Apple Taste Test for Kids + Free Printable

An apple taste test is a simple way to turn snack time into a tasty hands-on homeschool activity. With four apple varieties and a free two-page printable, your family can practice observation, descriptive writing, comparison, and a little math while discovering which apples everyone likes best.

There’s just something about fall that makes me want to buy ALL the apples, you know? And, while eating them is certainly a good enough reason to bring a few different varieties home, why not turn snack time (or second lunch?) into a fun homeschool activity?

This activity is going to be one the kids remember for years!

Why Try an Apple Taste Test?

An apple taste test is an easy way to bring science, language arts, and math into your homeschool without making it feel like another lesson. As the kids compare apples, they’ll practice observing differences, describing flavors and textures, recording information, and interpreting results.

And, because everyone has different preferences, there’s no single correct answer! It’s also a great opportunity to introduce the kids to new foods and encourage them to explain why they prefer one variety over another.

What You’ll Need

To do the apple taste test, you’ll just need to gather a few supplies:

• four different apple varieties (make sure you note the variety while purchasing and/or make sure they have a variety label on the apple!)
• plates or small bowls
• paper and pencils
• my free Apple Taste Test printables
• water for cleansing your palate between samples

For younger children, an adult should prepare appropriately sized pieces.

Which Apple Varieties Should You Choose?

Honestly, apple varieties will vary depending on your location and even the grocery store. If possible, I recommend selecting four different varieties with noticeably different flavors or textures.

When I did this activity with my boys, we picked Red Delicious, Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, and Golden Delicious. Our grocery store didn’t have a big selection so we did our best to get an assortment of colors & flavors – I think we made out pretty nicely!

Not sure which apples to purchase? The U.S. Apple Association’s Apple Varieties Guide is a helpful resource for exploring different types of apples.

How to Conduct Your Family Apple Taste Test

You guys…this is such a simple activity! All you have to do is…

1. Print out the Apple Taste Test Printables
   • The printable contains 2 pages. I recommend printing out one copy of the first page for each participating family member (or friend!) and one copy of the second page.
2. Prepare your apples.
   • Wash the apples and have an adult cut them into bite-sized pieces. Place each variety on a separate plate labeled “Apple #1, #2, #3, or #4.” If you want to make things more interesting, you could keep the variety names hidden until the end for a blind taste test!
3. Observe before tasting.
   • Encourage everyone to example the apples. What colors do they notice? Are the slices firm or soft? Do they have a noticeable scent? Everyone should record the apple variety (or number) and color on their printable.
4. Taste and describe
   • Try one apple variety at at time. Ask the kids to describe what they notice. Is the apple sweet, tart, mild, crisp, soft, or crunchy? Encourage them to use specific descriptive words rather than simply saying, “it’s good!” Then, record the observations on the first page of the printable, give the apple a rating from one to five stars, and write down a few thoughts. Repeat for all four apple varieties.
5. Choose your favorites.
   • Once everyone has tasted all four apples, it’s time to hand out the awards! Which apple was the sweetest, Tartest? Crunchiest? Which one earned the title of Best Overall? Let each family member choose their personal favorite and explain why.
6. Compare your family results.
   • Gather everyone’s votes and determine which apple received the most votes. Did everyone agree, or were the results completely different? You could even take it up a notch and create a bar graph showing how many votes each apple received. It’s a super easy way to add a little math to the activity!

Make It Simpler

For younger learners, focus on tasting the apples & talking about them rather than writing. Let them point to their favorite apple, color in rating stars, or describe what they notice while you record their answer. You could also compare just two apples at a time before introducing the remaining varieties.

Explore Further

Want to challenge the older kids a bit? Have them make predictions before tasting! Which apple do they think will be the sweetest? Which will be the crunchiest? Afterwards, have them compare their predictions with their observations.

For an additional research activity, have them investigate where their apples were grown and identify those locations on a map.

You could also have them explore how different apple varieties are used in cooking. Kansas State University’s Apple Varieties Guide offers helpful information about flavors and cooking uses! Would your family’s favorite snacking apple also be the one you’d choose for baking or making applesauce?

Free Apple Taste Test Printable

Of course, there’s a printable! I’ve created a free, two-page Apple Taste Test printable set to help you and your family record their apple discoveries!

The first page includes observation and rating sections for four different apple varieties. The second page includes apple awards, family voting results, and questions about choosing apples for different purposes.

It’s designed to work for multiple ages, so everyone can participate in the same family learning experience.

Already part of the That Homeschool Family community? You can also find my growing collection of free homeschool printables in the Printable Playground.

Family Learning Adventure #6

This Apple Taste Test is Family Learning Adventure #6 in our 30 Screen-Free Family Learning Adventures for September!

If your kids enjoy exploring & learning with apples, let’s keep the learning going with our Five Senses Apple Writing Challenge. It’s a great way to turn those observations into descriptive writing.

You can also explore more ways to make learning interactive in my article about hands-on learning in our homeschool!

Whether your family discovers a new favorite apple or realizes that everyone has completely different preferences, this activity is a fun, delicious, and simple way to learn together and make memories.

Grab your apples, print your worksheets, and let the tasting begin!

Happy Homeschooling!

Until next time, stay safe, & enjoy quality time with your family,