This game can be performed on a worksheet or live with the aid of a few apples. The goal of the game is for the students to place the apples in order from "whole" to "completely eaten." Create an image or cut out six to eight apples to varying degrees. For instance, the first apple will be whole, the next might have a bite taken out and the next might have a quarter missing. This will teach students how to order things from least to most or vice versa.
To strengthen the fine motor skills of the children, draw several apples on a sheet of paper. Then create dotted lines around the apples. The children are instructed to cut along the lines, staying as close to them as possible. Be sure to provide supervision while the children are cutting. Once the apples have been cut out, the children can color them red and green.
Create a small book by cutting out a piece of red construction paper in the shape of an apple. Then create three photocopied pages that detail the life of Johnny Appleseed. (Obviously with a simplistic storyline.) Provide colorless images for these books as well. Staple the booklet together. Then after a group discussion about Johnny Appleseed's life, instruct the children to color in the images. This focuses on the fine motor skills of staying in the lines and holding a writing instrument. Then read the book aloud as a class, encouraging the kids to follow along.
Obtain permission from the school to plant an apple tree on the grounds. The kids can take turns digging the hole (with the aid of adults) and planting the young apple sapling in the ground. Through the year, they can have the responsibility of watching and measuring its growth. If this is done several years in a row, younger preschoolers can see the growth of previously planted trees and potentially even eat apples from them. The class can have a discussion about Johnny Appleseed while sitting under an apple tree tree during snack time or lunch.