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a picture of a cinnamon applesauce ornament in a gingerbread man shape

No Bake Cinnamon Ornaments for Preschool

Welcome to Pre-K Pages!

I’m Vanessa Levin, a curriculum writer, early childhood teacher, consultant, public speaker, and author. I help busy Pre-K and Preschool teachers plan effective and engaging lessons, create fun, playful learning centers, and gain confidence in the classroom.

When it comes to making ornaments with kids, you definitely need something that’s quick and easy. With only 3 ingredients, these no bake cinnamon applesauce ornaments are the perfect Christmas craft for your little learners. They’re also super simple to make, and they’ll make your home or classroom smell amazing!

This classic craft is one many adults remember making when they were young, and some still hang on their Christmas tree today!

No Cook Cinnamon Applesauce Ornament Recipe Kids Can Make

Cinnamon Applesauce Ornaments for Preschool

With only 3 common ingredients, you can use this no cook recipe with your kids to create a keepsake ornament that parents and loved ones will treasure for many years to come.

Cinnamon Applesauce Ornament Ingredients

Printable Ornament Recipe

To have a free printable ornament recipe emailed to you, simply fill out the form below.

No Bake Cinnamon Ornament Ingredients

Here are the basic ingredients you’ll need to make cinnamon applesauce ornaments with your kids at home or in the classroom.

I bought my cinnamon in bulk from Amazon. The applesauce and Elmer’s liquid glue are readily available at any large big box store.

Mixing Ingredients for Cinnamon Applesauce Ornaments

Cinnamon Ornament Supplies

The following supplies are needed for making this easy, no cook recipe.

  • waxed paper or parchment paper
  • rolling pin
  • cookie cutters
  • drinking straw
  • spoon for stirring
  • bowl
  • baking sheet
  • glitter glue, wiggly eyes, ribbon and other embellishments

Rolling Dough for Cinnamon Applesauce Ornaments

No Bake Cinnamon Ornament Recipe

This recipe makes a large batch of cinnamon ornaments, enough for approximately 10 ornaments. For larger or smaller groups of children, you can adjust the recipe accordingly.

  • 3 cups applesauce
  • 5 cups ground cinnamon
  • 1 cup Elmer’s white liquid glue

Check out this research-based, playful learning unit in our curriculum shop!

You may need to adjust the ingredients in your recipe a bit because every brand of applesauce is a little bit different. If it’s too wet, add more cinnamon, if it’s too dry add more applesauce. This is not an exact science, it’s more of a science experiment!

gingerbread cookie cutter placed into dough

How to make these cinnamon applesauce ornaments

First, mix the applesauce and cinnamon together in a bowl, then add the glue and mix until it is thick enough to hold a form when cut into shapes with a cookie cutter.

Spoon the dough onto a cookie sheet covered with a sheet of waxed paper or parchment paper, then and cover the dough with an additional sheet of paper.

Now, roll out the dough between the two pieces of wax paper until it is approximately 1/4 inch high or more. If your dough is rolled too thin it may break when dry.

How to Make Cinnamon Applesauce Ornaments
Next, invite your kids to use cookie cutters to create shapes in the dough.

You can invite your kids to decorate their shapes when the dough is still wet by pressing items like googly eyes or gems etc. into the dough. Or, you can invite them to decorate their ornaments after they are dry with glitter glue.

How to Make No Cook Cinnamon Applesauce Ornaments
Leave the shapes on the waxed paper to air dry for approximately 24-48 hours depending on the size and thickness of the cookies. You’ll definitely want to write each child’s name next to their ornament on the parchment paper with a permanent marker so you’ll know which ornament belong to whom!

If you would like your kids to hang their ornaments on a tree, be sure to make a hole near the top of each ornament with a straw before drying. After they’re dry, add a piece of festive ribbon through the hole.

Your kids will love this fun project – and the cinnamon ornaments smell so good!

More Kid Made Christmas Ornaments

Mason Jar Lid Keepsake Ornament
Easy Angel Ornament Craft

More Christmas Ideas

Candy Cane Slime (Pre-K Pages) – This a fun activity you can do with your kids for Christmas at home or in the classroom. It’s perfect for those cold winter days when you can’t get outside as much as you (or the kids) would like!

Christmas Jingle Bell Sticks (Pre-K Pages) – Learning and playing music is one of the great joys of the season for kids, and my preschoolers are really getting into it this year. To help them enjoy Christmas music even more, we made our own instruments inspired by one of our favorites – Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer

Making Patterns with Holiday Items (Pre-K Pages) – Now that the holiday decorations have been pulled from boxes, it’s time for some easy seasonal fun with all these trimmings. One of my favorite ways to interact with holiday decorations is with patterning activities.

Gingerbread Jar Cakes (Pre-K Pages) –  My kids want to bake all of the time, so one of the ways I avoid having too many baked goods in the house is to allow them to make individually portioned treats. Recently, we made these Gingerbread “Mug” Cakes and they were just the right size for a single serving snack!  In a classroom setting, kids could also make these as homemade gifts for mom and dad.

Gingerbread Cloud Dough (Pre-K Pages) – Certain smells, such as the classic scent of gingerbread, remind us of the holidays. We love this smell and decided to add it into our holiday sensory activity! Today, I’m sharing our recipe for Gingerbread Cloud Dough.

The Sweet Smell of Christmas Book and Activity (Teach Preschool) – “The Sweet Smell of Christmas” by Patricia M. Scarry is one of those books that I just love for many reasons. Then gather items from the book and have your toddler explore their smells.

Printable Gingerbread House Recipe

You can get access to the free printable gingerbread house sequence cards below. Simply fill out the form and the printable will be emailed to you.

Homemade Photo Snow Globe with photo
a pointed sugar cone standing on a plate covered in green frosting and sprinkles
Christmas Scissor Skills
Mason Jar Lid Ornament
Christmas Theme
Polar Express Activities
Salt Dough Ornaments
candy, graham crackers, and a school milk carton displayed on red and green background.
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