December is one of the best times of the school year. But what makes it so special?
It’s about bringing the magic of the holidays into the classroom with engaging read-alouds and creative learning activities. And the beauty is you never have to sacrifice skill-building, practice, or deepening comprehension—all of these can be built right into the fun!
Last year, I visited a first-grade classroom, and we incorporated all of those elements into their Gingerbread Day celebration. We engaged in gingerbread activities, creating the sweetest combination of reading, rhyming, and hands-on fun! It was just too good not to share.
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The Book: How to Catch a Gingerbread Man
We kicked off the day by introducing a classroom favorite—How to Catch a Gingerbread Man by Adam Wallace and Andy Elkerton. The playful rhymes and colorful illustrations make it perfect for teaching phonemic awareness in a fun way. Students were immediately hooked as we began reading about the adventures of the clever gingerbread man who’s just too fast to catch!
A Letter from the Gingerbread Friends
Before we started reading, I handed out a special letter from the Gingerbread Friends. The letter asked the students to help them find rhyming words hidden throughout the story. Each time they discovered a rhyme, they were told to “feed” the gingerbread friend a gumdrop!
This little touch of storytelling added a layer of excitement and purpose to the read-aloud. Suddenly, students weren’t just listening to a story—they were on a mission to help their gingerbread friends!
Pro-Tip: The excitement of the letter sets the stage for an engaging read-aloud.
Gingerbread Bags and Rhyming Word Cards
To bring the activity to life, I prepared gingerbread-themed bags filled with small gingerbread toys and stickers, and colorful gumdrop cards. As we read, we paused to find rhyming words. Each time students identified a rhyming pair, one student got to “feed” the gingerbread friend by placing a gumdrop card into their bag.
This interactive approach kept students fully engaged and made rhyming practice feel like a game. It was a simple but effective way to reinforce an important literacy skill while spreading a little holiday cheer!
Pro-Tip: I just taped the gingerbread friend drawings onto paper sacks (see more about those below). I put gingerbread stickers and small gingerbread figurines at the bottom of the bags. I printed out clip-art of gumdrops. That’s what we used to “feed” the gingerbread friends.
Gingerbread Man Drawing
To finish off our Gingerbread Day, we ended with a gingerbread-themed directed drawing. Students followed the steps to draw their own gingerbread person and then colored them to match their personalities. The room was full of creativity and smiles as each gingerbread friend came to life on paper!
It was the perfect way to end a day of learning, laughter, and sweet memories. If I had more time, I would have expanded the learning and engaged students with one of my favorite creative gingerbread reading crafts.
