Today, we decorated foam cutouts of gingerbread men. I love setting up open-ended activities for Ben. To begin, I assembled a tray of items to decorate the gingerbread men. I set everything out on a table and let Ben take it from there. This is an activity that entertained him for an extended period of time, and one that he kept going back to.

SUPPLIES

Foam Gingerbread Men Cutouts

Glue

Decorations: Googly Eyes, Stickers, Beads, Dried Pasta, Beans, Pipe Cleaners, Pompoms, etc.

I purchased the foam gingerbread men cutouts, along with most of the other supplies, at our local dollar store. You could also cut your own gingerbread me now out of foam paper, brown construction paper, cardboard, or recycled brown paper bags. Above are the decorations that we used, but you could use whatever you have on hand or things that your children would enjoy.

INVITATION TO PLAY

1. Begin by gathering items to decorate the gingerbread men. We used googly eyes, pompoms, beads, gems, dried pasta, beans, stickers, and pipe cleaners. I twisted the pipe cleaners into bows. I assembled everything on to a divided tray. You can also use buttons, ribbon, glitter, markers, etc.

2. Set out the assembled tray of decorations along with the foam gingerbread men cutouts and glue on a table. Next, I invited Ben to come play. He took over from there.

This activity is great to work on fine motor skills, hand strength, identifying body parts, counting and so much more. Please tag us on social media if you try this craft out. Happy Holidays!

BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS

I love to pair books with the activities that I do with Ben. Sometimes I am inspired by the books themselves, and sometimes the activities inspire which books we read. Here are a few books that we have enjoyed that also complement decorating gingerbread people:

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All activities here are activities I feel are safe for my own children. As your child’s parents/guardians, you will need to decide what you feel is safe for your family. I always encourage contacting your child’s pediatrician for guidance if you are not sure about the safety/age appropriateness of an activity. All activities on this blog are intended to be performed with adult supervision. Appropriate and reasonable caution should be used when activities call for the use of materials that could potentially be harmful, such as scissors, or items that could present a choking risk (small items), or a drowning risk (water activities), and with introducing a new food/ingredient to a child (allergies). Observe caution and safety at all times. The author and blog disclaim liability for any damage, mishap, or injury that may occur from engaging in any of these activities on this blog.