Classroom Christmas parties can be tough! We want to have some holiday fun with our students, but we are exhausted! We are desperately trying to finish report cards, make parent holiday gifts, bake, shop, etc, etc. I actually love party planning and if this teaching thing doesn’t end up working out- I may become a party planner! So I thought I would take away some of your stress by helping you to plan a fun and simple celebration for your students. I love a party that has a theme! I have been giving you lots of different party theme ideas over the past several days. Today we are going to plan a gingerbread man party!
Gingerbread Treats
Having gingerbread cookies seems kind of obvious. I love to let the kids decorate their own cookie. This makes a fun treat and party activitiy! I love the way Hostess with the Mostess set up her cookie decorating table. The individual cups of frosting are genius! And using popsicle sticks instead of knives is a fantastic idea!
These gingerbread man marshmallow pops from The Decorated Cookie, blow my mind! So darn cute! And marshmallow pops are much easier than cake pops!
I like to serve more than just sweets at my parties, so I am in love with these gingerbread man shaped sandwiches from Kara’s Party Ideas! All she did was use a cookie cutter on them! Fun and very simple!
Gingerbread Crafts
How fun would it be to have your students make this gingerbread play dough from Parenting a Forest? Even my third graders are obsessed with playdough! And your room will smell so good!
These gingerbread man cans from Glitter to Gum Drops would be lots of fun to paint! You could have students use them to hold treats or even to plant a seed!
These gingerbread man clips are super cute and would be very simple! I would put a magnet on the back so that parents can use them to hold a picture or art project on the refrigerator!
These cinnamon dough gingerbread ornaments from Wholefully are really cute and they would smell delicious! They make a great Christmas gift for parents!
Gingerbread Activities
A gingerbread party would not be complete without making gingerbread houses! The easiest way that I have found to make the houses with a class is to get empty small milk cartons from the cafeteria. Now students just need to put the frosting on the box and attach the gram crackers. Without the milk carton, walls are always falling down! I love the way this gingerbread house making table is set up!
I recommend putting together a gingerbread man photo booth similar to this one. Students love posing for fun pics! I would suggest having a few gingerbread men and women so that students can take pictures with their friends too.
It would be fun to get the kids up and moving with this gingerbread man scavenger hunt by Discover-Learn-Connect. She included FREE printables and lots of ideas for adapting the hunt based on the number of students you have and their age. My school does a big gingerbread man scavenger hunt. It’s fun to watch the kids running around the school!
Gingerbread Books
There are so many fantastic gingerbread man books out there! You can read them the week leading up to the party or even at the party!
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The Gingerbread Boy is the classic story of the gingerbread cookie that escapes from one mouth to find himself in another! Everyone needs to hear this fairy tale!
The Gingerbread Cowboy is such a fun book! It’s a western version of the gingerbread boy story. The pictures and descriptive language make this one of my favorite holiday read alouds.
Gingerbread Man loose in the School is always a favorite with my students. While the kids are at recess, the gingerbread man tries to escape from the school. The entire school is working together to find the gingerbread man and the ending is perfect!
The Gingerbread Baby is a fun tale of a Gingerbread baby that escapes from the oven. All the characters in the book are chasing the cookie through the village.
Ready to Use Holiday Resources
If all of that sounds like a lot of work, don’t worry. I’ve got you covered. Check out these print-and-go holiday resources that your students will love.
Holidays Around the World Escape Room
This no-prep activity will introduce your students to a variety of holiday traditions in different countries and cultures. But it’s a lot more fun than boring readinsg.
Students will help prepare for a special holiday celebration by gathering a variety of objects from around the world. From food to toys to decorations, they have to work together to solve puzzles and unlock the clues to help them figure out what to bring from each country. It’s a great way to learn about different countries’ celebrations.
Christmas Activities for Math, Reading, Writing & STEM
If you are looking for one amazing resource to keep your students busy the last week of school, you are going to LOVE these Christmas Activities for Math, Reading, Writing. I have put together over 75 pages, including more than 35 different holiday activities, for an entire week-long holiday celebration.
Students will practice math, reading, writing, problem-solving, critical thinking, communication, and so much more as they see what it takes to run a Christmas tree farm. They’ll learn about growing Christmas trees, planning attractions, advertising the farm, daily operations, calculating profits, and making tweaks to their business plan to make it even better. This is truly a one-of-a-kind activity that immerses students in a fun holiday theme and gives them practice of real world skills.
This resource, designed for grades 2-5 includes five days of festive hands-on interdisciplinary activities, including a STEM project There’s tons of room for creativity and fun. Two different versions of some activities make differentiation easy. Simply choose the one that’s best for your learners. There are more than enough jolly good activities to pick and choose the ones you like best.
And these holiday activities are easy to use. All you have to do is print, copy, and teach. Seriously, it’s that simple. Even the STEM project uses common classroom supplies to keep things easy.
You can also do yourself a favor and scoop up the money-saving Holiday PBL Bundle. It includes the Christmas activities, as well as PBLs for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Valentine’s Day., St. Patrick’s Day, and Easter.
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FREE Writing Prompts
Another great holiday activity is my FREE seasonal writing prompts. I’ve created a set of 60 prompts, 5 for each month of the year. In December, students will be prompted to write about giving and receiving gifts, building a snowman, favorite holiday traditions, and living in a gingerbread house. Plus, the prompts are fully editable so can customize them to meet your needs.
Use these prompts as morning work. Place them in student centers or in your fast finisher file. Work on them throughout the month and share stories are your Christmas party. Kids love to share their writing and their holiday traditions.
The Ultimate Holiday Guide
For even more amazing ideas to go along with your gingerbread man party, check out our FREE Ultimate Holiday Guide.
This 142-page guide is your comprehensive guide to the holidays in the classroom. My team and I have scoured the Internet to find the best holiday treats, crafts, activities, games, books, and more so you don’t have to.
Inside, you’ll find:
- Helpful holiday tips to make planning and celebrating easy
- Easy holiday resources that will keep kids learning
- 5 additional classroom party themes with ideas for treats, crafts, and activities
- Family & student gift ideas
- Simple classroom decor ideas
- Our favorite holiday books and movies
- Reading, writing, and math activities
- Student printables, a family holiday survey, holiday & thank you cards, and gift tags
- And so much more!
And the best part is it’s FREE!
If you’d like to read about more classroom holiday party ideas, check out these posts on a Reindeer Themed Classroom Christmas party, Snowman Themed Classroom Christmas party, and Holidays Around the World Classroom party.
Have a Not So Wimpy Day,
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