This activity promotes development and learning by encouraging children to understand and use a growing vocabulary
Materials Needed:
- 3 or more apples (choose a variety, such as green, yellow, and red apples)
- Bandana, dish cloth, or other item that can be used for a blindfold
- Knife (adult use only)
- Cutting board
Participants: This activity is intended for adult/child interaction.
Directions:
- Cover your child’s eyes with the bandanna or dish cloth. Be sure to ask first. Some children love to have their eyes covered, while others might not. Don’t force it.
- Hand your child an apple. Ask her to touch and smell it. Can she guess what it is?
- Remove the bandanna or dish cloth from your child’s eyes. Yes, it’s an apple! Show your child the various apples and talk about the differences in color and size. Cut the apples into small slices. Taste them and talk about the differences in taste and texture based on variety. Introduce words such as sour, sweet, crunchy, soft, peel, and seeds.
- Extensions: Older children may enjoy helping to prepare the snack and taking a family poll. Provide paper and a pencil or markers so that your child can draw a picture of the apple options, and then record the words people use to describe them and/or tally which one is the household favorite!
Learn More: Save the apple seeds. Compare them with other seeds at your home, such as sunflower seeds, flower seeds, or vegetable seeds.
