Having that special time with your child is always important, even more so during the holidays. There’s nothing more fulfilling then being able to create new family traditions each year, especially when your child gets the chance to learn something in the process. Visit the Candy Cane Lessons article for more theme ideas!
Reading
Gingerbread Man-themed Books
- The Gingerbread Man by Jim Aylesworth [Scholastic Press, 1998]
- Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett [Putnam Juvenile, 1999]
- The Gingerbread Girl by Lisa Campbell Ernst [Dutton Juvenile, 2006]
Use reading skills to create a book such as the cookie recipe book below.
Cookie Recipe Book
Ask your child what his favorite kind of cookie is and explain with your help, he’ll get to create his very own cookie cookbook! Let him decorate the cover of the book (using crayons, markers and construction paper. You can offer glitter to make it fun and sparkly!). Provide a list of ingredients, go over the basic ingredients needed to make cookies, and let him decide the extra’s (oatmeal, raisins, chocolate chips, marshmallows, lemon, etc). Laminate if you can, and bind the book together for annual use!
Math
Gingerbread Patterns
This activity can be done one of many ways to enhance your child’s pattern skills (ABA, ABBA, AABB, etc.). Make several different colored gingerbread men from a pattern using holiday colors with construction paper (or use beads and string). Laminate if desired for longer use. Lay out 4-5 in an ABA pattern, or make it more challenging based on your child’s skill level. Encourage your child to follow the pattern with her own cutouts and figure out which color comes next.
Gingerbread Sorting by Size and Color
Teach seriation skills by creating several different sized gingerbread men. Make a few for each size depending on your child’s skill level, using different colored construction paper. Go even further and have groups of them with the same facial expressions: sad, happy, scared, etc. Laminate for longer use.
Encourage your child to arrange the cutouts from smallest to biggest or vice versa. Ask them questions to encourage critical thinking: "How else can we sort them?" Direct their answers to sorting by color, matching expressions, and similar sizes.
For more gingerbread man math activities, visit the Poster Pocket Game article to get some great idea’s on how to incorporate the gingerbread pattern into these activities.
Art
Gingerbread Man Ornament Craft
Using an old time favorite, have your gingerbread man cutout ready but instead of using construction paper, use a sheet of sandpaper. Cut out the pattern from the sandpaper and provide several items for your child to glue on: buttons, beads, glitter, sequins, ribbon, etc. Make sure to do the glitter last and mix with a little bit of ginger and cinnamon. Sprinkle the mixture onto the glue and rub into the sandpaper for a yummy smelling holiday craft. Punch a hole in the top, string a ribbon through, and hang from the tree.
For more craft ideas, visit these Fun Christmas Crafts for Kids.
Science
Holiday Sensory Table
Using holiday colored playdough, add some gingerbread scented oil (or another holiday scent if desired) and lay the dough on a table to let your child manipulate. Provide several different holiday cookie cutters (especially gingerbread men!) and let your child’s creativity loose! Take this time to talk about the five senses, and the different sights and smells of the season.
Holiday Cooking
Using your child’s Cookie Recipe Book, let her choose one and help you put all the ingredients together. Ask your child engaging questions about how the dough changes, how she thinks it will change, and why.
Now sit with your child and enjoy a warm, scrumptious cookie, knowing that your child not only had tons of fun doing gingerbread man thematic activities, but learned something in the process!
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