Watch: Gingerbread Theme Classroom Tour This preschool gingerbread art activity is a perfect way to recycle cardboard and can be used as a Christmas ornament! The process involves painting and pressing pom poms on top, strengthening fine motor skills. They look so festive hanging in the tree! It’s a great way to recycle something you already have, plus it’s sturdier than paper. These previous cardboard art activities were my inspiration for today’s activity: Cardboard Christmas Tree Art Big Cardboard Snowmen Cardboard Hearts You will then want to mix equal parts of the glue and brown tempera paint in small containers.
Cardboard Xacto knife or scissors Brown tempera paint White glue Paint brushes Small containers Small pom poms in assorted colors Acrylic sealer (optional)
Cut gingerbread shapes from your cardboard. I had a gingerbread cookie cutter that worked as a template, but you could also use this free gingerbread template. I used the Xacto knife for some of the cutting as well as scissors. I also created a small hole at the top for an ornament hook, but you could also use yarn. Add a brush and you are ready! Then, give them some small pom poms to stick onto the glue/paint mixture. (Scroll down to see other gingerbread man activities we’ve enjoyed.) As your preschoolers sit at the art table, invite them to brush the tempera paint/glue mixture onto their cardboard gingerbread men. It’s better if they apply a thick amount of the glue and paint, as the pom poms will stick better. Some of ours weren’t thick enough so the pom poms weren’t on the cardboard as securely as I would have preferred. This is why I added two coats of the acrylic sealer as a final step. See the position of the thumb and finger in the above photo? This pinching position is an important for fine motor development. Watch: Our Favorite Gingerbread Circle Time Activities Invite them to tell you the different colors as they are being added to the gingerbread man. You will then want to check if the pom poms feel secure on the cardboard. As I mentioned above, some of ours were not, so I added an extra step of adding two coats of acrylic sealer. We added these tags to the fronts of the bags (each child got the first letter of their first name) and then they were handed out during our Cookies and Carols. We invite our families to join us for the last 15 minutes of class and they sing a few simple Christmas carols with us. We enjoy cookies and then the children help their families open their gift bags. Super simple and our families always enjoy this time! Sensory: Gingerbread Rice Bin Color Recognition: Gingerbread Color Printable Circle Time: Gingerbread Props Playdough: Gingerbread Printable Mat Art: Gingerbread Banner Art: Gingerbread Ice Painting Fine Motor: Gingerbread Suncatchers Table Activity: Gingerbread House Printable Come see how we set up our classroom: Gingerbread Theme Here is my Privacy Policy
