Christmas is all about joy and creating cherished memories, so let’s capture the spirit of the season with a cute and easy craft that the whole family can enjoy!
Kids will love turning an ordinary paper cup into a jolly little gingerbread man! This gingerbread man paper cup craft is so adorable with its accordion arms and legs.
Find even more gingerbread fun without ever turning on the oven with these gingerbread man activities. They’re a great way to have some festive fun with the kids this holiday season.
Kids will be proud to show off their new Christmas decorations! Making this gingerbread man craft is a good opportunity for kids to hone their fine motor skills by folding the paper into an accordion, cutting, and gluing the pieces together.
Easy Gingerbread Craft

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To make a batch of gingerbread friends, you’ll need an inexpensive paper cup, a few crafting essentials, and our free template for your little ones.
Supplies
- Colored cardstock or construction paper
- Paper cup
- Scissors
- Glue
- Glue dots
- Gingerbread Template (unlock the image at the end of the post to go to the download page)
Directions
Start by downloading the template and printing it out. Once the template is printed, gather the materials for this fun activity. Get those scissors ready, and let’s help the kids bring this Gingerbread to life!

First, guide your child to glue the hair to the top of the gingerbread’s head.

Glue both eyes just below the hair.

Place the bowtie just below the mouth and glue it in place.

Next, help your child position the paper cup with the rim side down. Next, glue the gingerbread’s head to the top of the paper cup. We use a glue dot to do this so it stays on and does not need time to dry.

Position the button in the middle of the gingerbread’s body and glue it down.

Fold the paper in an accordion style to create the arms and glue them to both sides of the paper cup. We tried using glue for this part, but they fell off easily, so we recommend you use glue dots for both the arms and the legs.

Finally, encourage your child to fold the paper accordion-style to create the legs and glue them inside the bottom and front part of the paper cup.

That’s it! It’s super simple and easy to do. Don’t forget to explore our Christmas crafts for kids while you’re here!

Try this Handprint Reindeer Card
Kids Christmas Ideas
We have a sleigh full of festive Christmas crafts and activities waiting to bring cheer to your little elves! Whether you’re looking for engaging crafts to enjoy at home or searching for classroom-friendly activities, we have plenty of ideas to stuff your stocking with.
Read below for inspiration for holiday books, crafts, and educational activities your kids will love.

Christmas Children’s Books
Below are some of the top Christmas books to read to your kids!
Dasher: This wonderfully illustrated Christmas book for kids gives you the back story on one of Santa’s favorite reindeer, Dasher! Girls will especially love to read this since Dasher is a girl.
Construction Site On Christmas Night: Fans of the fun characters of the construction site books have to add this Christmas-themed story to their collection. See how the trucks get ready for Christmas!
How To Catch An Elf: Kids everywhere love the silliness of this Christmas story. The rhymes and the illustrations will draw the kids in as well. This is a Christmas book kids will want to read every year!

Children’s Christmas Crafts
Elf Name Craft – Calling all Santa’s young helpers! Get into some festive fun with this cute elf craft! This cute decoration will add holiday flair while turning spelling into a merry activity.
Use our editable template to spell out your kids’ unique names, adding a personalized touch to their elf masterpiece!
Related: Christmas Dot To Dot
Christmas Tree Card Craft – Kids can craft some Christmas cheer with this ‘tree-mendous’ card! This easy and customizable craft is perfect for little ones to make and they make heartwarming holiday greetings for family and friends.
Grab a few supplies you have around the house and our free template to spread joy!

Spiderman Gingerbread Man Craft – Transform your gingerbread man into Spidey himself to keep him safe from being nibbled on this Christmas! With a few crafting supplies and our free template, kids can combine their love of superheroes and Christmas in one fun creation!
Elf on the Shelf Paper Plate Craft – ‘Tis the season for Elf on the Shelf excitement! Kids can get into the holiday spirit with our easy and fun paper plate craft.
Whether it’s your elf’s grand return or a new tradition, this creative project sparks joy as kids personalize their festive friends to look like their scout elf. Download the free template and make it a family affair!
Christmas Activities for Kindergarten
Roll into some holiday fun with this roll-a-Santa game! It’s easy to prepare—just download, print, and grab some dice and pom poms. The game teaches kids how to take turns, count, match colors, and more!
This game is ideal for preschoolers through kindergarteners. Put on some Christmas music, and have a jolly time!

