20+ Gingerbread House Crafts Kids Will Love This Christmas

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Want a sweet holiday activity without the sugar rush? These gingerbread house crafts are a perfect way for kids to design their own magical cookie cottages using paper, cardboard, felt, and more.

With simple supplies you already have at home, little hands can decorate doors, windows, and candy trim to make each house one-of-a-kind.

Looking for more holiday inspiration? Explore our comprehensive list of Christmas crafts for kids for even more cozy, creative ideas to enjoy together this holiday season.

A collage of colorful gingerbread house crafts made from paper, pom-poms, candy-shaped decorations, and foam, with the title "20+ Gingerbread House Crafts – Great for Christmas!" at the top.

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Gingerbread House Paper Bag

A simple brown paper lunch bag transforms into a cozy pretend gingerbread house with this project, utilizing a free printable template for all the candy decorations. Children can color and glue on their own candy canes, gumdrops, and peppermints to make each house uniquely theirs.

The finished paper bag house makes a cute holiday decoration that they can play with or display, bringing hands-on fun to the Christmas season.

frugalfun4boys.com

Craft Stick Gingerbread House

Kids create a mini gingerbread house by gluing jumbo sticks into a house shape and using a foam sheet as the backing. Once built, it's time to decorate: candy stickers, buttons, pipe cleaner candy canes, and even a little felt window turn it into an adorable holiday keepsake.

Add a magnet or ribbon to the back, and you can hang the project on the fridge or a tree to proudly showcase the kids' creativity.

Related: Paper Gingerbread House

www.theprintableprincess.com

Gingerbread House

Instead of pre-made patterns, kids cut out simple shapes from colored construction paper to build this gingerbread house activity. They'll practice fine motor skills by rounding off corners for the roof and cutting squares and rectangles for windows, doors, and gumdrops.

With no tracing templates required, children can freely choose colors and assemble their paper house while following directions, resulting in a festive project that strengthens scissor skills and creativity.

Also try: Gingerbread Activity Sheets

www.learningandexploringthroughplay.com

Popsicle Gingerbread House

In this project, kids glue popsicle sticks together to form the walls of a little gingerbread house and then go wild decorating it. Once the sticks are arranged in a house shape with support sticks across the back to hold them, children can add all sorts of sparkly fun – think sequins, glitter, pom-poms, and whatever “candy” embellishments you have on hand.

It's an open-ended activity that lets kids' imaginations shine as they create a gingerbread house that glitters and glows with their favorite colors.

Related: Gingerbread Pattern Worksheets

Gingerbread House Name

This paper activity lets kids personalize a gingerbread house with their own name as part of the design. Using an editable printable template, each child can have gumdrop letters or candy pieces that spell out their name, which they color and glue onto a gingerbread house background.

It's a fun way to practice letter recognition and create a festive decoration that's uniquely theirs – perfect for classrooms or at-home art time.

www.notimeforflashcards.com

Recycled Cardboard Gingerbread House

Repurpose those old shipping boxes by cutting them into gingerbread house shapes for kids to decorate and personalize. Children can draw icing designs with a white paint pen and squeeze on glitter glue to mimic frosting and candy, creating a sugary look without the need for authentic sweets.

This upcycled art is fun and straightforward – each cardboard house becomes a canvas for sparkly swirls, windows, and snowy roofs, and you can even punch a hole to hang the finished houses as sturdy ornaments.

Also try: Gingerbread Man Tracing Worksheets

happyhooligans.ca

Cardboard Gingerbread House

For a big wow-factor, help the kids turn a large cardboard box into a life-size gingerbread playhouse they can actually go inside. Painted brown and decorated with odds and ends, such as paper peppermint swirls, bottle cap candies, and cotton ball snow, this playhouse even features Velcro-attached candy pieces, allowing kids to decorate and redecorate it repeatedly.

It becomes an immersive Christmas play space – a make-believe gingerbread cottage that's easy on the teeth and full of imaginative fun.

www.frugalmomeh.com

Popsicle Stick Gingerbread House Ornaments

Kids assemble mini popsicle sticks into a tiny house frame to create these adorable ornaments. Once the sticks are glued and painted gingerbread brown, it's time to add the “frosting” and candies: a white foam roof with icicles, little pom-poms, and stickers as gumdrops, and bits of ribbon or straw as candy cane trim.

