Apple themed lessons are a fall classic and there are some great activities for apples that can give your lessons a seasonal feel. There is no shortage of great apple activities, songs, and books, so here are some of my favorites apple themed activities for elementary music. Full disclosure – some affiliate links. This won’t change your price and I get a small kickback. No pressure!
Apple Tree
A student favorite capture game, this is a great song for steady beat/rhythm, ta ti-ti, and do.
Game play:
Students stand in a circle and hold hands.
Two students create an arch (the “tree”) with one student inside the circle, and the other on the outside. Students sing the song and walk under the arch. On the word “out” the students making the arch bring their arms down and trap a student. That student becomes part of the tree until all the students become part of the tree. For an extra twist, as the tree becomes larger, I have the students zig zag in and out of the students forming the arches.
Folk Song Analysis
4/4: ta, ti-ti
Tone Set: dmsl – final tone is do
Snag this Folk Song File on TpT
I Climbed Up the Apple Tree
This one is adorable, really great for driving home ti-ti ti-ti ti-ti ta. It can also work really well for a conversation about form when you put it in contrast with a song that doesn’t have the same pattern four times in a row (like Apple Tree above) or if you want to find a chant with the SAME pattern, this is a great way to teach a new song withe same rhythm for Engine Engine #9.
Folk Song Analysis
4/4: ta, ti-ti
Snag this Folk Song File on TpT
Wind Up the Apple Tree
This one can be found on Holy Names Kodaly Folk Song Collection. It also has a game similar to snail snail and if you only analyze the main theme with the students, is a great piece for ta-a.
I’m not sharing an image of this one because of the date of the source listed on the Holy Names site. Definitely go check it out though because those half note songs aren’t easy to find!
Folk Song Analysis
2/4: ta, ti-ti, ta-a, tim-ka
Tone Set: s,l, dr – Final tone is do
Pick the Apple Game
This is a favorite game I use to practice identifying rhythm concepts. Students get a set of cards. Similar to the game “Post Office”, the teacher selects a card from their own stack and reads the rhythm. Students need to “pick the apple” with the right rhythm.
The Apple Tree Book
This book is an awesome add for an apple themed lesson. This is about a Cherokee boy who plants and apple seed and nurtures the seedling to become a tree. Written in English, this also has the text in Cherokee with a chart in the front to help with pronunciation.
Author: Sandy Tharp-Thee
Illustrator: Marlena Campbell Hodson
ISBN: 978-1937054038
Buy the book on Amazon
Apple Composing
Letting your students be creative is one of the best parts of being a music educator. These fun apple pages will be perfect for an apple themed lessons.
What’s included:
- Cut and paste page – one with three words, one with four words
- Write your composition with a word bank (1 beat words)
- Write your composition with a word bank (2 beat words)
- Apple ostinato creation pages – 8 different types of apples with real pictures in two sizes – 1/8 page and 1/2 page
- Rubric
- Student self evaluation
Check out Apple Composing here.
I hope this helps you create some great apple themed lessons!
