Apple Vocabulary: Preschool Literacy Activity

Apple Vocabulary is one of our favorite activities to do with our preschoolers every fall. Simple supplies get this activity ready in no time!

Two photos: (1) Kristian holds a large red apple cut from poster board (2) a red apple poser cut out is filled with words about apples in black text (ex: fruit, ripe. round, vitamins, juicy, yummy, applesauce, yellow, crisp, grows, colorful, seeds, sour)

When I think of Apple Vocabulary, I think of community

We all huddle together, maybe at circle time or sitting outside under a tree.

I ask the kids to share any words they think of when they think of apples, and I write them down.

We’re working together, collaborating, working, playing, and learning.

10/10 recommend.

Related: Our GIANT 10-foot Apple coloring page banner is perfect for groups of all sizes and kids of all ages.

A red apple poster board cut out is filled with apple vocabulary in black text (ex: fruit, ripe. round, vitamins, juicy, yummy, applesauce, yellow, crisp, grows, colorful, seeds, sour)

Apple Vocabulary is a staple apple theme literacy activity

This is one of the activities we must do every year.

It’s loaded with literacy learning, and the kids have a blast.

Materials

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Two giant apples cut out and painted, one from cardboard and one from poster board — *The difference between painted cardboard (back) and poster board (front)*

How to do Apple Vocabulary

PART 1: Make a giant apple

Sometimes I use poster board, and sometimes I use cardboard. Either works perfectly. Cut out a basic apple shape, and paint it to look like an apple.

Tip 1: You can make it even easier by cutting out a large circle and attaching the stem + leaf shapes afterward.

Tip 2: You could make it extra even easier by using a red poster board. I paint my cutout red every year (and have the kids help me), but a red posterboard would shave off time!

PART 2: Add the vocabulary words

Invite the kids to gather around and explain that together you will brainstorm and write words describing apples. If you have a real apple, you could invite them to look at and inside of it, too.

As they name words, write them down.

Continue until your apple is full!

An adult hand holds a black marker and writes the word "juicy" on a red apple cutout

How is this a preschool literacy activity?

There are a few layers of literacy in Apple Vocabulary:

Speech-to-Print: As kids say a word and you write it, you’re modeling speech-to-print, the concept that spoken words can be translated into written language

Vocabulary: Kids will hear words from their peers that they might not have known before

Letter identification: Kids observe the letters you write (and you can name them as you go)

Directionality: All languages have rules, and in English, one of the rules is that it’s written left to write, which kids will observe throughout the activity