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Apple theme for 3 and 4 year olds: a week of activities

A apple theme lesson plan for 3 and 4 year olds: what a day looks like, then the week's circle time (ten to fifteen minutes, with a child holding the book), books, craft, song, snack, letter and outside time, each with what changes at this age.

Plan this week for 3 and 4 year oldsThe whole apple week

A day of the apple theme with 3 and 4 year olds

  1. Arrival, sign-in, and a job from the helper chart.
  2. Circle (ten to fifteen minutes): calendar, “What do you think is inside an apple?”, sing “oranges and lemons”, then Meg and the Seed.
  3. Centers, with the craft at one table: paper-plate apple.
  4. Letter A: trace it once, then hunt for A around the room.
  5. Snack: Rainbow Fruit Cup, with children pouring and counting.
  6. Outside: apple roll relay.
  7. Rest, then a longer read-aloud: Johnny Appleseed.

Apple circle time

  1. Good morning song, then say each name together.
  2. Calendar: the day, the date and the weather.
  3. Ask: “What do you think is inside an apple?”
  4. Sing: Oranges and Lemons.
  5. Read: Meg and the Seed (level 3).

Threes and fours: ten to fifteen minutes; let a child hold the book.

Apple theme books

  • Meg and the Seed (level 3, free on peabody.kids): A seed goes in the ground and takes its time: the apple's whole story in a few lines.
  • Jen and the Jam (level 1, free on peabody.kids): Fruit turned into food, and a silly mess to talk about.
  • A Bun for Fran (level 2, free on peabody.kids): Sharing food with a friend, for the snack-time talk.
  • Johnny Appleseed (read aloud, level 5): A tall tale to read aloud: a man who planted apple seeds wherever he walked.

Apple craft: Paper-plate apple

You need (6): paper plates, red or green paint, brown paper strip, green paper leaf, glue stick, a brown crayon.

  1. Paint the plate red or green and let it dry.
  2. Glue on the brown stem and the green leaf.
  3. Draw three seeds in the middle and count them together.

With a grown-up. No heat, nothing hot.

Apple song: Oranges and Lemons

The words

Oranges and lemons, Say the bells of St. Clement's. You owe me five farthings, Say the bells of St. Martin's. When will you pay me? Say the bells of Old Bailey. When I grow rich, Say the bells of Shoreditch. When will that be? Say the bells of Stepney. I do not know, Says the great bell of Bow. Here comes a candle to light you to bed, And here comes a chopper to chop off your head!

Traditional; public domain. From Top 52 nursery rhymes with lyrics.

Apple snack

Rainbow Fruit Cup from the Peabody Kitchen: picture steps, allergy swaps and safety lines on the recipe.

Letter A activities

AaA is for apple. Print the two pages (a trace page and a color page).

Threes and fours: trace A and a once, then find A in the room and in the book.

Outside activity: Apple roll relay

Roll a ball (the apple) along the grass to a partner and back. Count the rolls.

Apple theme for toddlersApple theme for 2 year oldsApple theme, all ages

Checked 2026-10-30