not access (prevents accidental destruction), a dedicated project tray or box labeled with the child's name, or a separate table where the project lives during its completion period. Nothing is more deflating for a child's project motivation than returning to find the work accidentally disturbed or destroyed. Photograph in-progress states regularly so that if disaster strikes, the progress can be at least documented and the child can see how far they'd come.

Related reading: See also our painting projects and our garden science guide for more ideas on this topic.

🎓 Skills Your Child Will Develop

• 📏 Math & Measurement — Building, sewing, cooking, and constructing projects require practical measurement — estimating lengths, counting pieces, measuring ingredients — making project work one of the most authentic early math experiences available.
• 🏆 Pride & Accomplishment — Completing a real project — something that works, that's given as a gift, or that solves a real problem — produces a depth of pride and accomplishment that short activities and exercises cannot generate.
• 🌍 Real-World Competence — Projects that solve real problems or produce real results — a bird feeder that birds actually use, a garden that produces food — build genuine competence and connect children to the productive adult world.
• 🎯 Attention to Detail — Projects that require precise measurements, careful steps, or quality execution teach children to slow down, pay attention to detail, and care about doing something well — not just doing it.

Engage preschoolers in learning early science facts by making caramel apples. Preschoolers predict what happens to the caramel pieces when they are placed over heat. Preschoolers critical thinking skills are developed as they begin to recognize "melting" as a concept.