Elementary Kindergarten Preschool
PrintablesFallFine Motor ActivitiesMath
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If you’re working on teaching your toddlers or preschoolers to count this fall, you’re going to want to grab this printable apple seed counting activity!
This hands-on counting activity can be used again and again and is a fantastic way to work on counting, number recognition, one-to-one correspondence, fine motor skills, and more!
Fall Themed Counting
Nothing says fall quite like a bunch of apples, which is why an apple theme is always one of the first fall themes that we do each year.
It’s the perfect way to kick off the beginning of the school year or the month of September and considering how many apple themed ideas there are out there for little learners, it’s super easy to throw one together.
This apple seed counting activity has got to be one of our favorites though!
It is incredibly easy to prep for your students and makes a fantastic addition to your math center!
Prepping the Apple Seed Counting Activity
Within this download, you’ll find a large printable apple and two difference dice printables.
One die contains numerals for numbers one through six while the other die contains dots giving you the ability to choose the one that works best for your students.
Of course, if your kids are older, pre-k or even kindergarten students, and have already started working on simple addition, you could try using both dice and having them add the numbers together for a bit more of a challenge.
However you decide to use them, you’ll need to laminate the apple, cut out and put together the dice using either glue or tape, and pair them with some “apple seeds” for your students to count.
Now, obviously, we don’t want to use real apple seeds, especially if you’re working with young children that still put things in their mouths, but there are plenty of other, safer options.
A pack of black pom poms, like we’ve used here, are perfect for this activity and if you pair them with a large pair of plastic tweezers, your students will get a really good fine motor workout while they’re practicing their counting skills.
Black buttons or even dried black beans are also really great options that we’ve used in the past. Black beans especially as they really do look more like real apple seeds and they’re fantastic for mastering that pincer grasp!
Counting Apple Seeds
Once your apple seed counting pieces are prepped and ready to go, it’s time to start counting!
Think of this apple themed activity as a fun roll and count game. You could even use this with small groups and have them take turns counting out the seeds.
Have your students roll the dice and count out the correct number of apple seeds.
Once they’ve gotten the hang of it, try turning it into more of a game for more practice.
Give multiple students an apple and have them take turns rolling the dice and counting out the seeds, the first one to 20 seeds wins!
More Fun Apple Activities
Putting together an apple week for your preschool classroom? Check out a few of the ideas below to get started!
- Apple Basket Size Sorting
- Apple Tree Shape Matching File Folder Game
- Beginning Sound Alphabet Apple Sort
- Apple Sight Word Matching
- Apple Life Cycle Book
- Apple Patterns with Pom Poms
- Letter A Apple Sorting
- 12 Fun Apple Books for Preschoolers
- Cinnamon Painted Apple Craft
- Cut the Apples Scissor Practice
More Fall Themed Math Activities for Kids
Get your students excited about math with some of these fun resources!
- Pumpkin Pie Fine Motor Counting
- Thanksgiving Turkey Counting Flashlight Cards
- Pumpkin Seed Counting
- Halloween Color by Number
- Fall Color by Number
- Pumpkin Shape Matching File Folder Game
- Acorn Addition File Folder Game
- Acorn Subtraction File Folder Game
