Fall is upon us, and it’s apple-picking season — the perfect time for a craft that’s as sweet as apple pie and as fun as a day on the farm. Our salt painted apple craft is not only a riot of colors and textures, but it’s also a fantastic way for little ones to explore and grow while having a blast. So grab your wee artists, and let’s get started on this salt-painting adventure!
Tips for Success
Here are some tips for successfully painting salt!
- Less is More: When it comes to water, a little goes a long way. Encourage kids to dip the brush lightly to avoid a soggy salt on the apple.
- Light touch: This type of painting involves a light touch. Let your child know that they can’t “paints” with the brush in the typical fashion. Demonstrate lightly touching the brush to the salt so they can see the transfer.
- Patience is a Virtue: Allow enough drying time to ensure the salt and colors set well, enhancing the visual effect.
- Mess-Free Zone: Using a tray to contain the mess ensures that the art fun doesn’t turn into cleaning frustration.
WILL YOU MAKE THIS SALT PAINTED APPLE CRAFT WITH YOUR KIDS? PIN IT FOR LATER!
What You Will Need
- Free printable apple template (available on our blog here)
- Food coloring and water
- Small bowls
- A small paintbrush
- Salt
- Bottle of glue
- A tray to contain the mess
Instructions
Start with the Basics: Begin by printing our adorable apple template. You’ll find it’s the perfect canvas for little hands to work on.
Glue Time: Place the apple template in a tray. Hand over the glue to your kiddos and let them trace the outline of the apple with it. It’s a great way to practice those fine motor skills. They can create a design inside the apple or on the outside. You can assist them by pencilling in a few lines for them depending on their age.
Sprinkle the Salt: Here comes the magic! Ask them to sprinkle a generous amount of salt over the glue. Shake off the excess in the tray and you have a sparkling white apple ready for some color. All the glue and salt to dry.
Color Mixing: In small bowls mix red, yellow and green food coloring with water.
Decorating: Using a small paint brush invite your child to dip the brush in the coloured water and then lightly touch the salt lines. As they brush the colors on, they will witness the magical spread of colors seeping along the salt lines, creating a beautiful watercolor effect.
Skills Developed
This craft is more than just a fun activity; it’s a powerhouse of learning opportunities:
- Fine Motor Skills: Handling the brush and maneuvering it on the salt paths helps in muscle development in those tiny hands.
- Color Recognition: Little ones learn to identify and differentiate colors as they paint their apples in vibrant shades.
- Sensory Exploration: The grainy texture of the salt, combined with the wet paint, offers a unique sensory experience.
- Creativity and Imagination: This activity fosters creativity as children decide on the colors to use and the patterns to create, giving each apple its unique personality.
In a season brimming with the aroma of baked apples and the joy of harvesting, this salt painted apple craft brings a slice of the apple orchard into your home. It’s not just a craft; it’s an experience that’s fruitful in learning and packed with joy. Let those tiny hands work magic as they bring apples to life with colors, textures, and a sprinkle of fun.
Age Suitability
This activity is good for toddlers aged children 3 years old and up with adult assistance.
Mess Level
The mess level for this activity is low.
Difficulty to Create
Low.
Skills Developed
Language development, shape recognition, color recognition, hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, imaginative play, creativity.
Toddler and Preschooler Curriculums, Books & TV Show!
Play2Learn Toddler & Preschool Programs for Curious Toddlers
There is no limit to your toddler’s energy and curiosity. That energy and curiosity although a joy can be challenging at times. Their interest in just about everything around them is what makes them great learners. One and two year olds can soak up so much just from their senses!
But as a teacher or parent that thirst for learning can be exhausting. That is why I created this toddler and preschooler program. To help you get the most out of this time with your curious toddler without having to come up with creative ways to play and interact with them.
Play2Learn for Toddlers includes 20 Units for toddlers. Each 2-week toddler unit has 20 super easy to set up and engaging activities for toddlers 18 months to 3 years.
Play2Learn Preschool which includes 20 Units for preschoolers. Each 2-week preschoolers unit has 20 unique and easy to set up and engaging activities for preschoolers 3 years to 5 years. That’s over 800 learning activities for your toddler and preschooler at your fingertips! So many ideas you and your child will never be bored again!
