Apples are one of my favourite costumes for little ones. Almost every child can say what they are, the shape is forgiving, and the same outfit does Halloween, school fruit day and a harvest festival without changing a thing. The thirty ideas below go from plain red and green apples to candy-coated treats, a cheeky apple core and whole orchard scenes. Each one covers the clothes underneath, a stem or leaf headpiece, a little face paint, a prop and shoes. Most are felt, cardboard and a sweatshirt you already own. I've kept the bulk down throughout, because a child who can't sit on the bus or reach the treat bowl will be out of any costume within the hour.
Sewing a Soft Felt Apple Tunic in One Afternoon
Most of the apples below start with the same simple tunic: two rounded felt shapes joined like a soft sandwich board. Once you've made one, the variations are only a matter of colour and trim.
- Measure your child from shoulder to just above the knee, and across the chest with their arms by their sides. Add a hand's width to the chest measurement so the apple looks round, not tight.
- Draw an apple on newspaper to those sizes, with a small dip at the top for the stem. Fold the paper in half and cut, so both sides match.
- Cut two shapes from felt. Sew wide straps of ribbon or felt at the shoulders, leaving a neck gap large enough to pull over the head easily.
- Sew down each side, leaving armholes well below the shoulder so the arms can lift. For a puffed look, add a thin layer of fibrefill between the front and a lining layer before you close it.
- Try it on, sit them down, and check the bottom edge clears their knees when they bend.
Felt doesn't fray, so the edges need no hemming, which is why it is the beginner's friend here. Thin craft felt can stretch out of shape, though. A thicker wool-blend felt holds the round outline much better and survives being dropped in a pile on the classroom floor.
1. Classic Red Apple Costume
The plain red apple is the one toddlers recognise first, and it's the easiest to make. A red sweatshirt with red leggings or sweatpants is the base. Cut two big apple shapes from red felt, stuff them lightly and join them at the shoulders and sides like a soft sandwich board. A brown felt stem and green leaf go on a soft headband rather than a hat, which small children tend to pull off. A wicker basket makes a sweet prop, and red socks with sneakers they can run in finish it. I stuff these with polyester fibrefill and not too much; overfilled, the arms can't reach forward to hold the basket.
2. Green Apple Costume
Green stands out in a classroom full of red apples. Dress the child in a green long-sleeve top with matching pants or leggings, and layer a rounded green felt tunic over it with roomy arm and leg openings. A darker green leaf on a brown stem headband is what makes the round shape read as fruit. A small painted leaf on one cheek is plenty of makeup. Give them a soft plush worm or a tiny basket of toy apples, and green sneakers or brown boots for the orchard feel. Pick a felt a shade or two apart from the shirt, otherwise the tunic disappears into the clothes underneath.
3. Yellow Apple Costume
A yellow apple is bright and a little unexpected, but no harder to make. A yellow hoodie and joggers form the base, with a sleeveless tunic cut from golden-yellow felt over the top. Pinch the sides in slightly at the top and bottom as you cut so it looks like an apple rather than a big circle; that small dip under the stem is the giveaway. A brown fabric stem and green leaf can sew straight onto the hood. Add a leaf-shaped green wrist cuff, a light basket and white sneakers. On a dark street yellow is also the easiest colour to spot, which is a real bonus.
4. Caramel Apple Costume
Caramel turns a red apple into a treat. Start with a red top and leggings and a rounded red felt apple tunic. Cut tan felt into a dripping caramel shape and stitch it over the top third, with small beige pom-poms sewn on flat for the nuts. The stick is the fun part: a wide brown fabric tube fixed upright behind the head and stitched to the tunic, so the child never has to hold it. Glued pom-poms come off in little hands, so sew them through the centre with a couple of stitches each. Natural hair, a caramel-coloured bow, red sneakers and tan socks finish it.
5. Candy Apple Costume
A candy apple wants shine. Dress the child in a red tracksuit, then add a rounded tunic in red satin or a glossy fabric. A scalloped darker-red panel around the top suggests the thick candy shell, and a brown stem headband with one green leaf finishes the fruit. Two tidy braids suit longer hair. Red cheek circles and a touch of shimmer by the eyes are enough. A striped paper treat bag and red high-tops round it out. Satin frays the moment you cut it, so I back it with iron-on interfacing first; it also stops the tunic going limp by the end of the parade.
6. Apple Core Costume
The apple core gets laughs, and kids love being the funny one. A cream sweatshirt and pants make the base. Cut a tall hourglass panel from ivory felt and stitch red skin sections across the top and bottom, then sew flat black felt seeds down the middle. A brown stem and green leaf headband keeps it clearly an apple. One tiny painted seed on the cheek is a cute extra. Carry a light cardboard apple slice, and wear cream sneakers with red socks. Make the waist of the hourglass narrow enough to show the shape but no narrower than the child's own waist, or the panel buckles every time they sit.
