• Welcome
  • Blog
  • Shop
  • Learning Apps
  • Alphabet
  • Learn to Read
  • Phonics
  • Spelling
  • Struggling Readers
  • Comprehension
  • Writing with Kids
  • Free Printables

This Reading Mama

Fine Motor Apple Activities {FREE Printable Included!}

By thisreadingmama 5 Comments

Fine Motor Apple Activities | This Reading MamaThe last few weeks, we’ve been on our “full” schedule of homeschooling.  It’s been a HUGE blessing to have my mom, a former public school Kindergarten assistant, three days a week to help me out.

While my oldest son spends some time writing in the schoolroom, my middle two children {ages 3 and almost 5} use some of that time to play with their fine motor skills. The past couple of weeks, we’ve spent quite some time with some fine motor apple activities!

Fine Motor Using Tongs

Using Tongs with Pom Poms for Fine Motor | This Reading MamaI created this apple tree counting game, similar to the counting games you’ll find in my Reading the Alphabet curriculum. {You can download it HERE.} My mom put on a number and MBug used the tongs to put that many “apples” on the tree.

To adapt the activity for an older child {like NJoy}, give them a simple number problem, such as “2 apples grew on the tree.  Then, 4 more grew.  How many apples are on the apple tree now?” The child can solve each problem and write the answer after using his pom poms to help him figure out the solution.

Using Tongs with Pom Poms for Fine Motor | This Reading MamaThey also used tongs to cover the apples in the basket, an activity from my free Apple PreK/K Pack. {Note: to make the activity developmentally appropriate for both my kids, MBug’s page has the color words in color and NJoy has to read the color words because they are in black and white.}

We used transparent bingo chips on another day {you can see later in post} before coloring the apples in the basket on the third day of use. {Note that using the skinny crayons, instead of the fat ones, helps to encourage a correct pencil grip.}

Fine Motor with Playdough

Spelling Apple with Playdough | This Reading MamaYou can’t mention fine motor without playdough! 🙂 While I’d love to say I made all my playdough, I can’t. We’re still going through a huge tub we were given at Easter time. I did pull out our red, green, and yellow playdough- festive colors for our three weeks of apple activities! I also pulled out a few apple playdough cutters, too.

We used Carisa’s “Find the Apples” in her Letter A Tot pack as a playdough mat {this particular activity worked best for MBug}. NJoy also used our cutters to spell APPLE.

Pinch and Roll Playdough for Fine Motor Work | This Reading MamaThey used the same apple tree counting game to pinch off small pieces of playdough and stick them in the apple tree, counting the apples.

Picking Up Small Objects

Using Transparent Chips for Fine Motor Work | This Reading MamaThe transparent chip counters also work well to work on some fine motor skills. Before coloring their apple baskets {as mentioned above}, we also used the counters to cover the color words.

A Simple Math Activity for Counting and Adding | This Reading MamaTo work in some math fun, I folded some larger construction paper, writing numbers 1-10 on it for MBug and addition problems for NJoy. They glued down the apples on their foldable paper; such a simple math activity for preschoolers and still working on some fine motor.

Using Hi Ho Cherry-O pieces to sort by color | This Reading MamaI also adapted our Hi Ho Cherry-O Game, using only the red, green, and yellow pieces for a sorting game.  The “apples” were picked up with those fingers used to grip a pencil and sorted by color.

Fine Motor Apple Tree Painting

One day a week, my oldest is in a homeschool co-op and on those days, I try to do a craft with the youngers. This past week, we used Fantastic Fun and Learning’s idea and painted with pom-poms, another great fine motor activity.

Painting the hand and arm for a tree trunk and branches | This Reading MamaFirst, their hands were painted and “stamped” on the paper

Using pom poms to paint apples | This Reading MamaAfter the trunk and branches of the apple tree were dry, they used pom-poms to paint the apples on. {MBug got a little paint happy, but I guess that’s part of the fun.}

Felt Board Fun

Felt Apple Tree | This Reading MamaI have had a felt board for years and never found that “perfect spot”…until now! The idea popped in my head to put it behind the door in our schoolroom and it has now been used like never before!

Spelling words on felt board | This Reading MamaMy mom graciously used some of the scrap felt I had and cut out felt letters and numbers for it and we used the letters to spell apple. {She used old bulletin board letters that I found while cleaning out the attic as her template.} So now, I can change it out with our different themes!

Enjoy
~Becky

Want MORE Free Teaching Resources?

Join thousands of other subscribers to get hands-on activities and printables delivered right to your inbox!

Filed Under: Math Activities

« Choose Different Words: A Simple Writing Strategy {Week 7}
FREE Four Seasons Pre-K/K Pack »

Comments

  1. blessedbeyondadoubt says

    September 23, 2013 at 5:33 pm

    You’re the coolest mom!

    Thanks for sharing at Apples, Apples, and more Apples!

    Jill
    http://www.blessedbeyondadoubt.com/

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Preschool Apple Unit Activities {plus two free printables!} | Under God's Mighty Hand says:
    September 30, 2013 at 11:05 am

    […] Apple Tree Counting Mat from This Reading Mama – Becky offers several great fine motor activities for apple units on this post, and we loved this apple tree mat. We used the paper apples she includes in her free download, then used tongs and pompoms for the apples. This activity uses fine motor, counting, and one-to-one correspondence skills. […]

    Reply
  2. 15 Apple Activities for Play and Learning | True Aim Education & Parenting says:
    August 26, 2014 at 8:50 pm

    […] Fine Motor Apple Activities […]

    Reply
  3. Apple Unit | One Piece at a Time says:
    September 14, 2014 at 10:55 pm

    […] found a cute, fine motor apple activity here. I printed off the darling little tree and laminated it. We use pom poms and tweezers to put the […]

    Reply
  4. Top 10 Fine Motor Skills Apple Activities says:
    August 20, 2015 at 6:01 am

    […] Fine Motor Apple Activities from This Reading Mama – There are lots of great ideas here including activities using tongs, play dough and paint. […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

JOIN MY NEWSLETTER

and get free printables!

Sign me up!


Hi! I’m Becky, a homeschooling mama with 4 blessings who keep me on my toes {and knees}. Before homeschooling, I was a classroom teacher (M.Ed.) and reading tutor. Read more about me here.

Let’s Get Connected!

  • Email
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • Pinterest
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

  • Home
  • Start Here
  • Subscribe
  • Shop
  • Checkout
  • Privacy
  • Affiliates

Copyright © 2023 · Designed by Visibilia Media