Letter A Unit Study Worksheets (Free to Print)
Say hello to our free Letter A Unit Study! This free printable, phonics-based lesson plan is designed to guide your child in mastering both uppercase and lowercase letters while developing early reading skills.

Featuring a fun acorn and apple theme with Beatrix Potter-inspired squirrel characters.
These worksheets blend literacy, creativity, and fine motor skills development into one adorable package.
Free Printable Letter A a Worksheets
By integrating these Letter A a Unit Study Worksheets into your lesson plans, you will provide an engaging and educational experience.
My hope is to design activities that kids won’t even think of it as work at all!
This 30-page resource is perfect for Preschool letter A activities, Kindergarten handwriting practice, or a homeschool preschool curriculum.

What’s Included in the 30-Page Pack
There are so many fun engaging activities in this pack, but best of all they are reproducible!
Let’s dig into all the fun activities waiting for you and your little ones.
1. Alphabet Worksheets

2. Tracing and Cutting Practice

3. Copy work & Handwriting Worksheets

4. Coloring Pages & Puzzle Pages

5. Interactive Worksheets

6. Line Tracing Coloring Pages

More Fun Printables to Engage Littles
- Vintage Peter Rabbit Story Bookmarks
- Classic Winnie the Pooh Bingo Game
- The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin Illustrations
- The Tale of Peter Rabbit Bingo Game
How to Put Together Your “A” Unit
You can just take them for face value, but I truly encourage you to gather a few resources more and really create a beautiful educational study that pulls in a child’s imagination.
Let’s talk about some ways you can pull it all together!

1. Read Aloud & Discussion
- Focus on words that start with “A” (e.g., Acorn, Apple, Adventure).
- Talk about the main idea of each story—squirrel behavior, orchard planting, or folktale lessons.
2. Nature and Science
- Acorn Observations: After reading The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin or The Tale of Timmy Tiptoes, go on a mini “acorn hunt” outside. Talk about what squirrels do with acorns.
- Life Cycle of an Apple Tree: Create a simple craft or diagram showing seed → sprout → tree → blossom → apple. Take an apple seed (from an organic apple) and watch it germinate.
- Squirrel Habitats: Build “nests” or small homes for toy squirrels in a sensory bin with leaves, sticks, acorns, and moss.
- Acorn Sprouting Experiment: Place an acorn in a transparent container with water or in a bag with a moist paper towel to see if it germinates.
3. Vocabulary & Letter Skills
- Create a word wall with acorn, apple, adventure, autumn, animal, etc.
- Alphabet Collage: Print a large letter “A” outline. Children can glue on pictures of apples, acorns, ants, airplanes—anything that starts with the letter A.
- Letter Tracing: Use apple-scented dough or sand trays for tactile letter “A” tracing.
- Alliteration Activities: Brainstorm words that begin with “A” (apple, acorn, ant, alligator, astronaut, etc.) and create silly sentences or short stories.
4. Craft , Art, and Game Activities
- Beatrix Potter-Inspired Illustration: Let children illustrate their own acorn or apple story in a style inspired by Potter’s simple watercolors.
- Fine Motor Games: Use tongs or tweezers to transfer acorns into a bucket—great for building hand muscles.
- Apple Printing: Cut apples in half, dip in paint, and use them as stamps. Great for fine motor skills and art.
- Paper Plate Apples: Paint a paper plate red, add a green paper “leaf,” and explore the parts of the apple: core, seeds, stem, skin.

