Gingerbread men can be baked as cookies or recreated in craft supplies.
Whether celebrating the Christmas holiday or integrating a literary theme based upon "The Gingerbread Baby" by Jann Brett, "The Gingerbread Man" by Karen Schmidt or Jim Aylesworth and "The Gingerbread Boy" by Paul Galdone in a preschool or elementary classroom, creating gingerbread man crafts reinforces the holiday and story elements. Encourage the development of fine motor skills when introducing the craft projects to preschool students.
Cork Ornament
Make use of an old bulletin board or leftover cork flooring from a home improvement effort to create hanging gingerbread man ornaments. Instruct students to trace a gingerbread man template onto a thin piece of cork and use sharp scissors to cut it out or, if the cork is too thick or the children are preschool-aged, the teacher may assist. Paste white ric-rac trim onto the end of the gingerbread man's arms and legs, add black craft pom buttons, black button eyes, a red yarn mouth and a gingham bow to the neck area. Press a nail through the top to create a hole and thread some string through for hanging.
Paper Men
Cut two gingerbread man templates from pieces of brown construction paper and punch holes around both pieces. Decorate the facial features and buttons onto one piece of the paper and thread red or white yarn through the holes three-quarters of the way around the gingerbread man. Stuff the man with paper scraps or pillow batting and resume weaving the yarn through the holes. Tape the yarn ends to the back of the gingerbread man form. Adapt the activity using felt, make the men much smaller as an ornament or gift tag, and sew the edges using a slip stitch.
Fold a long strip of paper back and forth like a fan, cut out a gingerbread man shape, leaving the edges intact, to create a paper gingerbread man garland.
Edible Gingerbread Craft
Mix the ingredients to make a gingerbread cookie dough using measuring utensils and reinforcing or recognizing fractions with the students. Follow any recipe instructions (See Resources for an example) and give each student a turn to roll the dough using a rolling pin. Press a gingerbread man cookie cutter into the dough, bake them and decorate each with icing. Spoon white icing into an inexpensive plastic sandwich bag, cut off a very small tip of one corner and allow students to decorate their own gingerbread man. Share the treats as the day's snack.
Dramatic Play
Create templates in different sizes for students to trace and cut out to make a gingerbread family. Each student glues one gingerbread man, after decorating the facial features and trim with markers or crayons, to the end of a wooden craft stick. Encourage the students to imagine a gingerbread family similar to their own families and trace the appropriate number of paper men. Extend the activity by encouraging the students to use the stick puppets to retell a gingerbread-themed story.