7. Bitten Apple Costume
One missing bite changes a plain apple into a joke. Use a red hoodie and pants with a round red felt sandwich-board shape over the top. Cut soft scallops out of one side for the bites, line that edge with cream felt and add a few small brown seeds near the opening. A brown stem headband with an oversized green leaf finishes it. A plush worm poking out of the bitten edge always gets attention. Cut the bite on the side away from the hand they use most, so the scalloped edge doesn't catch on their treat bucket all night.
8. Apple Slice Costume
An apple slice is flat, which makes it the best choice for a class assembly or anything with a lot of sitting. Start with an ivory shirt and pants and a big semicircle of foam or cardboard over the front. Cover the curved edge with red felt for the peel, use cream fabric for the flesh, and add two dark brown seeds near the middle. A narrow red headband with a tiny slice ties it together. Soft pink blush is all the makeup needed. A second light slice works as the prop. Thin craft foam bends better than cardboard when a child leans forward, and it doesn't crumple in the rain.
9. Apple With Worm Costume
A worm peeking out of an apple adds humour for very little effort. Build the base from a red sweatshirt, red pants and a rounded red felt tunic. Cut a small hole in the front layer only and stitch a soft green stuffed worm into it so it looks like it's popping out. A brown stem and leaf headband and rosy cheeks finish the face, and a second worm can wrap loosely round the wrist. Sew the worm in from the inside of the tunic, not just at the hole. Children grab it and pull, and a worm that only hangs by its edge tears straight out.
10. Apple Tree Costume
An apple tree puts the whole orchard on one child. Brown pants are the trunk, a green sweatshirt the leaves. Add a wide green felt cape or poncho dotted with light red felt apples, plus a leafy crown with two or three small apples on it. A couple of brown face paint lines on one cheek suggest bark. A small watering can or an empty harvest basket fits the theme, and brown boots work outdoors. Check the crown sits above the eyebrows when the child looks down. Leafy headpieces creep forward and block their view, especially on stairs and kerbs.
11. Apple Basket Costume
Here the child is the basket, full of apples. A red shirt, red leggings and red sneakers are the base. Build a light ring from cardboard, cover it in brown felt or woven-print paper, and hang it at the waist from wide shoulder straps. Soft red, green and yellow fabric apples sit along the rim, with a red apple cap on top. Paint a tiny green leaf near one temple. If you add a handle arching behind the shoulders, make it flexible and keep it low enough to clear doorways. A stiff handle hits every door frame and the child ends up ducking all evening.
12. Bushel Of Apples Costume
A bushel looks like a heap of apples but leaves a child free to walk. Start with a green long-sleeve top and brown pants, then hang a light brown felt barrel around the waist from adjustable straps. Fill the rim with soft stuffed apples in three colours, keeping the front and sides clear for the arms. A red apple beanie with a short stem and leaf is the hat. A small felt sign shaped like a leaf can be the prop, with brown sneakers or ankle boots for parades. Adjustable straps matter here. Most children grow between costume seasons, and the same barrel can go to a younger sibling.
13. Apple Picking Costume
Some children won't wear a fruit shape at all, and an apple picker gives them the theme in ordinary clothes. Put them in denim overalls over a red-and-white check shirt, with a straw-style hat trimmed with a felt apple, a green leaf and brown ribbon. Low braids or a ponytail go under the hat, and painted freckles with rosy cheeks are the makeup. A small handled basket of fabric apples is the prop, and a red bandana knotted loosely at the neck carries the colour. Real straw hats scratch foreheads, so I line the band with a strip of soft felt. Sturdy boots or sneakers handle grass and playgrounds.
14. Farmer And Apple Costume
Two siblings or friends can split the theme between them. The farmer wears denim overalls, a plaid shirt, a straw-style hat and brown boots and carries an empty harvest basket. The apple wears a red sweatshirt, red leggings and a rounded felt tunic with a leaf and stem headband. Matching small green bandanas on both tie the pair together. Red sneakers for the apple, freckles for the farmer. This suits a younger child as the apple, since it's the easier costume to wear, while the older one gets to be in charge of the basket.
15. Red And Green Apple Costume Duo
A red and green apple duo is about as simple as twin costumes get. One child wears a red top, pants and a rounded red tunic; the other wears the same pieces in green. Give each a brown stem headband with a leaf in the other child's colour, and let them carry a small fabric apple in the opposite shade too. Red sneakers for one, green for the other. Cut both tunics from the same pattern so they look like a pair, then change the leaf shapes. Twins and siblings often want to look matched but not identical, and the leaf is an easy place to give each one a say.
