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

This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate and a participant in other affiliate programs, I earn a commission on qualifying purchases. Read our disclosure policy.

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 free template at the end of the post)

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.

Fun Merry Christmas Headband

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!

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.