This simple gingerbread craft for kids is a great way to work on early scissor skills. It’s perfect for toddlers and other young kids who are just learning how to open and close scissors independently.
We’re always on the lookout for cute holiday crafts and activities that help kids build important developmental skills like bilateral coordination, hand strength, and scissor skills! Today, we wanted to share this super simple gingerbread craft setup that is perfect for the younger crowd or for kids who may be struggling with learning how to cut with scissors.
You’ll only need the most basic supplies and this craft is really easy to set up, so it’s great to do in a group therapy session or classroom.
Looking for other fun gingerbread themed ideas? Try this gingerbread playdough recipe! Or, check out this fun gingerbread fingerprint ornament!
Super Simple Gingerbread Craft
What You’ll Need:
–Free gingerbread craft template
-Colored construction paper
-Scissors
-Glue
What to Do:
Cut thin strips of construction paper in all different colors. If you’re working with a group, you’ll need quite a few sheets of paper cut into strips.
Cut out the gingerbread templates (or have kids cut them out if they’re able to). Then, have kids practice snipping by cutting the thin strips into “sprinkles” to decorate their gingerbread cookies.
Glue the gingerbread cutout onto another sheet of construction paper. Spread glue or use a glue stick to spread glue all over the front of the gingerbread cutout. Have kids pick up and sprinkle the construction paper confetti all over their gingerbread man to decorate him!
How to Change it Up:
-Use thicker paper to make your strips of paper to provide proprioceptive feedback during cutting.
-If kids are struggling with picking the sprinkles up from the table, try picking them up and handing them to the kids or having them try to pick them up from your hand instead of the flat surface of the table. This is a great way to grade the fine motor challenge!
-Make this into a sorting activity! Print multiple gingerbread templates and glue all of the red sprinkles onto one template, all of the blue onto another template, and so on, until all of the colored sprinkles are sorted!
-Make it into a patterning activity! Decorate the paper around the gingerbread man by gluing the sprinkles in a certain sequence.
Skill Areas Addressed:
Scissor skills, bilateral coordination, fine motor skills, dexterity, visual motor integration
Other Things to Try:
Be sure to try this craft with our Pass the Gingerbread Game! It’s a great compliment to this activity, working on core strength and motor planning!
Snipped Up Christmas Trees (another great activity for promoting scissor skills)
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