Gingerbread Theme

Gingerbread Books
  

The book, The Gingerbread Boy, by Richard Egielski is my daughter's FAVORITE book since she was 4.  Mostly everytime we go to the library she wants me to check it out, she runs around the house saying, "Run run run as fast as you can. You can't catch me!  I'm the Gingerman Boy".  I enjoy watching her have so much fun!

Search for More Gingerbread Books at Amazon.com

Read: The Gingerbread Boy or The Gingerbread Man (these books are by various authors), or The Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett.
Talk about what took place in the book:
What body parts do you have? 
What do each body part do?

Physical Education
Gingerbread Man P.E. Activity: Have everyone say, "Run, run, run!  Here comes (use a character in the story)".  Have the child/ren run in place until you say, “You’re caught!” or “You’re eaten!”.   Repeat.

Gingerbread Circle Game
You can do this in a circle (like "Duck, Duck, Goose").  You can choose some character in the book (eg. "Wolf, Wolf, Gingerbread Man/Boy/Baby"). Have the child touch the person he wants to chase him/her.  Run around the circle carefully until he/she touches him.  Sit down.  Repeat.

Home Economices, Science, & Math

1.  Senses:
Before making the gingerbread cookies, place a little of each ingredient into the child's  hand.  Have the child taste the ingredients he/she wants to taste.  Ask the child if it was sweet, salty, bitter, etc.  Ask them, “What ingredients were brown?” What did those ingredients taste like? Where they sweet, bitter, etc.?  Some ingredients include: cinnamon, sugar, salt, molasses, ginger, nutmeg/cloves, brown sugar, etc.

2.  Have the chilld/ren smell different ingredients as you make the gingerbread cookies.  (If you have to make the cookies ahead of time, place them into a smaller container.  If needed, label the container for ingredients you can’t tell apart.)

3.  Talk about ginger, cinnamon, molasses, and some of the other ingredients (especially the brown ones).  Smell and taste the ginger, molasses, and some of the other ingredients.  Show them (or take a trip to the grocery store) a cinnamon stick.  Have them smell it.

4.  Make gingerbread cookies.  Have the child help you measure the ingredients from the recipe.  Ask the child to predict what color the cookies will be.  Keep on adding one more ingredients and finally add the rest of the ingredients.  Ask the child: What color will the food be?  (Brown.)  You can use a gingerbread cookie cutter or a boy or girl cookie cutter.) Decorate the gingerbread cookies using frosting.  Have the children with raisins, chocolate chips, etc.  As you place the "buttons" on the gingerbread cookie, count them.

Gingerbread Cookie Recipes:
Gingerbread Baby Recipe @ Bry-Back Manor A picture recipe (from a recipe from Jan Brett).
Jan Brett's Gingerbread Baby Recipe The recipe is in the middle of the "Gingerbread Baby".
Gingerbread Baby Icing

Note: You can also make: cake, ginger snap cookies, or a gingerbread house.

Arts & Crafts
1.  Gingerbread Puppet

Before reading the book, use one of the above links and have the child place it on a small paper bag or make a smaller pattern (or use thicker paper) and tape a craft stick on the back.  Have the child say, the part that the gingerbread boy/man/baby says in the book.  Have the gingerbread man run in the air.  (You might want to make one and laminate it for the "Story Bag".)

Note: You can just have the children hold the gingerbread puppet in his/her hands without using the craft stick (while doing the above activity).

You can use the Gingerbread Man puppet with the songs listed further down on this page.

2.  Draw (or use a pattern) and create your own gingerbread man.

Arts & Crafts, Math, and Foreign Language
Create a Gingerbread Man Doll Chain @ DLTK-Kids.  Decorate them.  Count how many dolls there are and count in another language.
Gingerbread Man Connect the Dots (1-21)

Gingerbread Story Bag Ideas
1. Place a book(s) in the bag.
2. Use one of the gingerbread man coloring pages and make a lacing activity out of it.  Color, laminate, and punch holes in it.  Lace yarn through the holes.
3. The Gingerbread Man Puppets or Felt Board Characters @ DLTK
4. Cooking: Place a recipe card(s) in the bag for: gingerbread cookies, gingerbread cake, and/or gingersnap cookies.
5. Have the supplies to make the Gingerbread Man Puppet.  Follow the activities listed at the link.
6. Use any of the printouts located at: Gingerbread Man Theme Unit @ Kids Zone.
7. Use any of these activities listed on this page.

The Gingerbread Man Flannel Board Story
There are tips on how to make a flannel board stories at: Flannel Board Stories, Songs, and Rhymes for Children.

Stories to Tell to Children: Fifty-One Stories with Some Suggestions for Telling @ UofV has a story online of The Gingerbread Man or go to the library or bookstore to find the book.  Cut a pattern out of two layers of brown felt to make your gingerbread man.  (When it is thicker so you can make it run away like in the story.)  Use buttons, rick rack, and other things to decorate it.  Sew and use white Tacky glue to make the man.  Use the colors of the gingerbread man found in the story to make him.

Printables
Go to Gingerbread Man Theme Unit @ Kids Zone for more great ideas.  It is a 5 day unit for preschoolers through 2nd grade with different printouts including templates, math, writing paper, and more.

Purchasable  Items
Gingerbread Pack: Run Run as Fast as you can! @ Kinder Critters