These toddler and preschool lesson plans and activities will definitely keep you and your toddler and preschooler busy playing and learning!
Click here for more information: Play2Learn
Designed for toddlers 18 months and up.
Book: Exciting Sensory Bins for Curious Kids
Did you know I wrote a book of sensory bins? Click here for more information Exciting Sensory Bin for Curious Kids. Or grab your copy at Amazon.
Boring afternoons are made exciting with awesome animal-based bins, like Salty Shark Bay or Yarn Farm. Pretend play bins like Birthday Cake Sensory Play or Bubble Tea Party encourage creativity and imagination. And your kids will have so much fun they won’t even know they’re getting smarter with STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) activities like Sink or Float Soup, Magnetic Letter Hunt or Ice Cream Scoop and Count.
Designed for toddlers 18 months and up.
Book: Super STEAM Activity Book for Kids
Learning all about science, technology, engineering, art, and math sets kids up for scholastic success―and it can be so much fun! Watch kids enjoy building STEAM skills as they color friendly fish, help water find its way to tree roots, solve math problems with mazes, and more.
Find out more and grab your copy here.
Designed for preschoolers 3 years old and up.
Book: Big Book of Riddles for Kids
Riddle me this: What’s an exciting way to practice critical thinking while having a blast? The Big Riddle Book for Kids, of course! From hilarious puns to tough brain teasers, kids can build problem-solving skills with hundreds of riddles tha. t show them how to think outside the box.
- 350 riddles for kids—Have hours of fun with riddles, puns and jokes, and math and logic puzzles that’ll get their wheels turning!
- Level up their skills—Riddles get trickier as kids progress through the book, challenging them as they get better at solving puzzles!
- Double-check their work—Kids can check their answers in the back of the book with a handy answer key.
Help children expand their minds while having fun with this puzzle book for kids!
Designed for kids ages 6 years old and up.
TV Show: Curious Crafting
I’m so excited to share my crafting TV show Curious Crafting which launched in July 2022 on TVOkids and TVOkids YouTube! Season 2 aired in August 2023! My show was also nominated in 2023 for Best Live Action Preschool Series by the Youth Media Alliance Awards of Excellence.
Curious Crafting Season 1 is also now airing in Australia on ABC! Watch it here!
Set in the ultimate crafting space, Curious Crafting is a short form pre-school age series about the joy of making crafts. I lead a rotating cast of adorable little preschoolers (including my own) making magic out of common household objects.
In each episode we transform recycled items into magical crafts like a milk carton school bus, paper bag puppet or cotton pad turtle. The crafters learn and laugh their way through each activity while demonstrating what their young imaginations can create.
Curious Crafting shares the adventure and joy of making art with takeaway lessons for creating crafts at home.
This show designed for toddlers and preschoolers 2.5 years old and up.
The Best Sensory Play Kits for Kids
Play is at the core of learning during the early years and it can take many forms. One of the most important of these is sensory play because it engages all of a child’s senses (taste, touch, smell, sight and hearing) and has a enoumous positive impact on brain development.
Our Sensory Play Kits are some fun and easy ways to keep your child engaged while at the same time using sensory play to nurture their mind!
Shop our ready made play kits here.
Designed for preschoolers 3 years old and up.
Salt Painted Apple Craft
Materials
Instructions
- Begin by printing our adorable apple template. You’ll find it’s the perfect canvas for little hands to work on.
- Place the apple template in a tray. Hand over the glue to your kiddos and let them trace the outline of the apple with it. It’s a great way to practice those fine motor skills. They can create a design inside the apple or on the outside. You can assist them by pencilling in a few lines for them depending on their age.
- Ask them to sprinkle a generous amount of salt over the glue. Shake off the excess in the tray and you have a sparkling white apple ready for some color. All the glue and salt to dry.
- In small bowls mix red, yellow and green food coloring with water.
- Using a small paint brush invite your child to dip the brush in the coloured water and then lightly touch the salt lines. As they brush the colors on, they will witness the magical spread of colors seeping along the salt lines, creating a beautiful watercolor effect.
WILL YOU MAKE THIS SALT PAINTED APPLE CRAFT WITH YOUR KIDS? PIN IT FOR LATER!