Each ornament emerges as a one-of-a-kind keepsake that looks lovely on the Christmas tree and makes a great handmade gift for family.

Also try: Gingerbread Name Craft

Paper Plate Gingerbread House

This activity offers a less-messy alternative to traditional gingerbread houses by using a paper plate as the base. Kids will cut and glue on pre-designed paper pieces from a free template to decorate their “house,” including a gingerbread door, candy canes, and frosting trim.

They get all the fun of designing a colorful gingerbread house without any sticky frosting – perfect for a festive classroom project or a winter afternoon at home.

www.redtedart.com

Gingerbread House Cards

Here, kids combine art and a bit of learning by turning basic paper shapes into a gingerbread house greeting card. Using squares, rectangles, and triangles cut from colored paper, they build a gingerbread house collage on the front of a blank card, decorating it with drawn or sticker candies.

It's an excellent opportunity for preschoolers to explore shapes and colors festively, and the finished cards make adorable thank-you notes or holiday greetings to give to loved ones.

toddlerapproved.com

Easy Felt Gingerbread House

This tactile art utilizes felt and cardboard to create gingerbread houses that toddlers can freely decorate. Start by gluing brown felt cut-outs onto cardboard house shapes, which gives a soft, fuzzy “cookie” base.

Then kids can stick on all kinds of fun embellishments – buttons, sequins, yarn, pom-poms, even feathers – making each felt gingerbread house a unique sensory experience.

Also try: Gingerbread Man Card Craft

www.firefliesandmudpies.com

Popsicle Stick Gingerbread House

This activity doubles as a mini holiday play set. Kids use a free template to glue wide sticks into a gingerbread house shape and paint it in festive colors.

Once everything is dry, children can use the sturdy popsicle stick house and trees in a sensory bin or small world play scene, acting out gingerbread village adventures long after they finish the art.

funlearningforkids.com

Gingerbread House Shape

This project is a tremendous educational activity for little ones learning their shapes. Kids start with a basic paper house cutout and then glue on candy shapes made from colored paper – such as a circle for a lollipop, a triangle for a tree, a square for a window, and more.

As they happily decorate, toddlers and preschoolers will name shapes and colors, strengthen their fine motor skills, and create a cute display all at once.

Also try: Gingerbread Cat Craft

www.projectswithkids.com

Mini Clay Pot Gingerbread House Ornaments

An upside-down mini terra cotta pot transforms into an ornament that resembles a tiny gingerbread house. Kids paint the small pot a gingerbread-cookie brown and use white puffy paint or markers to draw icing swirls and windows on it.

With a bit of ribbon for hanging and perhaps a pom-pom or button on top, like a candy chimney, these little pot houses turn out incredibly sweet and make lovely gifts or additions to a Christmas tree.

happyhooligans.ca

Gingerbread Man & House Ornaments

Why not make “cookies” that last? Using a gingerbread man and house cookie cutter as a template, kids trace and cut out shapes from thin cardboard.

They then paint the cut-outs a toasty brown and decorate them like real gingerbread cookies – think white dimensional paint or glue for icing outlines, and little sequins or beads for candies.

Also try: Snowman Gingerbread Man Disguise Craft

booksandgiggles.com

Popsicle Gingerbread House

The project pairs with a favorite holiday story. Grown-ups help pre-assemble a gingerbread house frame out of popsicle sticks, making it nice and sturdy, then kids get to decorate the house while listening to a gingerbread tale.

It's an excellent way to turn storytime into a hands-on tradition – after the book, you'll have a beautiful popsicle stick gingerbread house that reminds everyone of the tale you shared.

www.messylittlemonster.com

Cardboard Gingerbread House

This mini house project lets kids build a 3D gingerbread house from cardboard using a printable template. An adult can help hot-glue the small cardboard pieces into a little house, and then the fun begins as children decorate their mini houses however they like.

