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When I first saw The Apple Pie that Papa Baked by Lauren Thompson, the illustrations by Jonathan Bean brought back warm memories of the beautiful pictures in the old books I used to read with my grandma, like Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton and Little Brown Bear by Elizabeth Upham. The cute, rolling rhythm and repetition of the story pulls kids right in as they watch the making of an apple pie unfold from the very beginning.
If your kids love this book as much as ours did, why stop there? We LOVE it when a good book can inspire some creative movement and play! Read The Apple Pie that Papa Baked and then try these great sensory motor activities to continue the fun! This is an awesome push-in lesson plan that therapists could use to provide a therapy session in the classroom!
SENSORY MOTOR LESSON PLAN:
THE APPLE PIE THAT PAPA BAKED
-Red balls (the balls found in ball pits would work great) or tennis balls or rolled up socks
-A basket or other container
-Several empty paper towel rolls
-Green construction paper
-Crayons or markers
GROSS MOTOR ACTIVITY: APPLE ORCHARD
Place a basket in the center of your play space. Ask your child to carry an “apple” to the basket using different parts of his body (suggestions are below), dropping it in gently.
-on your head
-behind your back
-between two fingers
SKILL AREAS ADDRESSED: Balance, coordination, motor control, social skills, cognitive skills, gross motor skills, proprioception
VISUAL MOTOR ACTIVITY: APPLE ORCHARD BOWLING
First, turn your paper towel rolls into little apple trees. Have kids cut out “treetop” shapes from the green construction paper. Then, have them draw some apples onto each treetop. Help kids cut two slits (about 2” long) at the end of each paper towel roll so you can slide your treetops onto the “tree trunks”.
Now, for the fun part! Set up your “apple orchard” at one end of your play space and designate a line or place on the ground for the bowler to stand behind. Let each child take a turn rolling a few apples toward the orchard to knock down as many apple trees as he can!
SKILL AREAS ADDRESSED: Visual motor integration, coordination, grasp, motor control
Want to continue the fun? Head on over to The Educators’ Spin On It and check out their awesome Apple Theme Social Studies Lesson! You’ll find videos, vocabulary words, great suggestions for play, and more!
Looking for more great activities for kids? Try these!
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