16. Three Apple Costume Group
Three children can be red, green and yellow apples. Each gets a matching sweatshirt and pants with a light felt tunic in their colour, and a brown stem and leaf headband tipped at a slightly different angle. Give the red apple a basket, the green one a plush worm and the yellow one a leaf-shaped prop, then match the sneakers to the tunics. Repeating one shape makes the group easy to read from across a playground. I'd cut all three tunics in one sitting from the same template; small differences in size look odd when the children stand in a row.
17. Rainbow Apple Costume
A rainbow apple is pure fun. Start with a white long-sleeve top and leggings so the colours stay bright, then make a rounded tunic from curved sections of red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple felt. A brown stem and oversized green leaf go on a soft headband. Rainbow elastics or clip-in coloured hair pieces are a good choice for kids, and much easier than any temporary colour spray. A cloud-shaped felt bag is the prop, with white sneakers and colourful laces. Join the sections with a zigzag stitch over the seams so they lie flat; glued joins lift at the curves after a few hours of wear.
18. Polka Dot Apple Costume
Polka dots add pattern without hiding the apple. Dress the child in a red top and black leggings, then add a round red felt tunic covered in evenly spaced white felt dots. Make the dots big, around the size of a jar lid, and stitch them down; small dots vanish from a distance and glued ones peel. A brown stem headband with a curled leaf and neat pigtails finish the look, with one white dot on each cheek. A dotted tote holds treats. Black sneakers and red socks stop the outfit getting too busy.
19. Patchwork Apple Costume
Scraps of red fabric make a patchwork apple with real homemade charm. A red sweatshirt and dark green pants form the base. Make a rounded felt tunic and cover it in overlapping pieces of crimson, burgundy, coral, gingham and small dots, sewn flat so nothing dangles. A brown felt stem and patchwork leaf go on a padded headband, and a few washable face paint stitch marks near the cheek tie in the theme. Carry a small stuffed apple and wear red canvas sneakers. I like making this one with an older child, who can choose and arrange the patches before you sew them.
20. Apple Princess Costume
A full skirt and leafy crown make a storybook apple princess. Choose a red long-sleeve top with a soft red tulle skirt over leggings, add green felt leaves around the waistband and a round apple emblem at the centre. A flexible green crown with a brown stem and tiny fabric apples sits light on the head. Loose curls, braids or a ponytail all suit it. A felt leaf wand on a paper tube is the prop. Tulle is scratchy against bare legs, which is why the leggings matter. Red ballet flats need nonslip soles; otherwise, choose red sneakers for walking.
21. Apple Fairy Costume
An apple fairy is magic with no complicated pieces. Dress the child in a fitted red top and a layered red and green tulle skirt over leggings, then add light translucent green wings on wide elastic straps. A small apple headband with a brown stem and felt leaf links the fairy to the fruit. A braided ponytail keeps long hair out of the wing straps. Rosy cheeks and a little green shimmer are plenty. A soft green wand topped with a felt apple is the prop. Choose wings that sit flat against the back; wide ones catch on car seat belts and every coat on the hooks at school.
22. Apple Superhero Costume
For the child who never stops moving, a superhero apple keeps arms and legs free. Start with a red long-sleeve top, red joggers and athletic shoes, then add a green felt belt and a red apple-and-leaf emblem on the chest. Cut the green cape short, above the knees, so it can't be trodden on. A soft red eye mask and a brown stem headband that fits behind it finish the head. A light green felt wrist shield with an apple on it makes a safe prop. Fasten the cape with a strip of hook-and-loop tape, not a tie. It pulls away if grabbed, which is far safer around the neck.
23. Apple Robot Costume
An apple robot mixes fruit and machines, and it can stay light. A grey sweatshirt and pants are the base. Cover a small cardboard torso box with silver paper and add a big red apple panel, green indicator circles and brown stem details. Use foam tubing or silver fabric cuffs on the arms and legs instead of anything rigid. A soft silver cap with two green leaf antennae and small silver cheek dots complete the head. A light control panel on the wrist is the prop. Size the box so the child can bend at the waist and sit down; most boxy costumes fail at the dinner table, not on the doorstep.
24. Apple Butterfly Costume
This one puts a round red apple body between two leaf-shaped wings. Begin with a red hoodie and leggings and a soft oval apple panel on the front. Cut two large green felt wings shaped like leaves, with lighter green veins and small red circles, and fasten them on wide straps. A brown antenna headband can curl like two stems. Low pigtails keep hair clear of the straps. A small flower or plush worm is the prop, with red sneakers and green socks. Stiffen felt wings with a sheet of stiff interfacing between two layers. Single felt flops over within the first street.
