DIY Adorable Applesauce Ornaments- The DIY Therapist

If you are looking for a holiday-themed fine motor and upper body strengthening activity for kids and older adults alike, this is it. These cinnamon applesauce ornaments are not only adorable and smell incredibly good this time of year, but making these ornaments add an upper body and fine motor strengthening aspect. Plus, it’s a lot of fun too!

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Holiday Memories: Cinnamon Applesauce Ornaments

The cold weather has finally set in here in Tennessee. We have had a mild, warm fall, and I have been ready for comfy hoodies, fuzzy socks, and a big bowl of chili. One of my new fall favorite recipes is this over-the-top delicious homemade pumpkin spice latte recipe by Love And Lemons. I’ve actually never added the espresso so really it’s just a super delicious pumpkin drink for me. And it was a perfect addition to the ornament making frenzy today.

I’ve been making applesauce ornaments for years with my kids. It’s one of our favorite family traditions this time of year. We give them away to family and friends and our dear sweet neighbors. One year, we made decorative garland with it using strips of ripped rustic fabric. It looked so festive.

What Are Cinnamon Applesauce Ornaments?

Cinnamon applesauce ornaments are handmade ornaments perfect for hanging on the tree, attaching to a gift, decorating around the house, woven into a decorative garland, or given away to friends, family, and neighbors. They smell amazing this time of year. These ornaments are air dried on the counter, and are quick to make.

Cinnamon applesauce ornaments are made using quite a bit of cinnamon and give off a strong smell. If you are sensitive to the smell of cinnamon, these may not be a good project for you. Instead check out salt dough ornaments which keeps any odors to a minimum.

Before we dive right into making ornaments, let’s first discuss some of the fine motor components of this project. Additionally, we’ll discuss how to get the most out of this project from a fine motor and upper body strengthening perspective.

Occupational Therapy Fine Motor Focus

As a pediatric occupational therapist, I love projects that incorporate a range of motor skills. This project in particular, is a great upper body and fine motor strengthening project as well as bilateral coordination activity. Making these ornaments is also a great tactile sensory task while handling the dough.

Keep in mind, these holiday ornaments are a great activity for not only kids, but for individuals of all ages. Let’s look at little deeper at some of the fine motor and upper body skills as well as how to get the most out of this project from an occupational therapy perspective.

* Please note, when working on some of the upper body and fine motor activities listed below, its important to watch your dough to make sure it is not drying out too quickly before rolling it out. Select the activities below based on your needs.

Upper Body Strengthening

Upper body strengthening refers to the development of the muscles in the upper body including the shoulder, upper extremities (arms), and upper chest and back. Cinnamon applesauce ornaments are a great upper body strengthening activity from stirring the dough to rolling it out. Here are a few additional ways to focus on upper body strengthening:

Make large balls of dough the size of your fist and smash like a pancake with the palms of your hand.
Make a ball of dough with your hands by pinching and squeezing the dough together.
As another added upper body strengthening exercise, try kneading the dough on your counter top before rolling it out.

Fine Motor Strengthening

Fine motor strengthening refers to the development of the small muscles in the hands including the fingers, thumbs, and palm. This skill is required to hold a pencil, manipulate buttons, and scissor. Fine motor strength is needed throughout the day to participate in purposeful tasks such as daily skills and hobbies.

This project focuses on fine motor strengthening while stirring the ingredients together, rolling out the dough, and when using cookie cutters. Here are a few additional ways to focus specifically on fine motor strengthening:

Gather two clumps of the cinnamon applesauce dough. Roughly make a ball shape. Place each in your hands and practice squeezing the dough, rotate in hand, and squeeze again.
Work on the pincer grasp while squeezing a small dough ball with the pads of your index finger and thumb forming the pincer grasp.

Bilateral Coordination

Bilateral coordination is the ability to coordinate both sides of the body together in an activity. When effective bilateral coordination skills are seen, it is an indicator that both sides of the brain are communicating effectively and efficiently. This is an important life skill needed for completing tasks and activities throughout the day. For example, bilateral coordination is needed for food prep (ie: peeling potatoes and mixing a bowl of dough), buttoning, sports, and school-based skills such as scissoring.

This project specifically works on bilateral coordination while stirring the ingredients and holding the bowl, while rolling out the dough, and stringing the ornaments and tying a knot. Bilateral coordination is also seen when pressing cookie cutters into the dough with both hands.

Here are some additional bilateral coordination activities for this project:

Using two cookie cutters with both hands close together, pass each cookie cutter to the opposite hand- one in front of the other. When ready, reverse direction. You can do this with balls of dough as well.

Olfactory Warning! (Smell Sensitivity)

If you are sensitive to a strong cinnamon smell, this project may not be a good fit for you. 1 1/2 cups of cinnamon are used in this recipe; therefore, there is definitely a strong cinnamon smell. Instead try the salt dough ornaments– any odors are kept to a minimum.

How To Make Cinnamon Applesauce Ornaments

Materials

Medium sized bowl
Measuring cups and spoons
Spoon
Rolling pin
Parchment paper (optional)
Cookie sheet
Straw (I used a large sized straw)
Toothpicks
Parchment paper recommended though optional
Scissors
Yarn, twine, or ribbon

Ingredients

Recipe makes approximately 25 medium sized ornaments.

1 1/2 cups ground cinnamon
1 cup applesauce + 2 tablespoons
4 tablespoons white glue (such as Elmer’s all purpose glue)

Instructions

In a medium sized bowl, mix all ingredients together using a spoon until a crumbly dough forms. If the dough seems too dry and will not stay together when squeezed, then add 1 tablespoon of applesauce at a time until the dough stays together when squeezed.
Between two sheets of parchment paper, roll out the dough in large batches to approximately 1/4 inch thickness.
Cut out with cookies cutters.
Using a straw, make a hole in the top of each ornament for a string or ribbon to go through. Remove the dough in the straw using a toothpick.
Let dry for at least 24-36 hours. Flip half way through to allow both sides of the dough to dry thoroughly.
Once dry, string ribbon or a string through the hole and tie to secure.