Are you ready to infuse some festive cheer into your classroom? Gingerbread-themed activities are the perfect way to engage students during the holiday season without focusing on a specific holiday.
From intriguing gingerbread stories to creative gingerbread crafts, these Gingerbread activities for elementary kids still encompass the magic of the holiday season while allowing you to have a fun, winter-themed reading lesson that suits the needs of every one of the smiling faces sitting at your desks.
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Start your gingerbread-themed activities by reading a classic gingerbread story. There are so many options to choose from, and they are perfect to pair together. One of the many skills that you can focus on with gingerbread stories is comparing and contrasting the traditional version with an adapted version.
Here’s a round-up of some of my favorite Gingerbread books. You really can’t go wrong with any of these sweet stories!
Pro Tip: Engage students by asking them to predict what might happen next as the gingerbread character embarks on their journey. This will set the tone for the interactive activities to follow.
You may have seen us use this Solve to Create activity with math before, but it also works with reading! The delightful thing about Solve to Create is that the editable version can be modified to fit the needs of your classroom.
After the story, it’s time for the students to help out the gingerbread characters with a creative and challenging twist on this gingerbread craft.
Here’s the challenge for students: We know you’ve heard the story of the runaway gingerbread boy, the gingerbread friends in our story today need our help in a really big way! They cannot find any buttons! They can’t even find a mouth! Can you answer each of the questions, so they can get back on the running path?
The gingerbread friends are missing their pieces, and only your students can help them get back together. But there’s a catch—they must answer questions to unlock each part of the gingerbread craft.
Challenge your students by asking comprehension questions based on the gingerbread story. These questions can range from plot-based to story-retelling, encouraging students to recall details from the text.
For every correct answer to a comprehension question about the story, students will earn a piece of their gingerbread friend: body, eyes, buttons, bows, and more! This simple activity reinforces reading comprehension while making the learning process fun and interactive.
Once all six questions are answered correctly, students will have earned all the pieces of their gingerbread craft. It’s time for the fun part: assembling their gingerbread friends!
Bonus Tip: Allow students to give their gingerbread friend a personality of its own! The bow can be used as a hair bow or a bowtie, providing even more options for students.
Once students successfully “free” the gingerbread friends, it is time for a sweet treat! End the activity by sharing a gingerbread snack with your students. Whether you bring in gingerbread cookies or set up a simple gingerbread decorating station, this tasty reward brings the lesson full circle.
The students will love the sense of accomplishment they feel from both answering the book questions and making their gingerbread friends. A yummy snack is the perfect way to celebrate and make lasting memories.
Bonus Tip: Consider creating a festive display in the classroom or hallways where everyone’s gingerbread friends can “live” for the rest of the holiday season!
Hey, y’all! My name is Amy Lemons and I am passionate about providing students with both engaging and effective standards-based Math and ELA lessons.
Sample a day of Rooted in Reading with these lesson plans and activities for Reading Comprehension, Vocabulary, and Grammar!
