A preschool apple theme is perfect for fall time! The kiddos really enjoyed this apple color matching game that we played using some of our colorful wooden spools.
Full disclosure – it’s not so much a “game” . . . but kids love calling all kinds of activities games, so I rolled with it! 🙂
Use Themed Office Supplies for a Color Matching Game
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Materials we used
Colored wooden spools
Red and green apple brads
How the Kids Played
I sat down with a small group of students in our math center to play this easy color matching game. I grabbed red and yellow spools, as well as red and yellow apple brads.
First, the kids sorted all of the items based on color and shape – the green spools in one spot, the red spools in another, the green apples in a third pile, and the red apples in a fourth. The children sorted all on their own, without any help from me, although I would’ve been happy to lead them through it.
Related: Ten Red Apples Printable Book
Then we talked about which colors were the same and which colors were different. The kiddos easily placed the group of green apples by the green spools. They did the same with the red apples and spools, too.We touched on the concept of shades of color during our discussion. We found other items around the classroom that were different variations of red and green, as well.
Then came the fine motor “finger workout”. I showed the children how to grasp an apple brad and insert it into the hole of a spool. They cracked me up – they were so intent on watching what I was doing! I received a few great responses, including, “Hey! Good job, Miss Mary Catherine!” I loved that they were encouraging me!
After observing me, the boys and girls set to work themselves! I loved watching how focused they were on the task at hand. Some of the children were able to manipulate the brads easily, while others had a more difficult time of it. Not a single child gave up, though! They were so proud of themselves at the end of our little activity!
Once every interested child had had a turn, the children brought the rest of the natural and colorful spools out. They sorted more colors, built tiny structures and stacked bears along the tops of the spools. They made patterns using the red and green apple-y spools too.
All in all, this color matching game was a bigger hit than I thought it would be. Those apple-themed brads made everything more fun, apparently. There’s something to be said for novelty!
The Learning
If you’re a regular reader, you can say this with me – even super simple activities can yield a ton of learning for young children! Here are some of the concepts the kids learned and practiced:
- Colors and shades
- Fine motor work
- One-to-one correspondence
- Sorting
- Counting
- Patterns
What fine motor and color matching game does your child enjoy the most? I’d love to hear all about them in the comments below!
Apple Theme Preschool Lesson Plans
Save time and get right to the playful learning with our printable lesson plan sets. Each set includes over 30 learning activities related to the theme, and we’ve provided different versions for classroom teachers and home preschool families so all activities are geared directly toward your needs.
This set includes active hands-on learning ideas, book suggestions, and the following printables:
- Apple Number Cards (0-35)
- “Counting Apples” emergent reader
- “I See Apples” emergent reader
- Apple Letters (uppercase and lowercase in both red and green)
- Apple Life Cycle Cards (in color and b/w)
- Label the Apple Diagram (in color and b/w) with labeling cards
- Apple Pattern Cards
- Put the Apples on the Tree Game Mat
- Editable cover and pages for a class apple book
Get Your Preschool Apple Lesson Plans
Preschool Apple Lesson Plans for Classroom Teachers
Apple Preschool Lesson Plans for Home Preschool Families
You can also find us on Teachers Pay Teachers
If you’re looking for more math activities, pop over to my Math Pinterest board.
I also have a Fine Motor Pinterest board with some great ideas to check out!
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