5. Math Tie-Ins
- Counting Seeds: After cutting open an apple, count the seeds. Compare seed numbers between different apples.
- Sorting Nuts: If you have different kinds of nuts (acorns, hazelnuts, walnuts), let children sort by shape or size.
- Apple Tasting: Compare different varieties (e.g., Granny Smith, Red Delicious, Honeycrisp). Make a chart of favorites.
6. Dramatic Play
- Dress up as Johnny Appleseed (tin pan hat, satchel) and pretend to plant seeds around the classroom or playground.
- Pretend you’re a squirrel, where would you hide your stash of acorns?
7. Cooking and Snacks
- Applesauce Making: Let children help peel and chop apples, then cook them into applesauce. They can observe texture, smell, and taste changes.
- Apple Nachos: Slice apples and add toppings like caramel drizzle, granola, mini chocolate chips, or raisins for a fun snack.
8. Outdoor Excursions
- Visit an Orchard: If possible, plan a field trip to pick apples or see different kinds of apple trees.
- Nature Walk: Collect acorns. Sort, count, and discuss differences in shapes and sizes.
Letter A Unit Study Book Recommendations
No unit study would be complete without a few beautiful classic books to further draw in a child’s attention. My favorite part of books is obviously the illustrations.
My opinion is as Alice says, ‘What good is a book without pictures?’

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, including Amazon Associates links. That means if you click through and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products and services I genuinely love and think you will, too.
Classic Children’s Books
- Theme: Squirrels and acorns
- Why It’s Great: Ehlert’s bright illustrations capture a mischievous squirrel on the hunt for treats. It’s a wonderful introduction to squirrels, with simple text for young readers.
- Theme: Squirrels
- Why It’s Great: From the creator of Corduroy, this classic tale follows a little squirrel learning to find his own acorns. Beautiful illustrations and a timeless message about independence.
Ten Apples Up On Top! by Dr. Seuss (Theo LeSieg)
- Theme: Apples, counting
- Why It’s Great: This silly, classic story blends counting practice with apple imagery. Perfect for reinforcing both the letter “A” and early math skills.
- Theme: Apple growth cycle
- Why It’s Great: Shows how an apple tree changes through the seasons, leading to a delicious apple pie. Great science tie-in with bright cut-paper illustrations.
Johnny Appleseed by Steven Kellogg (or various adaptations)
- Theme: Apples, American folklore
- Why It’s Great: This is a more narrative take on apples, focusing on the legend of Johnny Appleseed. It can spark interest in apple-growing, orchards, and history.
Public Domain Book Options
This unit study was designed partially inspired by Beatrix Potter’s Squirrel Nutkin character and so it’s only fair to use it as a companion book!

- Theme: Squirrels
- Synopsis: A mischievous squirrel named Nutkin taunts an owl while collecting nuts on Owl Island.
- Why It’s Great: Classic Beatrix Potter style—charming illustrations and playful language. Perfect for talking about squirrels, collecting acorns, and woodland settings.
- Theme: Squirrels, storing nuts for winter
- Synopsis: Timmy Tiptoes and his wife Goody store nuts for winter, but Timmy’s curiosity and a bit of mischief lead to an unexpected adventure.
- Why It’s Great: Another Potter gem that showcases squirrel behavior (gathering and hiding nuts). Engaging for young children and easy to connect to nature and seasonal changes.
Grab Your Free Letter A a Worksheets
Ready to jump into fun, interactive worksheets designed for phonics-based learning and fine motor skills development? Simply click the link below to download your 30-page Letter A Unit Study—complete with tracing, puzzle pages, coloring activities, cut and paste sheets, and more.
These free printables are a part of our exclusive subscriber library and are for personal use only. They are the exclusive property of Once Upon A Printable and may not be reproduced or used for commercial purposes without our written consent. Thank you for respecting our copyright.
Tips for Maximizing Learning
- Make It Interactive: Laminate some worksheets for repeated use with dry-erase markers.
- Encourage Exploration: Incorporate real apples or acorns into the lesson for a multi-sensory experience.
- Fine Motor Skills Fun: Provide child-safe scissors for the cut and paste activities—great for strengthening hand muscles.
- Phonics Connections: Emphasize the /a/ sound throughout the day, using words like “apple,” “acorn,” “ant,” and “adventure.”
With these book suggestions and activity ideas, you’ll have plenty of ways to reinforce the letter “A” while engaging children’s curiosity about squirrels, acorns, and apples.
Enjoy your unit study!

