Gingerbread man activities are a great way to keep 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students engaged and learning during the month of December, which can be a tricky time of year in the classroom. The students often have “sugarplums dancing in their heads” and their excitement for the upcoming holidays generates a lot of energy. Grab these December teaching tips to help make this time of year a little easier!
Because the December holidays are a religious event for many, it is not uncommon for some families, or even an entire school district, to request that specific holidays not be mentioned in the classroom. The perfect solution for channeling all that energy in a positive and effective way without mentioning any one holiday is gingerbread!
Gingerbread is fun. It’s festive. It makes the kids excited and engaged. But, in no way is it officially tied into a specific holiday. Best of all, these gingerbread man activities will have your students working productively on important reading and writing skills.
1. Gingerbread Activity Packet
This gingerbread activity packet is filled with fun and engaging activities students love! These activities can be used as center activities, homework, fast finisher tasks, filler activities, or indoor recess activities. Learn more about this resource by clicking the image below!
2. Gingerbread Would You Rather Activities
Are you looking for a fun way to get your students talking during your morning meeting? Do you need a way to motivate your students to practice their writing skills and prevent the chorus of groans when you say it’s writing time? Or maybe you need a consistent writing center for your literacy block? If so, these gingerbread would you rather activities are exactly what you need!
3. Gingerbread Color by Code Activities
Are you looking for something fun, but also academic? Do you need quick print-and-go activities to have on hand? If so, this gingerbread parts of speech color by code activity is a great resource to have prepped and ready on your desk in December. Learn more about this resource by clicking the image below!
4. Gingerbread Book Companions
This gingerbread book companion bundle is part of our Starts With a story collection. This bundle includes 4 book companions: The Gingerbread Pirates, The Gingerbread Girl, The Gingerbread Cowboy, and Gingerbread Baby. Here’s your chance to get gingerbread-themed reading comprehension activities as well as writing prompts, vocabulary, grammar lessons and more at a discounted price. Learn more about this resource by clicking the image below!
5. Gingerbread Reading Comprehension Activities
These gingerbread reading comprehension activities for reading provide engaging, meaningful practice to greatly improve your 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th or 5th grade students’ reading and writing skills. Each of the reading graphic organizers included in this set can be used over and over and with ANY gingerbread book you choose. Whether you are doing a gingerbread unit or simply a reading lesson using a non-fiction or fiction text about gingerbread, this resource will be very helpful! Learn more about this resource by clicking the image below!
6. Non-Fiction Reading Passages and Activities
This how to make gingerbread non-fiction unit is sure to be a big hit! It will help you meet your students needs, teach important non-fiction reading skills, and increase student engagement during your literacy time. Your students will not only learn important literacy skills, but will also learn about how to make gingerbread. This unit is packed with resources to teach a comprehensive unit or series of lessons on reindeer. It has leveled reading passages, discussion questions, writing prompts, vocabulary cards and activities, and much more. Learn more about this resource by clicking the image below!
7. Gingerbread Writing Activity and Craft
This is the perfect Christmas activities alternative! This Design a Gingerbread House craft is a great non Christmas writing project for your December lesson plans. It offers a fun, engaging, creative way to teach descriptive writing to your elementary students. Even your most reluctant writers will enjoy learning how to build a gingerbread house! Learn more about this resource by clicking the image below!
8. Gingerbread in Disguise Writing Activity and Craft
This Disguise a Gingerbread Man Craft and Writing Project is one of the best December activities for 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th grade. Use with or without the book How to Catch an Elf and have your students write persuasive or descriptive paragraphs. The completed craftivities make a great winter bulletin board. Learn more about this resource by clicking the image below!
9. Gingerbread Unit
The month of December is a tricky one in the classroom. The students’ excitement for the upcoming holidays creates lots of energy and it can make focusing on schoolwork a challenge. Because the December holidays are a religious event for many, it is not uncommon for some families, or even an entire school district, to request that specific holidays not be mentioned in the classroom. If you are allowed to celebrate holidays at your school, learn more about how you can incorporate the holidays around the world in your classroom. Learn more about this gingerbread man unit below!
How this Gingerbread Man Unit Helps Students
This gingerbread man unit will help your students because it
- gives students the opportunity to practice going through the full writing process with support and guidance from the teacher.
- offers students a format to practice story telling.
- facilities fun learning experiences for students in the month of December.
- includes differentiated resources so all of your students will feel successful.
- gives students a break from the similar structured resources if your school district uses formal curriculum programs with fidelity.
How these Gingerbread Man Activities Help Teachers
These gingerbread man activities will help you because they…
- channel all of that holiday energy in a positive and effective way.
- are fun and festive, but not tied to a specific holiday.
- invite students to work productively on important reading and writing skills.
Why You Will Love this Gingerbread Man Unit
You will love this gingerbread man unit because it is…
- packed with resources so it will simplify your planning and prep.
- a great way to get your students excited and engaged while still learning.
- differentiated so all of your students will be able to access it.
How to Use this Resource in Your Classroom
First, start by gathering a collection of picture books that include a variety of different versions of The Gingerbread Man. After reading each version, invite your students to participate in a thoughtful dialogue and complete one of the many graphic organizers (story maps, Venn diagrams, etc.) offered in this resource. After having exposed students to many different versions of the text, students will go through the full writing process to create their own version of The Gingerbread Man.
Why Teachers Like You Love this Gingerbread Packet
Check out these testimonials from teachers who’ve used it in their classrooms…
Incredible product! Your store will be one of my go-to’s for all future unit supplements! Thanks for your time and talent!
– Sarah K.
My students loved these activities! This set provided a great outlet for their pre-Christmas excitement! Thanks!
– Gail Z.
I was so excited to find this unit! I have been teaching with fairy tales and trying to figure out when I can fit in Christmas. This is a perfect blend.
– Buyer
I moved to third grade this year and I LOVE all things Jodi!!!
– Rebecca Phillips
This was great. My students loved it!
– Diana L.
What is Included in this Gingerbread Man Unit?
- teaching guide that suggests how to implement the resources in your classroom and explains how to use each of the included resources
- tips for gathering resources to complement the unit so you can design a comprehensive and full learning experience for your students
- resource tracker templates to help you organize what resources you have access to relates to this unit
- recommended gingerbread book list to guide you in selecting quality and diverse gingerbread books
- scavenger hunt activity to increase student engagement and get students excited
- differentiated story map graphic organizers to support all of the learners in your class with learning about characters, setting, beginning, middle, and end
- comparing texts graphic organizer to guide students in comparing different gingerbread books to one another
- classroom anchor chart templates to save you time making an anchor chart
- Venn diagram graphic organizers to guide students in comparing and contrasting two gingerbread books
- “write your own version” writing activity that includes a brainstorming activity, story planner, drafting paper, final product paper templates, book cover, and rubric
These gingerbread man activities are a fun way to celebrate this festive time of year, while also working on important reading and writing skills. Learn more about this gingerbread unit and download it today!
