Easy Gingerbread Man Craft for Kids, Fun and Expressive Holiday Puppets. Bring holiday cheer to life with this easy gingerbread man craft for kids.
This adorable Christmas paper puppet activity lets children design their own gingerbread cookies and Christmas trees, complete with moving expressions. Kids love sliding the paper strips through their puppets to reveal happy, silly, or surprised faces.
This project is always a hit at home or in the classroom. It’s hands-on, creative, and perfect for building emotional awareness through art. We’ve included a free Christmas tree puppet template to make things easy, plus a printable craft bundle with four festive puppet designs: a gingerbread man, Christmas tree, stocking, and gnome.
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Try out this easy gingerbread man caft with kids!
Why You’ll Love This Gingerbread Man Craft
- Engaging and educational: helps kids explore and express emotions
- Fun and festive: perfect for December afternoons or classroom holiday activities
- Low-prep: only requires a few basic craft supplies
- Customizable: kids can decorate their puppets in endless ways
- Printable templates available for quick setup with low prep
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- Get the printable bundle. Low prep and lots of fun!
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- Craft Supplies Paper Christmas Craft
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- Low Prep Christmas Craft Kids
Craft Supplies for the Gingerbread Man Craft
You’ll only need a few simple materials for this fun project:
- Colored and brown craft paper (or use the printable template)
- Black marker or Sharpie
- Colored pencils or markers, we used our colored Posca markers
- Craft knife and ruler (for adult use only)
- Scissors
- Little buttons (optional)
- Free Christmas tree puppet printable template
- Christmas puppet printable bundle (optional), includes a gingerbread man, Christmas tree, stocking, and gnome
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- Only basic craft supplies are needed!
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- Draw the emotions for your gingerbread man puppet.
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- Fun and engaging gingerbread man craft for kids
How to Make a Gingerbread Man Puppet
Step 1: Choose Your Design
Decide whether you want to make a gingerbread man or a Christmas tree puppet. You can draw your own or use our free printable templates. If you want to save prep time, use our Christmas Puppet Bundle, which includes four ready-to-print designs.
Step 2: Cut Out the Puppet Shape
If you want to make the Christmas tree use green colored craft paper. For the ginger bread man we will be using brown craft paper, sketch and cut out your gingerbread man. Ours is about 17 cm tall, large enough for easy decorating and fun play. I recomend using craft paper as its more sturdy and easier for little hands.
How to cut a gingerbread man from paper.
Step 3: Create the Expression Strip
Cut a long paper strip about 30 cm long and 3.5 cm wide. This will slide through your puppet’s face to show different emotions.
Next, make two small vertical cuts (around 4 cm tall) in the head area of your puppet. Leave about 3.4 cm between them to create a small window for the faces. Best is to use a craft knife and ruler to make sure its straight and smooth, for good sliding.
Step 4: Decorate Your Gingerbread Man
Now it’s time to make your gingerbread come to life. Outline your puppet with a black marker, add icing details using a white pencil or paint pen, and glue on small colored buttons or paper circles. You can add a bowtie or a touch of glitter for extra holiday charm.
Step 5: Draw the Emotions
On your long paper strip, draw different expressions such as happy, silly, surprised, angry, or sleepy. Encourage kids to talk about each emotion as they draw—it’s a wonderful way to explore feelings through art.
Decorate your gingerbread man puppet!
Step 6: Assemble Your Puppet
Slide the emotion strip through the two cuts in your gingerbread man’s face. When you pull the strip, your gingerbread cookie will show different expressions. This step is especially fun for younger children who love to see the faces change.
Step 7: Add a Popsicle Stick (Optional)
Glue a popsicle stick to the back of your puppet. Kids can hold the stick with one hand and move the paper strip with the other. It’s perfect for storytelling and puppet shows.
Extension Ideas and Variations
- Create matching Christmas tree puppets using green paper or the printable template
- Let kids invent stories featuring their gingerbread and Christmas tree puppets
- Use the same idea for other holidays, such as pumpkins for Halloween or bunnies for Easter
- Have older children write short plays or skits using their emotion puppets
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- Easy paper Christmas craft for kids.
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- Get the gingerbread man craft template bundle!
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- Printable bundle!
Educational Benefits
This craft combines creativity with learning. It helps children:
- Recognize and express different emotions
- Develop fine motor skills through cutting and coloring
- Build communication and storytelling abilities
- Strengthen imagination and creative thinking
Classroom Christmas Craft Idea
Teachers love this project because it’s simple to prepare, print-ready, and fun for a group setting. It fits beautifully into a preschool, kindergarten, or early elementary classroom.
Print a class set, add markers and scissors, and let the children create their own expressive holiday puppets.
More Fun Christmas Crafts
If you enjoyed this activity, you’ll love these ideas:
- 29 fun and easy Christmas crafts for kids: packed with creative and festive craft ideas for all ages.
- Pipe Cleaner Christmas Tree Ornament: a tactile and sparkly craft
- Watercolor Paper Angel Craft: a gentle, artistic holiday favorite
- BIG Christmas Craft Printable Bundle – full of festive templates and creative activities, perfect for both the classroom and home. This bundle helps spark imagination and joyful learning all season long. Find it now on Teachers Pay Teachers or in our Etsy craft printables shop.
Final Thoughts
Crafting during the holidays brings connection, creativity, and laughter. This Gingerbread Man Emotion Puppet is more than just a paper craft—it’s a way for children to explore feelings, tell stories, and make something they’re proud of.
Whether you’re crafting at home, in preschool, or in the classroom, this sweet project will bring joy to your holiday season.
Tag your creations with #OceanChildCrafts so we can see your wonderful gingerbread friends.
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