Updated March 2, 2024
Today I’m sharing a fun and easy Fall activity: Apple stamp painting for toddlers!
Back to school season and fall are upon us.
We love enjoying all the fall activities with our kids!
One of our favorite early fall activities is going apple picking, which is where the inspiration for this fall toddler craft comes from!
Apple Stamp Painting For Toddlers [5 Simple steps]
Supplies:
Paint, we used red, green, and yellow
A brown paper bag
Scissors
Glue
Paper
Apples
Paper Plate
A Knife
Directions:
Begin by cutting a brown paper lunch bag into thin strips.
If you have safety scissors you can have your toddler cut the paper bag into thin strips.
You can draw lines on the bag for your child to cut.
I cut the paper bag strips for this project to make it easier for our kids.
Have your child put a little glue on each strip and glue several of the strips down on the paper.
They are going to make a “basket” for their apples to sit in.
On a sheet of paper, offer your child a few strips and encourage them to place them somewhat close together, pointing up.
Now, offer your child a few more strips, and instruct them to weave under, over, and under again.
Repeat, weaving a strip over, under, and over.
Repeat one more time with an under, over, under weave.
Now, glue the ends of the ‘basket’ to the paper.
Now their apple basket is ready to go!
Slice an apple in half. You can slice vertically or horizontally.
We decided to do one of each cut.
Next, place a few generous squirts of paint onto a paper plate.
Leave enough room in between colors to allow space for your apple.
Dip the apple into the paint, and firmly press it onto the paper, in the area of the woven basket.
Related: Fall Activities For toddlers
Repeat using all of the colors.
Encourage your toddler to stamp as many apples as they want onto the paper.
They don’t all have to be in the basket.
Allow to dry and display.
One of the ways we love to display our kid’s artwork is by framing them and hanging them as seasonal or holiday decor around our home.
You can get cheap frames at Walmart or Dollar Tree.
Your toddler will love seeing their artwork displayed throughout your home.
Children get a sense of achievement from arts and crafts.
This is because activities involving arts and crafts instill a sense of pride and accomplishment in toddlers hence building their self-confidence.
Before we do art projects I try to connect the activity to literature.
These are some of our favorite fall books about apples:
Check out more Apple activities for Toddlers
Tips for making arts and crafts enjoyable for your toddler:
- Play music! Toddlers are at the right age to really begin enjoying music, and it’s a huge part of development!
- Encourage movement. Whether it’s taking breaks to get up and move around a little or incorporating movement into it, this is a super important step.
- Discuss their art with them. Write down the words they use to describe their art if they want you to.
- Allow them to do more than one art project. Get them more paint and paper if they ask.
- If the weather allows go outside and do art projects outside in nature. Fresh air and exercise are always appreciated, and the environment might give some much-needed inspiration for arts and crafts!
- Laugh, sing, and smile.
- Take nature walks and collect items like leaves, feathers, flowers, and rocks to use in art projects.
Arts and crafts are important activities for toddlers to get ample opportunity to engage in every day.
These activities encourage creativity, imagination, and language skills!
The best way for young children to learn is through play and doing activities that bring them joy.
Since arts and crafts require working with objects, it teaches toddlers about different shapes, textures, and colors.
They will also learn how things work and how they match.
Creativity is also developed from arts and crafts, as it encourages kids to experiment and play in a relaxed and fun environment.
Apple stamping is an adorable toddler fall art activity, but did you know it is also an excellent fine motor activity?
Your toddler will practice grasping the apple pieces, picking them up, and putting them down without dropping them.
This is an important early learning skill for your 2-year-old to practice.
What are Fine Motor Skills?
Fine motor skills are essential for using the small muscles in fingers, hands, and arms.
These muscles are important during activities such as drawing, buttoning, constructing with blocks, and zipping up a coat.
Fine motor skills impact your child’s ability to do the above type of activities and the speed with which they can complete them.
To ensure your child performs these tasks successfully they will need lots of opportunities in the early toddler years to practice and gain mastery.
Some of the common fine motor skills are:
- Pencil skills like coloring and drawing
- Scissor skills such as cutting and rearranging the paper
- Doll dressing and manipulation
- Dressing, i.e., zips, buttons, lacing, and tying shoelaces
- Basic hygiene like brushing teeth, washing their face, and combing their hair
- Construction skills such as puzzles and Duplo
Why are fine motor skills important for toddlers?
It’s hard not to emphasize the importance of fine motor skills in everyday life because they enable us to perform simple tasks.
If a child is unable to complete the basic everyday tasks, it will take a toll on their self-esteem, affecting their play, academics, and co-curricular activities.
Also, children without the appropriate fine motor skills will find it hard to get independent life skills such as feeding or dressing, which will have many implications on relationships with other peers.
That is why fine motor activities are so important for your toddler to get plenty of opportunities to engage in.
Thankfully, there are amazing activities that you can do to help kickstart those developments outside of normal day-to-day life.
Arts and crafts often require children to use their hands in a specific manner; through this coordination, they will develop bilateral coordination and fine motor skills.
For instance, drawing lines and dots, tearing a piece of paper, or cutting it with shears are demanding assignments in terms of mastery, and children enjoy doing them.
Such tasks can help a toddler develop faster and more skilled in other everyday activities like dressing.
Here is a video of a similar apple stamping art project your toddler might enjoy!
Final Thoughts
We hope your toddler enjoys this fall apple stamp painting project
Keeping your active 2-year-old busy is challenging!
Let your toddler explore and create as much art as they want.
Spend time on arts and crafts every day.
If you are in the kitchen making dinner, set them up at the table with an art project.
It will allow you to get dinner made and provide them with an opportunity to practice their fine motor and language skills.
