Easy Apple Sensory Table that Also Builds Fine Motor Skills

Inside: Looking for an easy apple sensory table for your fall theme? This activity has an extra fine-motor challenge with scoops and tweezers and is fun for preschoolers!

Our first fall theme is apples. We make applesauce, we sort and count apples, and, of course, we fill our sensory bins with apples, too.

Well, not real apples. We happened to have some we borrowed from an apple attribute game. Since part of the goal for this apple sensory bin is to strengthen those hands, we added our favorite tongs.

And because I love activities with multi-skills working, we threw in some alphabet pebbles for some early literacy.

Sounds fun, right? Our preschoolers would agree!

 

Easy Apple Sensory Table that Also Builds Fine Motor Skills

First, you will need a filler. We used uncooked rice that was dyed brown. If you’d like to try this but have never dyed  your own rice before, you can see how we do so in our sunflower sensory bin post.

Then, we added the apples. Any type pretend apples will work.

We also tossed in the alphabet pebbles for some literacy fun.

Add tweezers for some additional fine motor practice.

At first the children used both hands to squeeze the tweezers open and closed.

Once I modeled how to use them a few times, most of the children were able to switch from using the entire hand (or both hands) to just using the fingers and thumbs. They used the tweezers to pick up the small grains of rice and the alphabet pebbles.

They used their hands to pick up and transfer the apples, putting them inside various containers.

For younger children who cannot yet master the tweezers, small shovels and/or scoops can be used.

 

More fall activities:

Apple Graph Activity with Free Printable Cards

Preschool Counting Activity with Apples

Apple Stand Dramatic Play