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The Gingerbread Man!

Did you know that there are about a gazillion versions of the gingerbread man?
 I am obsessed with the holiday season and the gingerbread man is a great theme to teach! I worked super hard on making a huge all things gingerbread man unit,  and I’m so happy with the outcome. Below are some of my favorite Gingerbread things!

My Favorite Gingerbread Books

           
       

             

          

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Writing Activities
The Gingerbread Man books are great springboards for writing activities. With the twists and turns of each book, students never know what to expect. They can practice making predictions, sequencing, comparing and contrasting, story element writing and more! I like to start each lesson with a new gingerbread book followed by a writing activity. Since the kiddies love the book, they often also love writing about it!

Hands On Centers
I’ve also made hands on centers with a Gingerbread theme that help reinforce important phonics skills. These are always my go-to December centers!

Bulletin Boards
My December bulletin board is my all time favorite (and yes, I update my bulletin board monthly). I create a December Family Project (which can easily be a classroom project). I make a giant gingerbread house out of bulletin board paper. I pre-cut brown gingerbread bodies and ask families to decorate their gingerbread person as creatively as they can. I then title the board “Mrs V’s Smart Cookies” (super cute right?!?) The results are amazing!
I then take their project and turn it into the cutest bulletin board ever (I mean c’mon)

Scavenger Hunt
I think my all time favorite part of this unit is that in Kindergarten they are filled with the holiday spirit and can be easily excited and enthused. Throughout the gingerbread unit I leave little notes from the Gingerbread Man around the room. I plant the notes while they are in specials. Before picking them up I spray gingerbread scented spray in the room…that way upon our return it smells like the Gingerbread Man was actually there! When the kids find the note they freak out!!! Between the note and the scent they are sure he is near! (Gingerbread scent spray can be hard to find so I’ve also used regular vanilla scent…it works the same!)
I found this adorable little gingerbread box and The Dollar Tree to leave the notes in. It was perfect! I just placed the note in the box and planted it in different spots around the room.
The notes are printed on card stock and laminated so I can use them year after year. They are included in the TpT unit
To close out the unit we go on a Gingerbread Man Scavenger Hunt. This time, the Gingerbread Man plants a bigger note in the room and it directs us to a different location in the building…each clue takes us to a different room. While we are out collecting our clues I have a co-worker take the cake I make the night before and place it in our room with the final clue. Eventually our scavenger hunt will lead us back there. When we return to our room there is a delicious gingerbread man cake waiting for us to eat! The kids scream like lunatics! They think we actually caught the Gingerbread Man! I got this great idea from one of my old co-workers, Debbie Finkel. She is an amazing kindergarten teacher and I am so glad I had the opportunity to work with her.
I got my gingerbread man cake mold from Amazon.  If you don’t want to make a cake you could always just buy gingerbread cookies and have them displayed for the kids!

This is a great unit to use in the winter. It is engaging and allows for a a wide variety of activities! My kids LOVE this unit so much and it is something they remember for years to come. I always have past students coming up to me and asking me if the Gingerbread Man has come to visit yet! I love that I can create great long-lasting memories with my kiddies!

If you think this is something your class might enjoy, you can check out the full product listing here!

I hope you enjoy this unit as much as I do!

And if you’re looking for a more in depth review of the gingerbread books listed above, make sure to check out my blog post 10 Best Gingerbread Man Books.

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Hi, I’m Michelle! I’m a teacher, mommy, and curriculum designer from Long Island, NY. I’ve taught both general and special education, with a focus on grades pre-k through first. My passion is hands-on learning, and finding ways to make all things engaging and fun!

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