Home Activities (Apple Theme):
1. Visit the library or a book store and choose books about apples
to share with your child. Some suggestions are Apples, Apples,
Apples by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace and Apples and Pumpkins by
Anne Rockwell. Ask your child WH questions about the story. For
example, who or what was the story about? Where did the story
take place?
2. Cook with Apples: Cooking is a great way to practice kitchen
vocabulary words and to work on following one and two step
directions. You will need:
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup apples, peeled and grated
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups quick-cooking oatmeal
1/4 cup raisins or chocolate chips (optional)
Melt butter in a saucepan and combine with sugar, apples, and
salt. Boil for 1 minute and remove from heat. Place the contents in
a large bowl (preferably a clear bowl so your child can see the
contents as you work). Ask your child to add the oatmeal and
raisins or chocolate chips to the mixture. Invite your child to stir
everything together until it's well-mixed. Drop by teaspoonful
onto waxed paper or non-stick pan. Cook for 30 minutes-and then
enjoy! When eating the apples use describing words to talk about
how the apples taste (sweet, tangy, sour, etc.).
3. Play Hot Apple. You will need: One apple. Play a "hot-potatostyle" game with the family by passing an apple around as you all
chant the word "apple" over and over. When the leader shouts,
"Hot Apple!" whoever is holding the apple is "it." That person gets
to be the leader and calls "Hot Apple!" in the next game. Focus on
taking turns and being a good sport when you don’t win. Practice
congratulating the winners of each round.
4. Visit an apple orchard and go apple picking. While at the
orchard take the opportunity to discuss farm and apple
vocabulary words: tree, leaves, apples, pick, grow, farm, orchard,
ladder, apple skin, apple core, apple flesh, harvest, seeds, plant,
sunshine, dirt, water, peel, sweet, sour, red, yellow, green,
tractor.
5. Paint with apples. You will need: an apple, red paint, a paper
plate and some paper. Place some red paint on a paper plate. Cut
the apple in half and dip the flat side into the paint. Use the
apple to stamp red paint onto paper. Use spatial concept words to
describe where your child is stamping
(You stamped at the top of the paper. You stamped an apple in
the middle.)
6. Practice your child’s speech sounds during any of the above
activities. Some possible sounds to practice are: “p” in apple, peel,
pick, paint; “s” in seed, sour, sweet, sunshine, stir, stamp; “g” in
go, grow, game; “k” in pick, peck, basket, cut, core; “l” in ladder,
leaf, lick, look, like.
I hope you will enjoy these fun apple activities with your child at
home. Remember we are a team, working together to help your
child improve his/her communication skills.