A sweet little apple sticker sort is simple Fall perfection. This fine motor, math, and apple themed activity is a blend of fun that’s just right. Nothing says “welcome to fall” like a dot sticker take on the season.
What is an apple sticker sort?
I love a good dot sticker moment, and this activity is a showcase for the wonders of dot stickers.
You know dot stickers, right? The “yard sale dots” take on a whole new meaning when you realize they can be used in kids activities.
In this dot sticker activity, we’ll use these magical gems to sort apple colors (red, yellow, green) and learn a little more about this fabulous fall fruit along the way.
RELATED: Looking for another more Fall ideas? Check out my FREE Fall bucket list.
The Supplies
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Note: I use painter’s tape for my activities because it is (typically) wall safe (it’s meant for painting and to keep paint where it’s supposed to be). As always, make best judgement for your home and walls before just following the lady on the Internet.
How to prep apple sticker dots
I rolled out my beloved white butcher paper and taped it onto the wall. I drew three apples using washable markers: red, yellow, and green.
Dot stickers come with 4 colors on them, normally: red, yellow, green and blue. Since we don’t have blue apples (wink), I cut off the row of blue dots.
That’s the prep: My daughter (3.5) saw exactly what to do. Match the dots and the apple outlines up.
The must-know tip for using dot stickers
Anytime you use stickers with children, but especially dot stickers, you have to do this major tip:
Pull off the inner white strip.
This makes removing a sticker 362-times easier. That’s not a real statistic but it feels right. You can do this with almost any sheet of stickers: take off the surrounding layer of sticker backing and you’ll cut down on the number of times your child says “I need help!” by exponential amounts.
What are children learning in an apple sticker sort?
The apple sticker sort may look simple.
It might look “easy.”
It might look too basic.
This is anything but basic. Buried in this activity is serious learning. Here’s some skills my daughter is working on during this activity:
- Fine motor skills
- Visual discrimination
- Hand-eye coordination
- Concentration
- Math skills (organizing “data”)
Sorting activities may not look like much, but when a child is sorting, they are doing complex work in early childhood. Big things are happening here.
Ideas to extend the learning activity
Looking to keep the apple learning going? Check out these other apple themed activities:
Frequently Asked Questions
This “stages not ages.” Instead of looking at the age children are to decide if something is right for them, consider who they are as a person. Is this something they’d like? Does it pose a risk to their safety? For dot sticker activity, my kids began these around or before age 2 – but their interest level varied by kid not by age.
The activity might not be right for them. Activities are like food. Not all food will work for all kids – and activities are the same way. We have to think about activities like a child’s palate. Some will like a certain activity style. Others won’t.
No! This activity is not part of Playing Preschool Unit 1, but could absolutely be added to it.
Susie Allison, M. Ed
Owner, Creator
Susie Allison is the creator of Busy Toddler and has more than 1.9 million followers on Instagram. A former teacher and early childhood education advocate, Susie’s parenting book “Busy Toddler’s Guide to Actual Parenting” is available on Amazon.
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