Apple Craft with Yarn and Tennis Balls

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Looking for a creative way to celebrate apple season with your kids? This Apple Craft with Yarn and Tennis Balls is simple, creative and perfect for kids of all ages! Using just a tennis ball, yarn, and a few craft supplies, kids can turn an ordinary ball into an adorable apple that’s easy to make and fun to display. This craft is great for back-to-school themes, fall décor, or even as a pretend play “fruit” for little chefs.

Four apple crafts made with colored yarn in a white bowl.

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If you love kids fruit and veggie crafts, be sure to try our play food carrots, 3D peppers or DIY mushrooms crafts! These fun, food-inspired crafts are perfect for play kitchens and keep kids entertained for hours of imaginative fun!

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Why We Love this Apple Craft

An upcycled craft. Don’t toss those old tennis balls—turn them into something amazing! We love finding creative ways to give recyclables a second life.
Minimal mess. No paint required—just simple yarn wrapping, a bit of cutting, and gluing!
Fine motor skills.This easy apple craft is a great fine-motor activity for kids—wrapping the yarn builds coordination and patience
Lots of play time. We’re all about play food crafts! Once kids make their tennis ball and yarn apples, they can jump right into imaginative play!

Three tennis balls covered in green and red yarn to look like apples in a white bowl.

✂️ Supplies

Notes on key supplies are provided below. Please see the “how-to” card for a full list of supplies and quantities.

Tennis ball– forms the base of your apple craft, giving it that perfect round apple shape!
Hot glue gun– perfect for securing the yarn in place and attaching your apple’s stem.
Yarn– red or green to give your apple its color.
Construction paper–brown and green for your apple’s stem.

📋 Instructions

Step 1: Wrap the yarn around your tennis ball, turning it as you go.

Step 2: When ball is fully covered, cut the yarn and glue the end in place.

Gluing the end of yarn to a wrapped tennis ball for an apple craft.

Step 4: Cut out a small brown stem and green leaf from construction paper.

Green leaf and brown stem cut from construction paper.

Step 4: Glue the leaf and stem together, and then glue to the top of your apple.

A tennis ball made to look like a red apple by wrapping with red yarn and gluing on a paper stem.

After making your first apple, keep going and create as many as you’d like. Then, to tie everything together, display them in a bowl as a cheerful, seasonal centerpiece!

✔️ Tips and Tricks

Start with a glue anchor. While the starting strand of yarn usually stays in place as you wrap, adding a small dab of glue first helps hold it securely and prevents slipping as you turn the ball.
Choose thick yarn. Chunky or medium-weight yarn covers faster and gives the apple a fuller, more textured look (plus, it’s easier for little hands to handle!).
Wrap in different directions. Turn the tennis ball as you wrap to cover all the green evenly—switching directions helps fill in gaps and creates a smoother finish.
Use a strong glue. We’ve tried so many different kinds of glue and find that hot glue guns work best on tennis balls and fabric in general. As an alternative, you can give a strong craft glue like Aleene’s Original Tacky Glue a try.
Give younger kids a hand by handling the cutting and gluing—especially when using the hot glue gun!

Four apple crafts made from tennis balls and yarn in a white bowl surrounded by real red and green apples.

↪️ Variations and Substitutions

Try more colors. Try different shades of green yarn for “Granny Smith” apples or yellow yarn for “Golden Delicious” ones.

Change the glue. If you’d rather skip the hot glue gun, try Aleene’s Original Tacky Glue—we love it because it’s non-toxic and classroom-safe! Another great option is Elmer’s Craft Bond All Purpose Craft Glue.

Swap paper for pipe cleaners! While paper works perfectly for the stem, you can also twist a short brown and green pipe cleaner together to form your apple’s stem and leaf.

Add a face! Glue on googly eyes and/or a smile to make a silly apple character.

Decorate! To take your craft a step further, consider making several yarn apples. Then, gather them together and place them in a basket to create a cheerful kitchen decoration or a festive table centerpiece.

❓FAQ

Can I use old tennis balls?

Absolutely! This apple yarn craft is a great way to reuse worn-out tennis balls. The yarn wraps around them easily and hides any marks or discoloration.

How do I keep the yarn from slipping while wrapping?

Start with a small dab of glue to hold the first strand in place, then keep turning the ball in different directions as you wrap. Each layer of yarn helps secure the one beneath it.

Can I use something other than tennis balls?

If you don’t have tennis balls, you can use small foam balls, Styrofoam craft balls, or even wadded-up paper covered in tape. Anything round and lightweight will work as the base for your yarn apple.

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