Category: Activities

Materials
Brown craft foam
Gingerbread man cookie cutter
Colorful buttons
Velcro dots
Hot glue gun
Scissors
Sharpie marker

Directions
On the brown craft foam, use a Sharpie marker to trace around the cookie cutter 5 times. Cut out the gingerbread men. Number the gingerbread men 1-5, writing one numberal on each head. Using the hot glue gun, secure the velcro dots onto the backs of the buttons and onto the tummy of the gingerbread men, corresponding the number of velcro dots to the numeral on the gingerbread man. Invite your child to place the correct number of buttons onto each gingerbread man. Count the buttons.

Materials
Construction paper gingerbread man
Scissors
Magnetic tape
Magnetic Board

Directions
Cut out and decorate a gingerbread man. Then cut the gingerbread man into 5 or 6 pieces and place a piece of magnetic tape on the back of each piece. Place the piece onto a magnetic board and invite your child to put the gingerbread man puzzle together. 

Materials
Foam gingerbread men
A spatula
A cookie sheet
A large tray
Game cube (or two!)

Directions

Materials
Construction paper in brown
Basic small shapes cut in various colors 
Glue stick
Ruler
Scissors
Large white construction paper to glue the shapes onto
Foam shapes or foam shape stickers (alternate option)

Directions
Draw a large square or rectangle and a large triangle on the brown paper. Add a small rectangle for the chimney. Place the large sheet of white construction paper on the table and help your child see how he can combine the rectangle and the triangle to make a house. Invite your child to glue the rectangle and triange down on the paper. The small rectangle can be glued to make a chimney. Then invite your child to decorate the house by gluing the various colored shapes onto it. This makes a lovely colorful house and is great fine motor practice, too.

Ingredients
Shaving Cream
White School Glue
Ground cinnamon, clove, & ginger spice
Optional addition: brown food coloring

Directions
Mix equal parts of shaving cream and school glue in a bowl. Add several drops of brown food coloring if rich coloring is desired, and then add the spices and mix well. We used more cinnamon than clove and ginger. Start with a teaspoon of cinnamon,1/2 tsp. of ginger, and 1/2 tsp. of cloves. Mix until all ingredients are well combined. Feel free to adjust the spices to give you just the right gingerbread smell for you! The paint will smell wonderful and dry puffy. Invite your child to paint on a gingerbread shape.  Once the paint has dried encourage you child to glue on buttons, ribbon, and other ric rac to decorate their gingerbread man.Display the gingerbread low so that you child can smell them often!

Ingredients
2 cups of white school glue
1 & 1/2 cups of very warm water
3/4 teaspoons of borax
Ground cinnamon 
Ginger spice 

Directions

Ingredients
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
3/4 cup molasses
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
Vanilla frosting of your choice
Red and green paste food coloring

Directions

In a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and molasses. Invite your child to help combine the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight or until easy to handle.

On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut with floured 2-1/2-in. cookie cutters. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets.

Bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes or until edges are firm. Remove to wire racks to cool. Tint some of the frosting red and some green. Invite your child to help decorate cookies.

Materials
1 piece of cardstock
Brown construction paper
Ric Rac trim in various colors
Googly eyes
Buttons 
Gem stone stickers 
Ribbon 
Bottles of glue

Directions
Draw a gingerbread man pattern on a piece of cardstock or print a template from an online source. Trace the gingerbread man shape onto brown construction paper and cut out. Place all of the other supplies on a tray. Invite your child to decorate her gingerbread person by gluing ric rac, buttons, googley eyes, ribbon, jewels, etc. Allow the glue to dry and then display.

Ingredients
2 cups of flour (divided in half)
1 cup of salt 
2 Tablespoons of Oil 
2 Tablespoons of Cream of Tartar 
1 1/2 Cups of Boiling Water  
ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon

Directions
Invite your child to help measure and pour dry ingredients in a bowl, keeping 1 cup of flour to the side. Add 1 1/2 cups of boiling water and mix together. While the dough is cooling, talk about the different spices and allow your child to smell them.  Which one is his favorite? Once the dough has cooled, invite your child to help knead the dough, adding and mixing in more flour and any or all of the three spices. Continue to add flour until the dough is not sticky. Provide gingerbread cookie cutters, rolling pins, buttons, ribbon for making gingerbread people. Your child will not only love the silky smooth playdough, but he will enjoy the sensorial experience, as well.