Bring fun into your classroom with rhymes and fingerplays!
“Way Up High in the Apple Tree” is one of my all time old favorite finger plays. I have been using it since I started out as a preschool teacher over 20 years ago. If you don’t know this simple rhyme, let me share it with you…
Way up high in the apple tree,
Five red apples smiled at me.
I shook that tree as hard as I could,
Dooowwwwwwwn came an apple….
Mmmm, it was good!
Repeat the rhyme until all the apples are off of the tree!
Use Movement to Act out the Rhyme
I like letting the children say this rhyme first by just using our hands. We act out the rhyme by shaking our tree and making our hands go down to the ground as each apple falls down.
Use Repetition
Then we repeat the rhyme using the flannel board. Each child takes a turn removing an apple from the tree.
Add Expression
Be sure to use lots of expression when sharing fingerplays and rhymes with your students. We only have one sad little apple left on that tree…
Extension Activities
During center time, I leave the felt pieces and the flannel board out where children can give this a try on their own…
Why we Love Fingerplays
Using the flannel board with your fingerplays is a great way to teach rhymes in preschool and build a child’s memory of those rhymes. Do you have a favorite apple rhyme you like to use too? Perhaps you can teach me a new one to add to my list!
Links to grow on..
See how you can make your own flannel board here.
See a fun book to read with your apple tree rhyme here.
Available on Amazon
If your readers are interested in flannelboards, they should check out Flannel Friday. Lots of pictures on the pinterest account: https://pinterest.com/flannelfriday/
Also got your 404 error when clicking on the make your own flannelboard link.
I fixed it – thanks for the heads up and the links!
i love this one! felt boards are one of the greatest inventions. love the bitty in the picture sitting in circle time with her lovey blankie. too precious for words 🙂 that gave me a happy heart. thanks and have a blessed day!
Yes – we love that blankie!
Cute! I don’t know that rhyme, probably not familiar here in the UK. But it’s so sweet! It could be a great time to introduce it to my little ones, thank you! PS love using felt for play and learning!
Now – you can make it familiar there too!
Love this fingerplay. I have an entire theme week on apples, so I’m definitely gonna remember this activity. We do Johnny Appleseed, too, and the students learn the names of different apple varieties. It’s a fun week.
Sounds like great fun Brenna!
Love it!!! The children will think this is super!!!
Thanks Kelly! It is a very old favorite!
That is the cutest idea ever! They must of loved it.
They look so darling on my wall too:)
I really should get out my flannel boards – I haven’t done that in awhile! Oh and Aimee great link!
Woops sorry – I ment Annes link! 🙂
we did this too! but funny, i’ve never done more than 2 apples on the tree (each hand turns to a fist to be the apples).
we’ll up the number now. : )
Haha – I usually choose the number of apples based on the number of children in the group or based upon how long I think they will stay interested.
We’ve been using this poem recently too! We made apple shakers out of paper plates and beans but I love your felt board ideas too. I just made our first felt board and it has been a big hit! Thanks for the play ideas! We’ll be trying this out.
[…] Our song this week was Way Up High in the Apple Tree. This was a ton of fun. I learned this song at our local library’s story time and my son fell in love with it. He was very excited to do it at home and my 1 year old loved it too! A wonderful blogger walks you through it here. […]