Gingerbread Bakes

The Basic Idea

Bring The Gingerbread Man story to life by exploring the sensory joy of gingerbread and making and decorating your own ginger biscuits. Make some dough, grab some cutters and play.

Over To You, Wee One

It’s hard to be child led if you’re worried about the end result – take the pressure off by thinking about the mixing, shaping, baking and decorating as distinct experiences rather than a step by step process to be followed. Build in time to see where their curiosity takes them… and chances to start again if they want to!

Cheeky Bonuses

• Engaging lots of senses (touch, smell, sight) at once is great for “grounding”, or getting in tune with our own bodies
• Real world experiences make stories more meaningful

Variations

• Name body parts as you mould or decorate the gingerbread men – it’s a great way to chat about own own bodies too
• Use the cookies as puppets – give them voices, let them walk and dance, and see their personalities emerge

And Remember...

Baking can be stressful if you’re too focussed on perfect results – remember this is a sensory activity, not the final of Bake Off! Be proud of whatever you create together: focus on the positives and what you’ve learned for next time.