The tradition of making gingerbread houses has been a favorite with my family and kids of all ages at my art workshops for many, many years. But did you know that the tradition of making decorated gingerbread houses dates back all the way to the 1800s? The tradition started in Germany and became popularized by the Brothers Grimm’s fairy tale, Hansel and Gretel, which was published in 1812. That means that whenever you’re doing gingerbread decorating with kids, you’re participating in a tradition that’s more than 200 years old!
Of course, you don’t have to be a kid to enjoy decorating gingerbread houses—adults really love it too! I started the tradition of decorating gingerbread houses with my kids when they were young teens, and I thought they would lose interest as they got older, but every year they get more excited to outdo their last creation with even more creativity and details! It’s something we all look forward to every December.
Gingerbread Decorating with Kids
The first few years we started decorating gingerbread houses, we actually started with plain graham crackers—not gingerbread!—and icing. They came out so darling! In years after that, we would go “treasure hunting” and local candy stores for new and pretty sweet treats to add to our houses.
What I love about this holiday tradition is that it’s really an art activity kids can do at home! Art can be presented in so many ways to kids, and this one is always so much fun!
I would always show my kids pictures of other gingerbread creations to look at for ideas, but allowed them the freedom to make their house any way they wanted. It’s important to let your kids just have fun and be creative—there’s no right or wrong way to decorate a gingerbread house. After all, even if their house topples over, it’ll still be a delicious treat to eat!
What You Need:
- A flat and sturdy surface, like cardboard – you can use boxes from holiday packages or recycle a pizza box; just trim them to size and line them with foil, parchment paper, or wax paper
- Graham crackers or baked gingerbread (The Food Network has a great gingerbread recipe) or a gingerbread house kit
- Icing
- An assortment of candy
- Wipes and paper towels
Where to Start: A Pre-Made Kit for Gingerbread Decorating with Kids
Of course, I believe making a gingerbread (or graham cracker) house from scratch is a fun challenge for kids, but there are some really great short cuts out there too. So many stores offer gingerbread house kits and they come in all different shapes and sizes—houses, castles, villages, even trains, and a camper! If you go this route and buy a pre-made kit or even a pre-made house, I strongly suggest you find extra treats to add to it. The kits are usually pretty standard, and offering your kids more types of candies and icings to decorate with will allow them to be more creative and have even more fun!
One Step Further: Download My Free Training, How to Theme Art Lessons with Story Books
Knowing that the tradition of gingerbread houses has ties to a fairy tale is proof that we can use stories to inspire our art. While the story of Hansel and Gretel may not be suitable for younger kids, there are many, many other story books that can serve as inspiration!
I created this free training, How to Theme Art Lessons with Story Books, to show you exactly how to use story books (plus science and history books too) to create art lessons for kids. It makes coming up with art themes and activities easy, and shows you how to bridge literature and text books with a creative outlet like art—which helps kids make connections, stay engaged, and retain valuable lessons and concepts. Get the training for free by clicking here!
A Short Cut Just for You
Even if you don’t consider yourself to be ‘artsy’ or do many art activities with your children, you’ll find that decorating gingerbread houses opens up a whole new world of art appreciation! Art doesn’t have to be stuffy still-life paintings or incredibly detailed statues—it’s simply fun! And to a young child, exploring art through play is a natural way to learn and appreciate it.
If you want to learn more about how to give your children fun, meaningful, and educational art activities that stimulate their senses and little minds, check out my book Nurturing Children in the Visual Arts Naturally.
Many books have been written on the subject of teaching visual arts to children, but they use traditional fine art as examples and in lessons. My book, on the other hand, teaches you how to set up kids to explore and develop their own natural creative abilities. Art is a brilliant way to help your child strengthen their fine motor skills, better express their emotions, and tap into creative problem-solving and thinking—and Nurturing Children in the Visual Arts Naturally breaks it all down for you so it’s easy to understand and facilitate.
Download the e-book of Nurturing Children in the Visual Arts Naturally now, by clicking here!
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