Make Bobbing for Apples fun & safe for toddlers with this easy idea!
I used to love bobbing for apples as a kid. But my toddlers are not big fans of putting their faces in the water (plus it can get kind of gross). They love apples though and I just got a big bag from the farm... so I thought we'd put a little twist on the traditional apple bobbing idea for a fun Fall activity. They loved it!
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The set up for this activity is really simple. You will need:
- Plastic Tub (I used a storage bin)
- Apples
- Water
- Large bowl for sorting
- Kitchen Utensils for scooping - we used a soup ladle, mesh strainer, and small pots.
Fill the tub with water and drop your apples in. Set the tub out with the scoops, bowl, and pots (or whatever kitchen utensils you have). Invite your children to try to "bob" for the apples by using the different tools, and encourage them to move the apples from the tub to the bowl using the scoops!
We started with a big serving spoon but the apples just wouldn't stay on!
The soup ladle turned out to be the perfect size and shape to scoop the apples.
The mesh strainer worked great too since it didn't hold the water but caught our apples.
But then they decided to just use their hands, and had lots of fun getting the apples out, then throwing them back in the water. They made some awesome splashes!
My boys had so much fun with this activity, and there were so many learning opportunities too! They were able to get moving and practice their motor skills by scooping and transferring the apples. We worked on counting too as we figured out how many apples were in our tub and how many were in the bowl. Finally, they worked on problem solving as they tried to figure out which tools were best for scooping the apples.
This is a fantastic Fall activity and would work well for a preschool apple theme. And, since we used a clean tub and utensils, our apples were still edible after we were done. Perfect to make an apple snack! We love making our own apple "pizzas" - see how we do it in our latest contribution to Pre-K Pages.
Love apple activities? Find lots more here!