Explore different facial expressions and emotions with this creative Apple Feelings Art Project for kids.
I recently viewed a collection of portraits made by young students. Each one was adorned with a big, happy smile. As wonderful as it was to see those smiling faces, I wondered why each one was the same. Let’s encourage children to create a variety of expressions in their artwork just as they experience a medley of emotions on any given day.
Today’s art project, Newspaper Apple Expressions, will give children the power to create and reflect any emotion they wish. Joy, frustration, excitement, anticipation, disappointment, and love are all valid feelings that are worthy and okay to express in artwork. With newspaper, watercolors, and construction paper young artists will create a unique selection of apple faces while navigating a variety of emotions and feelings.
Apple Feelings Art Project
Social and Emotional Learning
Art making has the power to foster creativity, while also aiding in young people’s ability to manage their emotions. By connecting art with social and emotional learning children can visually express their fears, excitement, and joys through the art making process. Children often have difficulty putting those feelings into words. Art creates a way to replicate one’s feelings visually. Talking through each emotion with your child can also be helpful in managing a range of feelings.
Apples in Art
With their bright colors and easy availability apples are a common theme in early childhood education. Whether your favorites are Red Delicious, Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, or Fuji, apples can be sorted, compared, and contrasted. They are a wonderful hands-on learning tool that can bring science and art together. Drawing, painting, and even printing with apple slices are popular apple-themed activities. By giving an apple a facial expression children may be more inclined to take artistic risks. If the art project called for creating a human portrait oftentimes fears or insecurities connected to the art making process appear. Using personification takes those preconceived ideas of how a person should look out of the equation and imagination and individual ideas emerge.
Materials for Apple Feelings Art Project:
- Newspaper
- Construction paper
- Watercolors
- Brush
- Scissors
- Glue
- Cup
- Tempera paint
- Markers
Step by Step Directions:
Paint with a Cup
Use a small cup as a painting tool to print circles onto a piece of paper for the background. Dip the open end of the cup into paint and slowly hop up and down on the paper. As a result, an overlapping array of circles are left behind. Let the artwork dry.
Paint with Watercolors
Draw a variety of apple shapes onto a piece of newspaper. The comics and sports sections are often a safe and age appropriate choice. Paint the apple shapes with watercolors using reds, greens, and yellows. You may wish to lay a piece of paper under the newspaper to absorb any excess water. After the paint dries cut out the apples.
Make a Face
Use construction paper or markers to add faces to your apples. Decide if your apple is feeling happy, sad, excited, disappointed, or upset. Glue all of the cut pieces into place. Experiment as you go by flipping a frown upside down and seeing how the apple’s expression changes. Add a stem and leaf as desired.
Add Details
Use construction paper or markers to add details to your apple friend such as a hat, crown, tie, or bow. Glue all of the cutout pieces into place. Talk
Talk About Art
Explain how your apple is feeling. When have you felt the same way?
Art and Literacy
I recommend The Feelings Book as a literary companion to this lesson. One of my favorite authors and illustrators, Todd Parr, highlights a diverse selection of emotions in this comical and beautiful book. Parr’s unique, bold, and bright illustrations are sure to engage young readers.
Thank you for creating art with me today! Please share your apple creations with me by tagging @youngschoolartwithmr.g and @fantasticfunandlearning on Instagram. I can’t wait to see your expressive apples!
CONNECT WITH VIN GIANNETTO
Learn more about Vin here on his author bio page. Follow along with him on Facebook at Young School Art with Mr. Giannetto and on Instagram @youngschoolartwithmr.g for art project ideas.
MORE ART AND CRAFT PROJECT IDEAS FROM VIN
Creative Ways to Paint with Carrots
Build a Flower with Air Dry Clay
Decorate a Tree Loose Parts Play
Paper Sculpture Relief Ocean Craft
Recycled Art for Kids: Boats in the Sea
Printing Fall Leaves Art Project for Kids
Halloween Art for Kids: Flip the Painting Process
Tinfoil Process Art Christmas Ornaments
DIY Muffin Tin Maze Game STEM Challenge for Kids
Build a Small World with Nature
Sandcastle Texture Summer Art Project
GET A FULL SET OF APPLE THEME ACTIVITIES
Help children learn more about apples in a playful hands-on way with the apple activities in this comprehensive set of lesson plans for preschool, PreK and TK classrooms. This apple theme preschool lesson plan pack can be used during the fall, back-to-school time, in conjunction with a fruit theme, aligned with exploring the letter A, etc. Watch this short video to see just a few examples of the types of activities and printables included in this set:
This set includes active hands-on learning ideas and the following printables:
- Apple Number Cards (0-35)
- “Counting Apples” emergent reader
- “I See Apples” emergent reader
- Apple Letters (uppercase and lowercase in both red and green)
- Apple Life Cycle Cards (in color and b/w)
- Label the Apple Diagram (in color and b/w) with labeling cards
- Apple Pattern Cards
- Put the Apples on the Tree Game Mat
- Editable cover and pages for a class apple book
Also available on Teachers Pay Teachers.
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