Is it the warm, spicy scent? Maybe the playful, colorful decorations? Perhaps it the feisty way they were characterized in Shrek? Something about Gingerbread Men makes them a Christmas favorite and that’s why this Gingerbread Unit is one I do every year.
A Gingerbread Man story time or unit are fun to do this time of year with preschoolers. Below are some fantastic gingerbread themed books to read aloud and loads of delicious learning activities to dive into afterwards.
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Gingerbread Man Story Time + Unit Ideas
This week the Virtual Book Club for Kids has created a whole host of ideas about Gingerbread inspired by Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett. This sweet story is a great jumping off point for a wide variety of activities and our story time!
Read More of Our Virtual Book Club Posts Here
Picture Books about Gingerbread.
There are quite a few fun books about Gingerbread and the Gingerbread Man. These are my favorites for reading aloud.
Gingerbread Baby
by Jan Brett
A little boy makes a gingerbread baby and it escapes! This book is full of excitement and adventure that lends itself to being read aloud. I love the cute, surprise ending.
You May Also Like: Jan Brett Author Study Ideas
The Gingerbread Man
by Jim Aylesworth
This is a sweet version of The Gingerbread Man. Playfully told and gently illustrated. Encourage your listeners to join in on the refrain!
Georgie the Gingerbread Fairy
by Lara Ede and Tim Bugbird
This book was recommended to me when my twins were deep in their fairy obsession, so I immediately added this to our to-read list. It is a fun book about a fairy who runs a gingerbread store until another fairy shows up with a glittery plastic store. The message in the end is that both can have value and more old fashioned ideas, like gingerbread, need not be replaced entirely. As a girl who likes her old fashioned, simple Christmas I loved the fairy infused message.
The Gingerbread Pirates
by Kristin Kladstrup
This is just silliness. Jim and his mom make Gingerbread Men cookies on Christmas Eve. His favorite is Captain Cookie who he puts by his bed at night. While Jim sleeps Captain Cookie comes to life and goes on an adventure to save his pirate crew from Santa Claus.
Gingerbread Christmas
by Jan Brett
Another gingerbread delight by Jan Brett. A gingerbread band, a merry chase and Jan Brett delightful illustrations. This is a fun Christmas story.
Read Also: Ultimate Guide to Children’s Christmas Books for All Ages
Gingerbread Patterning Activity
For our group time activity I made some simple gingerbread printables to work on patterning.
Set Up:
I printed them out, cut out the gingerbread people, and then laminated them with contact paper. I also grabbed masking tape and a cookie sheet.
Activity:
We did this activity during Group the first time. To start, we used just two colors and made a simple AB pattern.
I passed out the gingerbread people to my kids, but kept four cards for myself.
After putting up the start to our simple Gingerbread Men pattern on our group board, the kids took turns showing me what came next by adding their Gingerbread Men to the pattern.
We just used masking tape to stick the Gingerbread Men to a cookie sheet (too corny cute for me to resist), but you could also add felt or magnets to the backs to make this work on different surfaces.
After the first pattern, I gave them each a chance to start a pattern of their own. This would be difficult with a larger group, but could be done during a small group Math center.
After group time, this Gingerbread Printable was used again as a morning invitation. If I was doing this activity with a Story Time or Group Time, I would have put them out at the Math Center after story time.
Download: FREE Gingerbread Printables
More Gingerbread Unit Ideas
Together with my Virtual Book Club for Kids co-hosts, here are some more creative learning activities to do with during a Gingerbread Themed Story Time or Unit.
Literacy Activities
- Gingerbread Name Activity from Books and Giggles
- Gingerbread Man Story with Printable Finger Puppets from JDaniel4’s Mom
- Gingerbread Man Finger Puppet Craft from Artsy Momma
Craft Activities
- Gingerbread Man Craft Exploring Colors from JDaniel4’s Mom
- Gingerbread Baby Scissors Skills from School Time Snippets
- Fingerprint Gingerbread Man Ornament from The Educator’s Spin On It
- How to Sew a Gingerbread Ornament With Your Child from An Educator’s Spin On It
- Gingerbread Man Lacing and Craft from To Be a Kid Again
STEM Activities
- Sing 5 Gingerbread Men (Watch on YouTube) from Kiboomers with our Free Song Visuals in this Gingerbread Printable Pack
- Gingerbread House Glyph from Mama Smiles
- Foam Gingerbread Christmas Busy Bag from Views from a Step Stool
- Gingerbread Man Shape Game from Rainy Day Mum
- Counting with Gingerbread Men from Powerful Mothering
- Build a Gingerbread Boy Number Game from Toddler Approved
- Sensory Bin from Powerful Mothering
- Gingerbread Man Number Line Game from Adventures of Adam
Cooking Activities
- Graham Cracker “Gingerbread” Houses from My Storytime Corner
- Yummy ABC Gingerbread Men Cookies from Growing Book by Book
- Yummy Honey Gingerbread House Cookies Decorating from Preschool Powol Packets
- Decorate a Gingerbread Man from Mama Smiles
Gross Motor Activities
- Gingerbread Men Number Hop from Toddler Approved
- Make Giant Gingerbread People from Toddler Approved
- Gingerbread Scavenger Hunt with Free Printables from Sunny Day Family
- Roll a Gingerbread Man from Teach Beside Me
