Apple theme for preschool: the week, planned

An apple week for preschool covers three things: what grows on a tree, what is inside an apple, and how many seeds you find. Peabody's free apple theme plans it Monday to Friday, with four books, a paper-plate apple craft, the song "Oranges and Lemons", a fruit-cup snack, the letter A and an apple roll relay outside. Peabody is free through the end of 2026, with no sign-in and no ads.

Rooms usually run apples in September, October or November. Here is the week as the planner lays it out, with what changes for the youngest and the oldest.

The week at a glance

The same book comes back on Wednesday on purpose. Children like hearing a book again, and the second time they say the words with you.

Circle time in five lines

For threes and fours, the planner's script is:

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).

Plan on ten to fifteen minutes and let a child hold the book. For twos, about five minutes, and stand up for the song. For infants and toddlers, two or three minutes on laps: sing hello to each child by name, look out of the window together, and hold up a real apple and name it.

The word wall for the week has four words: apple, seed, tree, core.

The books

All four are Peabody's own free stories, and each has a reason to be in an apple week:

• Meg and the Seed (level 3): 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): fruit turned into food, and a silly mess to talk about.
• A Bun for Fran (level 2): sharing food with a friend, for the snack-time talk.
• Johnny Appleseed (level 5, a read-aloud): a tall tale about a man who planted apple seeds wherever he walked.

Levels 0 to 3 are books a four-year-old can follow along with on a tablet or a big screen. Level 5 is for you to read aloud. For infants and toddlers, pick one book and read it every day, pointing and naming.

The craft: a paper-plate apple

Six materials: paper plates, red or green paint, a brown paper strip, a green paper leaf, a glue stick and a brown crayon. Nothing hot, and no scissors for the children.

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.

The planner spreads it over two days: steps 1 and 2 on Tuesday, finish on Wednesday, so the paint has a night to dry. For twos, a grown-up pours the paint and holds the glue. For infants and toddlers, let them touch and hold the materials while you make it, and keep anything small enough to swallow out of reach. In a mixed-age room, the fours help the twos.

The song, the snack and outside

The song is "Oranges and Lemons", a traditional rhyme from Peabody's nursery rhymes with lyrics. It's an arch game: two grown-ups make a bridge with their arms and the line walks under it. The list puts it at ages 4 and up, so with twos, just sing it and walk in a line. The words print on the wall sheet and on the family note.

The snack on Thursday is the Rainbow Fruit Cup from the Peabody Kitchen. The recipe page carries its own allergen list, swaps and the lines for children under 4. Read it before you shop.

Outside is the apple roll relay: roll a ball (the apple) along the grass to a partner and back, and count the rolls.

The letter pack

A is for apple. The letter pack has 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. Twos do the color page only and say the word. Infants and toddlers skip the trace page; show them the picture and say "apple".

Try this on Monday morning

Before circle time, a grown-up cuts one apple across the middle, not top to bottom. The seeds make a star. Put the halves on a plate in the middle of the circle and ask the theme question before anyone sees inside. Then count the seeds together and draw that many on Tuesday's plates instead of three.

If you want the whole week on paper, open the planner, pick the week and "Apples", pick your room's ages, and print the wall sheet and the family note. The family note ends with two things to ask at home: how many seeds were in our apple, and what color apples can be.

Three things providers ask

What if a child is allergic to apples?

The Rainbow Fruit Cup page in the Kitchen lists its allergens and swaps. Check it against each child's allergy plan, and follow your program's own food rules first.

Can I run apples for two weeks?

Yes. Many rooms do. Keep the song, read the books again in a new order, and add the pumpkin week or the farm week after it.

Is the planner free for a family child care home?

Yes. It is the same planner for a center, a home program or a co-op, with no sign-in. Your plans stay in your browser, and the last twelve weeks are kept.