Apple Songs in the Elementary Music Classroom

 

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September and October are apple months! In my elementary music classroom, I just love singing apple songs, reading books about apples, and playing and dancing to all things apple. With my Kindergarten through third grade students, I have a bunch of “apple-ing” activities to use. Check them out!

I love starting the year off with a rhythmic and melodic review for 1st-3rd graders. After a long summer, they definitely need it. Kids love these apple scavenger hunts. They get practice reading, writing, and playing rhythms and melodies they learned last year. 

 

Apple Story and Vocal Explorations

First, this apple activity is geared for Pre-K and Kindergarten students. It is the story of the magical apple orchard. It is not my own, but it is one that I discovered during my first year of teaching and can be found here.

We sit together in a circle, and I have an apple prop or laminated die-cut. Several years ago, I made every student one of their own apples to use, but most years, I just encourage imagination. When it comes to story time, my students know that I love to get totally into it! This is a great one for vocal exploration.

I start telling the story of the magical apple orchard where all the trees grew in a circle. “One day, an apple fell to the ground. Whhheee—-!” I make a descending spiral sound effect with my mouth, and then say, “And you know what? All the other apples followed him!” The students will hopefully use their pretend apples and voices to mimic what they just heard me do. Then I continue doing different motions (jumping from branch to branch, spinning, spiraling, moving up to the top of the tree, etc.), and the students echo after me. Such a fun story. You can always make up your own ending – I haven’t told it the same way twice!

 

Rhythmic and Melodic Apple Games

Next, I love using a write-the-room game format with my classes. If you’re not familiar with it, students have to move around to find the hidden clues around the room. Then they record the rhythm or melody on their paper next to the matching picture. Once they find all of the hidden rhythms, be sure to “apple-laud” their great work!

Kindergarten students will probably not yet know ta and ti-ti when they enter school, so I love using pre-reading activities in September and October. I use this activity to help students recognize “ap-ple” has 2 sounds and “tree” has one sound. Then we practice patting the beat while saying the icons out loud together.

This apple-themed play-along fits just perfectly. I love using play-along videos with my students in the classroom and at home. They work so well.

 

You can also find some of my rhythm play-along videos by clicking here.

 

Apple Tree Song

The song “Apple Tree” is definitely my favorite, the “apple of my eye.” I love it because I can use with Pre-K and Kindergarten as a steady beat and circle game song, and I can also use it with my 1st-3rd graders playing instruments to accompany it. This rhythmic arrangement is simple enough for 1st grade, and then you can add xylophones with your older elementary.

The circle game is really simple, and I use the laminated apple die-cut to tap the heads of each of the kids as I walk around the outside of the circle. Whoever’s head gets the last word of the song, “out,” is the new “it.” They get to “apple-y” themselves by walking around to choose another person.

 

More Apple Songs

There are so many more apple songs for elementary music class that I just know your students will have bushels of fun with them! 

Here is a list of some classics, folk songs, and even made up songs to use in your apple themed lessons:

• Cindy
• Apples and Bananas
• One Jar of Apples
• Wind Up the Apple Tree
• I Climbed Up the Apple Tree
• The Apple Song (Music K-8)
• A-P-P-L-E (to the tune of B-I-N-G-O)
• Apple Picking Song

 

Apple Children’s Books

I really enjoy adding children’s literature to my kindergarten music classes. There are so many great books to use with an apple theme. My favorite is 10 Red Apples by Pat Hutchins. I love adding instruments to each of the animals who eat the apples.

 

Finally, here are some more apple books that I’ve used with my students:

• 10 Red Apples by Pat Hutchins
• 5 Little Apples by Yusuke Yonezu
• The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
• The Apple Pie Tree by Zoe Hall

 

So, how do you like them apples?!? No, but seriously, I hope you enjoyed this post and can use them with your students. Finally, if you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to leave a message below or email me at bethsmusicclassroom@gmail.com.

Looking for more elementary music education tips and songs? Check out these chants for the music room.