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Animals and seasons · Sorting and retelling

Apple harvest sorting activity for preschool

Pick pretend apples, sort them, and tell how they got from the orchard to the basket.

Try the activity
Photograph of the Apple Life Cycle precut felt set with apple trees, characters, and the story card.View this felt set on Etsy Opens in a new tab

From the orchard to the basket

Prep · About 5 minutes   Play · About 10 minutes

Gather · Six to eight paper apples in two colors or sizes, a drawing of a tree, and two bowls or paper baskets. Use matching felt pieces if you have them.

  1. Visit the orchard. Spread the apples around the tree. Invite children to pick them one at a time and say what they notice about each apple.
  2. Sort the harvest. Choose one rule, such as red apples in one basket and green apples in the other. Let children explain where each apple goes.
  3. Tell the trip home. Point to the tree, the apples, and the baskets as children finish the story. Ask what happened first, next, and last.

Try saying · “Which basket should this apple go in? How did you decide?”

Make it easier · Set one example apple in each basket and offer four more apples to match.

Keep it going · Empty the baskets and sort the same apples another way, such as by size.

Get the materials

Storytime Club · Annual library

Print it for your next storytime

Find the Apple harvest worksheet bundle PDF in the annual library. Print the bundle to keep the harvest theme going after the sorting game.

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