One of the best things to do this time of year is drive into the country and find an apple tree where the low limbs are are lagging to the ground with the weight of crisp, juicy apples. It’s one of my favorite Fall traditions and offers so many opportunities for learning through adventure.
All this apple picking fun also happens to be the subject of some wonderful children’s books.
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Children’s Books about Apples
Apple by Nikki McClure
The bold red, black, and white illustrations are what drew us to this simple book. McClure tells the story of apples from Fall to Spring in a simplistic and stunning way. Each page shares one word and a hand cut illustration. It is simple enough to read with babies and toddlers, but impressive enough for preschoolers. It also inspired our activity below. Find on Amazon
The Apple Pie that Papa Baked by Lauren Thompson
Apple Pie is one of those hallmark experiences of Fall for me. This tale starts with the pie and goes backwards from apples all the way to the world that spins with the sun that all play a role in the apple pies that grace our tables. This is a fun read aloud full of repetition and action filled illustrations. Find on Amazon
From Apple Trees to Cider, Please by Felicia Sanzari Chernesky
Ever wonder how apple cider gets made? This book walks you through the process from apple trees to cider. It is rhyming, colorful, and informative in the best possible way. Another great read aloud for apple picking season. Find on Amazon
Apples by Jacqueline Farmer
Have a question about apples? It is hard to imagine you wouldn’t find the answer on the pages of this nonfiction book. The history of apples in America, how apples are grown, why they float and even an apple pie recipe are all found in this book. I wouldn’t recommend this to read aloud to a group, but for a kid who loves to know the facts this is an excellent fall book to recommend. Find on Amazon
Preschool Apple Table Invitation
This simple invitation is inspired by the stunning illustrations from Apple by Nikki McClure. They are stark and bold. The originals were created with an X-Acto knife, but for the preschool adaptation were are sticking with scissors.
Materials
Prep Activity / Invitation
For each child, lay out a piece of tag board (construction paper works, but tag board holds glue better), smaller pieces of red and black construction paper, glue, and a scissors.
You may want to consider leaving the glue off of the table so your preschoolers can focus on cutting for a while first. You might also want to have some pencils on hand in case someone wants to draw their shapes before they cut.
Activity
Encourage your child to make their own illustration using the materials on the table. Show them the illustrations from the book again and describe how to author/illustrator used a knife to cut out shapes from the red and black paper. Leave the book out for inspiration and invite them to use the scissors to cut their own pictures.
Younger kids will simply focus on cutting. It is unlikely their pictures will resemble anything, but the practice with the scissors is important for later skill use.
Older children could learn how to fold their paper to cut shapes into the middle of the paper. Demonstrate this with your own piece of paper and scissors if you think they would be interested or you notice them wondering about how to do this.
Although the book is Fall and apple themed, encourage your preschoolers to cut whatever they want. The goal is not to recreate the illustrations from the book, but to explore the method used by the illustrator.
Once your preschoolers are slowing down or starting to lose interest in cutting, invite them to glue down what they cut onto the white piece of paper. If they want, they could also dictate a word or sentence to go with their illustrations. Write their word in bright red.
Look below for more Fall and Apple inspired activities for kids.
Apples & Pumpkins Unit Study Ideas
Corn Kernal Fall Tree Craft from Play Dough & Popsicles
Kids in the Kitchen: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins from Crafty Mama in ME
Learning About Pumpkins {Free Printables Round Up} from Faith and Good Works
Books about Pumpkins for Kids from CraftCreateCalm
Pumpkin Recipes for Kids from FrogMom
Apple Tree Counting Mat from Look! We’re Learning!
Harvest Theme Word Search from Tales of Education at Home
Board Books About Apples and Pumpkins for Toddlers from The Jenny Evolution
Pumpkin Science Activities from iGameMom
Pumpkin Preschool Printables from Living life and learning
Pumpkin Patch Alphabet Match from Schooling a Monkey
Apple Sight Word Game from Books and Giggles
Challenge Math – Apple Theme from Planet Smarty Pants
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