Our Grinch worksheets will be a holiday hit for kids who adore the Grinch. They’re great for classrooms or over the holiday break.
These free printables add a dash of learning from handwriting and fine motor skills to letter recognition and scissor practice. Download these worksheets to bring some grinchy grins to your little ones’ faces this holiday season.

Brighten up the holidays with some festive coloring fun! Kids can show off their creativity with our Christmas coloring pages. They feature adorable characters like a Christmas mouse and festive polar bear, with handwriting practice spots to trace the dashed lines of each word.
Print them out for a quick activity, and watch as your little artists add their unique touch to the coloring pages!

Unwrap the gift of learning with this Christmas present CVC words activity! Elevate your budding reader’s literacy with this free and festive way for students to master CVC words. They’ll foster early literacy skills as they match pictures to words.
For example, if they select the card with a picture of a dog, they’ll then look for the top of the gift that says ‘dog’. There are 20 Christmas presents for kids to match up!
Christmas Tree Tissue Paper Craft
Share With Us
Did you make this activity with your kids or students? We’d love to feature them on our social media!
For a chance to have your child’s project featured, simply snap a picture of the completed project and post it to our Facebook page, email it to us directly by clicking here, or use #simpleeverydaymom on your social media!

Gingerbread Man Paper Cup Craft For Kids
Kids will love turning an ordinary paper cup into a jolly little gingerbread man! This gingerbread paper cup craft is so adorable with its accordion arms and legs.
Materials
- Colored cardstock or construction paper
- Paper cup
- Scissors
- Glue
- Glue dots
- Gingerbread template
Instructions
- Download the gingerbread template, print it, and cut out the pieces.
- Begin by gluing the hair to the top of the gingerbread’s head.
- Glue both eyes just below the hair.
- Place the bowtie just below the mouth and glue it in place.
- Position the paper cup with the rim facing down. Next, glue the gingerbread’s head to the top of the paper cup using a glue dot.
- Position the button in the middle of the gingerbread’s body and glue it down.
- Fold the paper accordion-style to create the arms and glue them to the sides of the paper cup with a glue dot.
- Finish up by folding the paper accordion-style to create the legs and glue them, using a glue dot, inside the bottom and front part of the paper cup.
Notes
We tried using a glue stick to glue the arms and legs to the paper cup and they quickly fell off, so make sure you use a glue dot for those parts.
Get Your Gingerbread Cup Craft Template By Signing Up Or Logging In!
Sign up for SEM+ to get this exclusive content. Signing up is 100% FREE. Find out more about SEM+ here.

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. Read more.
Joe
Sunday 22nd of December 2024
Gingerbread man
Kamille - Community Support Assistant
Monday 23rd of December 2024
Hi! To get the template, click the “Click To Unlock!” button on the image at the end of the post, sign up or log in to your free SEM+ account, and then click the unlocked image to go to the download page.
Margaret Booth
Thursday 5th of December 2024
Would love the template so I can do this craft with my tks and kinders.
Sam
Friday 6th of December 2024
Of course! To get the template, click the “Click To Unlock!” button on the image at the end of the post, sign up or log in to your free SEM+ account, and then click the unlocked image to go to the download page.
Sonia
Thursday 5th of December 2024
Amazing activity!
Sam
Thursday 5th of December 2024
Thank you! So glad you think it’s great!
Norma
Monday 25th of November 2024
Couldn’t get the template????
Sam
Tuesday 26th of November 2024
Hi! To access the template, please follow these steps: 1. Locate Locked Image: Look for the “Click To Unlock!” button on the locked image. The image will be located under the subheading that starts with “Get Your….By Signing Up or Logging In” 2. Sign Up or Log In: Click the button to create a free SEM+ account or log in if you already have one. 3. Access Content: Once logged in, the image will be unlocked. Click it to go to the download page.
Amanda
Wednesday 13th of November 2024
Gingerbread template, pretty please :)
Sam
Wednesday 13th of November 2024
Of course! To get the template, you'll need to have a free Grow account. If you are a free SEM+ Grow subscriber, please login (by clicking the “login or sign up free to unlock” button on the image) and it'll unlock the download image. If not, you can sign up for free and it'll also unlock.