Each finished house becomes a cherished ornament that kids proudly hang on the tree year after year.

Also try: Gingerbread Man Color By Number

www.hellowonderful.co

3D Paper Gingerbread House

Paper folding meets gingerbread fun in this art, which creates a stand-up paper gingerbread house. Kids accordion-fold a piece of brown cardstock, and with a few cuts and folds, it opens up into a three-dimensional house shape.

The result is an adorable paper gingerbread house decoration that stands on its own – the “sprinkle rooftop” makes it look magically delicious, and no baking is required.

Related: Gingerbread Man Dot To Dot

www.messylittlemonster.com

Moving Gingerbread Man Paper Plate

This clever art combines a gingerbread house and a gingerbread man in one interactive scene. Using two paper plates, kids create a gingerbread house backdrop and a popsicle stick gingerbread man puppet.

The gingerbread man can slide through a slit or window in the house, so he “moves” and plays peek-a-boo.

Also try: Gingerbread Man Worksheets

www.hellowonderful.co

Whipped Glue Decoden Cardboard Gingerbread House

This project uses a special trick to imitate frosting: whipped decoden glue that pipes out like real icing and then hardens mess-free.

Kids start by assembling a small gingerbread house from cardboard, and then they get to decorate it just like a real gingerbread house by squeezing fluffy white glue along the roof and walls. They can even sprinkle on real cake sprinkles or add sequins and pom-poms before the “icing” dries.

Related: Gingerbread Man Headband Craft

innerchildfun.com

Reusable Cardboard Gingerbread House

This ingenious art piece creates a mini gingerbread house toy that kids can build and decorate repeatedly. Using an empty cereal box and a free template, cut out cardboard pieces that slot together into a little house.

Kids will love assembling their gingerbread house and decorating it with Velcro candy, transforming it into a holiday playset that stores flat once they've finished playing.

Also try: Gingerbread Man Paper Bag Puppet Craft

www.muminthemadhouse.com

3D Gingerbread House

This activity is a straightforward and fun paper art that comes with a free printable gingerbread house template. Children can cut out the house shape and various small candy and icing pieces from the template, then assemble and glue them onto a cardstock background.

With bright candy cane strips, gumdrop shapes, and frosting swirls to place, kids enjoy designing their own gingerbread house in paper form.

Related: Gingerbread Man Puppet

www.teach-me-mommy.com

Gingerbread House Photo Frame Ornament

This project turns popsicle sticks into a gingerbread house picture frame that you can hang on the tree. Adults or older children form the outline of a small house using thick sticks, and then little ones decorate it to resemble a gingerbread home.

A small photo gets taped or glued to the back of the frame, making it a sweet keepsake ornament.

Also try: Polar Bear Christmas Craft

www.artycraftykids.com

Paper Gingerbread House

With this art, kids use a printable template and colored paper to create a vibrant gingerbread house collage. They can color in the template pieces or trace them onto colored cardstock—everything, from the house base to the doors, windows, and candies, is included.

There's even an option to cut the door or window shutters so they open and close, adding a fun interactive element.

nontoygifts.com

Gingerbread House Paper

This project is a simple cut-and-paste art piece that features a printable gingerbread house and numerous mix-and-match paper decorations.

Using the template, kids cut out a big gingerbread house shape and then choose from various candy cane columns, gumdrops, lollipops, and icing squiggles to glue onto it. The ability to swap out designs makes each gingerbread house unique.

Also try: Christmas Tracing Worksheets

littlebinsforlittlehands.com

3D Paper Gingerbread House

Kids can literally build their own gingerbread house out of paper with this free printable project. After coloring the house pattern, they cut it out and folded it along the lines to form a 3D paper house, using a bit of tape or glue on the tabs to hold it together.

The finished paper house can stand on a table or hang up as a lightweight ornament.

Related: Fork Painted Reindeer Craft

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photograph of found of Simple Everyday Mom, Sam

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Sam is the crafter and founder of Simple Everyday Mom. She has been featured in Oprah Mag, Good Housekeeping, The Spruce Crafts, Country Living, The Bump, and more.

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