25. Apple Ladybug Costume
Red apple colours blend naturally into a ladybug. Use a red sweatshirt and black leggings with a rounded red tunic dotted with black felt spots. A green leaf sits near the neckline, and the headband carries a brown stem between two soft black antennae. Small black wings can tuck behind the apple without sticking out past the shoulders. Paint tiny black dots above rosy cheeks. A green felt leaf bag holds small belongings, and black sneakers with red socks finish it. It suits children who can't decide between a bug and a fruit, which happens more often than you'd think.
26. Apple Scarecrow Costume
An apple scarecrow pulls harvest colours into a comfortable layered outfit. Dress the child in denim overalls over a red plaid shirt, with small felt apple patches on the bib and knees. Soft raffia-look fabric strips at the cuffs give the straw effect without the scratch of real straw. A floppy brown hat with red apples, green leaves and a fabric patch is the headpiece. Painted freckles and simple stitch lines at the smile are easy face paint. A light crow plush or apple basket is the prop. Brown boots and thick socks make it good for a cold harvest event too.
27. Apple Pie Costume
Golden felt turns an apple costume into an apple pie. Start with a tan sweatshirt and brown leggings, then make a circular felt tunic and stitch crisscrossed strips across the front for the lattice. Let small red and green felt apple pieces peek through the gaps. A little round pie headband with a red apple and green leaf completes the top. Warm peach blush and a few freckles suit it, and a stuffed fabric rolling pin makes a soft prop. Sew the lattice strips down at every crossing point, not just the ends, or small fingers will hook them up and pull.
28. Apple Juice Box Costume
A juice box is a funny rectangular change from all the round apples. Dress the child in a green shirt, pants and sneakers. Cover a light cardboard box with white paper and add big red and green felt apples to the front and back, with wide fabric straps and roomy openings for arms and legs. A flexible white tube at the top is the straw, angled so it stays behind the head. A green cap with a small leaf finishes it. Skip printed brand labels and let the apples say the flavour. Tape the cardboard edges with fabric or duct tape so they don't scrape arms.
29. Apple Cider Costume
Rust, red and green make an apple cider costume for a properly cold night. Begin with a rust sweatshirt, brown pants and a quilted red vest, then stitch a big felt apple with a stem and leaf onto the vest. A soft red beanie with another leaf keeps their head warm and doubles as the headpiece. Warm rosy blush and a few freckles are the makeup. A light brown mug-shaped prop with a fabric apple on the front is cute to carry. This is the one I'd pick for an outdoor pumpkin patch, since every piece is real winter clothing and a coat can go under the vest.
30. Apple Orchard Costume
The orchard costume builds a tiny landscape around one child. Start with a green sweatshirt and brown pants for the branches and trunk. Sew small red fabric apples to the top, sleeves and shoulders, leaving the lower half clear so they can walk. A wide green felt collar shaped like leaves and a soft branch headband with two apples and a stem frame the face. Paint a green leaf on one cheek. A light fence-shaped waist panel or small basket is the prop, with brown sneakers and green socks. Don't overload the sleeves. More than three or four apples per arm drags the cuffs down over their hands.
Red Felt on a Dark Street
Red and green look bright under classroom lights and almost disappear at dusk. If an apple is going trick-or-treating, I add a little visibility in ways that don't spoil the costume. A strip of reflective sew-on tape around the stem, along the leaf veins or at the hem of the tunic looks like a design detail by day and lights up in car headlights. A small clip-on light on the treat bucket helps too, and so do light-coloured sneakers rather than dark ones.
Check the walking as well as the being seen. Long capes, tutu skirts and wide baskets all catch on kerbs and steps in the dark, so walk the route once at home in the costume. Anything that trips them in the hallway will trip them on the street.
Face Paint That Suits Small Faces
Every apple here uses only a little paint, rosy cheeks, a leaf or a few freckles, and that's deliberate. Young skin reacts more easily, and children rub their faces constantly.
- Use water-based face paint made for skin, never craft or poster paint.
- Patch-test a dab on the inner arm the day before and wait to see if any redness appears.
- Keep paint away from the eyes and lips on younger children; a cheek design is plenty.
- Take it off with gentle soap and warm water or a mild cleanser before bed, not a scrubbing wipe.
If your child hates the feel of paint, skip it. A felt leaf pinned to the collar or a sticker on the cheek reads just as well in photos, and a happy apple beats a painted one in tears.
Will It Last Through Fruit Day and Halloween Both?
A good apple costume does two jobs: it reads as an apple from across a playground, and it lets a child walk, sit and play without complaint. The thirty looks here cover plain fruit, orchard scenes, sweet treats, fairies, superheroes and group costumes, and nearly all of them start with solid-colour sweatshirts, leggings or overalls you can wear again. Felt does the rest, for leaves, stems and soft apple shapes. Stitch rather than glue anything little hands can reach, keep headpieces clear of the eyes, and choose real sneakers over costume shoes. Then the same outfit can go to Halloween, fruit day and the harvest festival.
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