Gingerbread House Craft for the Primary Classroom

December just doesn’t feel complete without a gingerbread house-building activity! You can make an edible one, but I prefer a crafty one! In this post, I’ll share some tips for making a gingerbread house craft with your students- everything from making the house to extending the activity, and even how to manage the time!

Be sure to read my 8 top gingerbread picture books and this post for tons more gingerbread-themed activities!

Tips for Making a Gingerbread House Craft

First, decide on your gingerbread house type! You can make houses using a paper bag, a flat one on construction paper, or even an adorable pop-up gingerbread village! For all three, you can use the templates I include in my Gingerbread House pack. OR, you can just have kids draw and cut out their own decorations!

Paper Bag Gingerbread House

Students can draw on a paper bag (use bright crayons and markers) or cut out pieces to decorate their house. You can have them draw on construction paper or color and cut clip art pieces, as shown below.

Here are some steps and tips:

• Make yourself a model first- this will help you have one to show and also give you an idea of what to expect in terms of time and difficulty. I also like to do one along with the kids to model each step!
• Have students circle the pieces they want and ONLY color those. Color first, then cut them out.
• Attach the roof – If you’re able to staple the roof on, that works best. Just fold the roof so you can see it from both sides and staple. If students are gluing on, draw a line at the top of the bag, about 1.5 inches from the top. Have kids line up the bottom of the roof with this line. Otherwise, they may glue the roof on too low and not have room for decorations.
• Then, have kids glue on their pieces, using plenty of stick glue so they stay on.
• Make peek-a-boo windows and doors! Have kids place the window/ door onto their bag and trace around it. Then, have them draw or glue a gingerbread man inside the space. Next, attach the window/ door with a piece of tape so it opens to reveal the cute gingerbread man!
• Last, fill the bag– Use crumpled paper OR add a treat! I like to add a small tub of play-doh to add a little weight.

I’ve used both small and large paper bags to make these. Here are links to both sizes and my pack includes templates for both as well. (affiliate links)

• SMALL PAPER BAGS
• LARGE PAPER BAGS

FLAT Gingerbread House

Just because these are flat, doesn’t mean they’re any less adorable or fun! In fact, these may come out even cuter if you add some glitter and let kids get creative!

For this version, give students a large piece of construction paper and the gingerbread house template and clipart pieces. Students color and cut the pieces and build the house on the paper.

Here’s a sample, with a little snow and glitter snowflakes added. Some cotton balls would also make a fun detail!

Gingerbread Village

Why stop at a gingerbread house when you make an entire village? My Gingerbread House pack includes pop-up pieces students can use to build an adorable village! They just fold at the line and glue to a piece of cardboard or sturdy cardstock. Here’s what the pieces look like.

If you use the small paper bags for your gingerbread houses, you can also glue that to the cardboard and add the pop-up pieces around it. Students can draw a road and more details!

IMPORTANT: Model, model, model how NOT to cut off the tab part (you’ll still have a couple of kids cut it off LOL).

Time Management: How much time does this take?

Now, let’s talk about time! If you teach kindergarten or first grade, you know projects like these can be very time-consuming, especially if you have students who struggle with fine motor skills OR students who love to take their time with details.

The good news is this activity is great for both! It’s great for strengthening fine-motor skills AND it allows students to be creative!

So how much time does it take? It really depends on your students! I usually allow about an hour, and if we need more time, I let them finish as morning work or at a center.

Time-Saving Tips:

If you want to minimize the time spent on the craft, try these strategies:

• Break it up into 2 sessions: Have kids color all the pieces in one session (great morning work activity!), then cut and glue in another.
• Encourage cutting mid-session: Ask students to start cutting about halfway through your time block.
• Use the 1-page version: In my gingerbread house craft pack, I include a 1-page version with fewer pieces to use.
• Opt for the flat version and have kids draw the details rather than cut them out.

Ideas for Early Finishers:

• Add Details: Encourage them to draw directly on the bag or by create their own pieces to cut out.
• Buddy Helper: Pair them up to help classmates who might need a little extra help.
• Helper Elf Duties: Have them be “helper elves” and clean up around the room. They love doing this at school (not so much at home!)
• Write the Steps! Challenge students to write the steps to make a gingerbread house! You can use the differentiated book included in my pack or give provide writing paper for this activity.

And some final tips!

• Have “tidy tubs” at each table, where kids can place scraps in for easy clean-up!
• If you’re having a holiday party with families, this also makes a great collaborative project. Add a cookie and some hot cocoa and you’ve got a sweet, festive time!
• Take lots of pictures! I love to create a writing scrapbook throughout the year and we add a page for each classroom event. At the end of the year, we staple all the pages to create a writing portfolio that doubles as a beautiful keepsake!

You can probably tell I LOVE gingerbread activities! That’s why I have a few blog posts dedicated to this adorable theme! For more gingerbread fun, be sure to read the posts below:

8 Top Gingerbread Man Picture Books with Activities

Gingerbread Man Activities and Ideas for the Classroom

And for ALL of the gingerbread activities above and TONS more, check out my Gingerbread Man Mega-Pack!