This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.
This last week I sent my two older boys off to elementary school, which, after a long and busy summer, has given me some quieter time with my three year old, and a chance for the two of us (well three if you count our newborn baby) to get back into a bit of a routine.
My three year old loves to paint, and I though it might be fun to start a new series on my blog of paper plate crafts, and let him go a little wild with the paint as part of it.
We’re kicking off the series with an “A is for Apple” paper plate craft.
For this you’ll need:
- Two paper plates
- Washable Red Paint
- Washable Cream or Tan Paint
- Paint brushes
- A Small Stick and a Leaf (I sent my son out into the backyard to find the perfect ones and he was more than happy to have a little nature treasure hunt as part of the craft)
- Glue
- Glue Gun (optional, it just dries faster than liquid glue)
- An apple (to eat and then get the seeds out of)
- A Brass Brad Fastener
- Scissors
- A marker or pen
Step 1)
To start with I got our two paper plates and outlined, then cut small curved bits out of the tops and bottoms of them to make them more apple shaped. 
Step 2)
Then we took one of the plates and on the inside part (like the part you would eat off of, we started painting with our cream color. My son and I actually painted it together at the same time, both of us painting the same surface with our own separate paint brushes. Could he have painted it alone? Absolutely. And I’m sure some kids would insist on painting theirs alone, but my son really liked having my full attention, doing a craft with him, while we actively worked together, and honestly I thought it was a lot of fun too. It’s probably not a good fit for everyone, and definitely not going to work if you’re doing this craft with more than one child at a time, but if you’ve got the chance to team paint, I’d suggest giving it a try. It was fun and excellent bonding time for us.
Step 3)
Once you have the tan painted give it a second to dry, and while it’s drying paint get your second plate and paint the back side of it (the side you would not eat off) red.
Optional: Go back to your tan plate and paint a red ring around the outside of it.
Step 4)
While you’re waiting for your paint to dry, go on a little nature treasure hunt, and find a small stick and a leaf that you can use for the stem on top of your apple. (if it’s warm and not windy it might be worth moving your paper plates outside and into the sun while you do this to help them dry faster)
Step 5)
This might also be a good time to enjoy eating your apple (once finished dig out and save all the apple seeds)
Step 6)
Once your plates are dry glue the stick and leaf to the top of the tan plate and put a small glob of glue in the middle and glue your apple seeds to the middle.
Step 7)
Once your glue has dried poke a hole in the top left corner of both plates, and fasten them together with the brass brad and enjoy you apple craft 🙂
