I originally did this acorn painting activity with my son when he was in preschool and it’s been been really popular so I’m very happy to update it to include a free acorn template for you to use to make your painting that little bit easier.
This rolling acorn painting is anything but fiddley, it’s simple enough for all ages to enjoy and using acorns is a great way to get some craft materials for free.
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Autumn is a such a nice time to head out on a walk with your kids and I know all too well that my children often end up bringing home acorns and leaves from these adventures. My pockets always seem to have some of their treasure in it!
This rolling acorn painting activity is a simple process art activity that’s perfect for preschoolers.
It is of course a bit messy so make sure to wear old clothes keep something to clean your child’s hands with close by.
Like this activity? Pin or bookmark this page so you can return to it when you’re ready to try it out.
What You'll Find on This Page
For this activity you will need:
- Acorns
- Paper
- Scissors
- Paint
- Bowls or Plates
- Tray
Acorn Template
Although I originally drew and cut out the acorn for my son’s craft freehand I’m happy to share a printable template that you can use instead for this. Acorns are surprisingly tricky to draw!
I’ve also shared a few more ideas on how to use the template for kids crafts which you’ll find in the post. Click here for our free acorn template.
Acorn Painting:
This activity is similar to our rolling pinecone activity so I’ve linked the video to this page so you can see it in action, you can also grab the free autumn leaves template that’s used in the video.
Before we started I cut out some acorn shapes from pieces of paper. You can use the acorn template above to do this and either cut it out in advance as I originally did or cut it out after painting as I did in later attempts.
I set out the activity in advance, putting the acorns and acorn template on to a tray and putting the tubes of paint and bowls around it.
This is a messy activity so make sure you have a damp flannel or some baby wipes to hand to clean your child’s hands afterwards.
When I told my son the idea he wasn’t interested at all but as soon as he saw it all laid out he wanted to give it a try straight away!
Tip: If you are going to cut the acorn shape out later than you can sellotape down the edges of your template onto your tray, meaning that it won’t move about too.
All you need to do is dip your acorn in paint making sure it gets completely covered and then roll it across your acorn shape by tipping up your tray in one direction and then the other. The paint tends to slow it down a bit making it fun to try and roll it around on the tray!
This is the acorn painting that my son make, I think it looks great and it was nice to try out some process art for a change.
This would be great using coloured paper for the acorn shape or adding more autumnal colours too.
If your kids enjoyed this craft make sure you check out my book 30 Halloween Crafts for Kids* which is full of fun, achievable and cool ideas!
Liked this? Check out my round up of 20 acorn crafts for kids – picture below for a sneak peak of what you can find there!
Linda
Is there a fee to join this s
Kate Williams
Nope 🙂