Nothing screams “we’re back to school” like the good old traditional apple theme. We love the theme, but there are so many apple activities for kids out there to choose from!
So we rounded up our favorites to help you spend less time with your head buried in your planner this month.
From tactile painting to crunchy apple donuts, there’s an apple activity that will fit the needs and interests of every student in your class! Here are 15 apple crafts and activities you can do in your classroom this Fall.
Apple Craft Ideas
This simple Puffy Paint Caramel Apple Craft is a tactile experience, perfect for those sensory lovers. Students can practice their cutting skills, then follow directions to whip up a batch of puffy paint to make the cutest little apple on a stick.
This Press Paint Apples Craft is great for decorating the classroom or bulletin board. We were warned by our friends at Twitchetts, though, that this can get messy!
Put those little fingers to work with the String on a Wormy Apple Craft. Students will thread Fruit Loops, or another similar cereal, onto a string to create a “little friend” for their paper plate apple. This craft is a good reminder to check your real apples for holes before eating them!
This Cardboard Yarn Apples Craft is another intentional fine-motor craft that’s easy to make and adorable to display!
Teach students new vocabulary with the Parts of An Apple Craft from our friends at The Resourceful Mama. This no-paint, all-glue craft is perfect for independent work and center time. Although who are we kidding- glue can be just as messy!
Apple STEM Ideas
Challenge your students by opening their critical thinking skills with this Apple Toothpick Tower Challenge. See who can make the tallest and longest-standing tower with apples and toothpicks!
If your students love a good sensory activity, treat them to one with The Best Apple Pie Scented No-Bake Play Dough. This is a great way to work measurement into your curriculum, and it smells good, too! If you plan on covering the different parts of the apple (i.e., core, seeds, stem), students can use this play dough with various manipulatives (i.e., popsicle sticks, black beads, etc.) to create their own.
The Jumping Apple Seed Experiment is another opportunity for students to measure and is also an exciting chemical reaction demonstration. This can be a companion activity to the apple-themed story “Ten Red Apples” by Pat Hutchins.
Give the local birds a tasty treat with these Homemade Apple Bird Feeders. If you’re lucky enough to have a place to hang these outside of the classroom, you can use them as an opportunity to watch the feathered friends feast!
Explore the concept of gravity with this Apple Gravity Experiment. Students can follow the scientific method and make predictions as to which apple will win! Create a bar graph to demonstrate their thoughts and test them with this homemade apple racetrack.
Apple Recipe Ideas
Caramel apples are delicious, but they can be a challenge to eat. However, students can enjoy the taste without the mess with these adorable Mini Caramel Apples. These will take a bit of prepping, so you may want to recruit your classroom staff to help with these!
If you have a Crock-Pot, bring it to school to make easy peasy applesauce that your students will love. Just chop up the apples (carefully), throw the ingredients in the cooker, and enjoy the aroma as it simmers.
Get creative with classroom cooking and try these Crunchy Apple Boats from Childhood 101.
Host a decorating contest with the Easy Apple Fruit Donuts. Don’t be fooled-the frosting is actually colored cream cheese!
While these aren’t technically apples, this Apple Jacks No-Bake Marshmallow Treats recipe is classroom-cooking friendly, so we’ll count it in our theme.
Do you have a favorite(s) apple activity in your classroom? Tell us in the comments!
