This pom pom apple tree craft is one that my preschooler really enjoyed. As you’ll see we had a few windfall apples in our activity too!
Painting with Apples
We went apple picking last weekend and came home with more apples than I knew what to do with. Being the kind of Mom I am, my first thought was that we should paint with them.
That’s exactly what we did!
I love how apples make a pretty star when cut across. I was hoping that J would use the apples as pretty stamps…but, like usual, he had other ideas.
Here’s the really simple invitation. I taped down brown craft paper to our table. Put some paint into paper plates, and taped the plates down to the paper. This prevents the plates from sticking to the apples and makes it easier to use. I cut an apple and placed the halves between the paper plates.
From there, J got to decide how he wanted to paint.
He wasn’t quite sure what to do with the activity, and asked for paint brushes. I waited a minute and asked him if he could figure out how to paint with the apples.
He pretty quickly figured it out, and was off!
Soon, he decided that he didn’t really like stamping, so he used the apples as paintbrushes instead.
With the red paint, he used the stick of the apple as a handle,
until it fell off. Then he just used it to draw lines in the paint.
He really liked it when his hands got covered in the paint.
So much so, that he decided that the apples were really unnecessary, and that he’d just use his hands instead!
In the end, he declared that he had made the best birthday cake ever and sang me the birthday song.
Like most of our activities around here, I don’t lead his play, or tell him how he’s supposed to create. I let him decide. He used his brain a lot in this activity and even turned it into a good sensory experience too!
I didn’t get any of those stars that the apples make, but I’d much rather have cake anyway.
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Apple Painting Materials
- Kids paints in red and green
- Apple, cut in half and prepared for stamping (see below)
- Apple template on white paper
- Colouring pens or pencils
- Reusable plate or tray for paints
You can of course draw an apple yourself but if you’d prefer then make sure to grab our apple template for this craft. It’s also a good one to have to help you prepare if you are doing this activity with a class or preschool group.
How To Prepare An Apple for Apple Stamping
Apple stamping is a classic craft for kids but holding the round part of the apple can be a bit tricky, however it’s really easy to make a couple of simple changes to make this craft more successful. If possible, prepare your apple a little while before you start your activity.
To prepare your apple first cut it in half through the centre. Next you’ll be making a little handle for it, to do this carefully slice a small wedge shale from each side as you can see in the picture below. (I eat these bits because I don’t like waste and I do like snacks.)
Apples can also be quite wet so before painting I recommend leaving the bit that will have paint on it on a dry tea towel to help it dry out a little. I only did this for a few minutes though so don’t worry if you don’t have time.
Apple Painting Craft
To make this craft start by printing out your apple template and preparing your apple for stamping as explained above then colour in the stalk and leaf of your apple using colouring pens or pencils.
Onto a reusable plate pour some red and green paints. Using a plate or tray for this means that you have a wider surface to stamp your apple into.
Press your apple into the coloured paint and then use this to stamp onto the apple shape until it is coloured in. You could of course just use one colour for this but I personally like the way the two colours look and I think it’s also a nice way to introduce discussions about what colours apples are or about colour mixing.
Art Apple Painting Tips and Tricks
It occurred to me a few days ago, with all this apple theme preschool stuff going on, that my kids had never done apple painting. Gasp! Crafty ‘ole me had never done this with them! This required a special trip to the grocery store (because we didn’t have any apples), but it was totally worth it! The kids loved this apple activity!
I know you probably know all about painting with apples and right now you’re saying “ho hum… this is always in my apple lesson plans…”
But, I have a few unique (at least I think so) things that we did with our apple tree paintings, that I would like to share with you. So, keep reading, even if you’ve done ALL the apple activities for preschoolers!
Recommended Grade Level:
- Supply List
- Coordinating Activities
Apple Process Art Supplies:
- Apples
- Forks
- Trays
- Paint (green/yellow/red)
- Paper
More from our Shop
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Learning Process Art in Preschool
APPLE ART FOR PRESCHOOLERS
PROCESS ART FOCUSES MORE ON THE PROCESS OF CREATING IN UNIQUE WAYS, RATHER THAN ON THE OUTCOME OF A PERFECTLY PAINTED APPLE TREE.
I love process art because it allows kids to develop creativity and problem-solving while engaging senses in different ways.
Toddlers and preschoolers benefit from process art in a lot of ways, from fine motor development to developing neural connections within the brain.
It’s a great opportunity to work on oral language, apple-related vocabulary, or the life cycle of an apple from seed to tree.
This apple themed activity is fun to do with other preschool apple themed activities, or it can stand alone as just a fun apple painting project.
In addition to creating a nice apple craft for kids, this process art activity improves other skills. Encourage talking while painting:
- What color(s) are you using?
- What happens when the colors mix?
- What does the paint look/feel/smell like?
- Can you make a pattern with your apple prints?
What Can Children Learn While Engaging In Process Art Crafts for Preschoolers?
EASY APPLE CRAFTS
PRESCHOOL APPLE CRAFTS GO BEYOND A FINISHED PRODUCT. EXPLORING WITH TOUCH AND SMELL WHILE INTERACTING WITH SHAPES AND COLORS IS A GREAT EXPERIENCE ANY TIME OF YEAR.
Whether you’re working on fall crafts or Christmas ornaments, process art has its benefits:
- Fine motor control
- Pre-writing skills
- Colors/patterns
- Attention span
- Social skills
- Language
- Crossing the midline
- Hand-eye coordination
