Kids will be delighted to learn how to draw a gingerbread house that is easy, colorful, and totally open-ended. This playful invitation to create turns simple shapes, bright oil pastels, and a free printable into the coziest winter art invitation at your table.
A cozy way to draw a gingerbread house
On the day we made these gingerbread houses, I waited to do this activity last because I knew the kids would be here for a long time.
My plan was to allot 20-30 minutes for this activity, but by leaving it for the last, the kids could continue coloring while parents came and chatted at pickup, giving them extra time to draw.
This project reminds me of a Halloween-version I did with my students back in the classroom. We made the same house shape (square + triangle) and the kids filled in the house with haunted house drawings.
Both activities took the kids by storm. This type of activity where is somewhere between free coloring and a coloring page and it’s quite literally perfect.
🎄 Check out our ultimate list of Christmas sensory activities for kids!
Kids LOVE learning how to draw a gingerbread house
Kids get to be the architects, decorators, and true artists when they draw a gingerbread house. This creative freedom is simply the best, and irresistible to kids.
For this activity, I created a free printable with inspiration ideas that kids can use if they’d like.
The free printable is packed with different kinds of doors, windows, and candies that can be copied as-is or used as inspiration for different types of items.
Because the project is open-ended, every house looks different (which is the very best part!).
It’s a perfect mix of structure and creativity, which is the secret recipe for easy Christmas art for kids that doesn’t feel cookie-cutter.
🎄 Looking for more Christmas activities?
- Candy cane fizz tray
- Sponge paint poinsettia art
- Homemade cinnamon and applesauce ornaments
- Tape resist Christmas trees
Materials
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- Brown paper
- Free gingerbread house printable
- Oil pastels (or crayons/colored pencils)
- Scissors
- Glue sticks
- Colorful construction paper or cardstock for the background
How to draw a gingerbread house
- Provide each child with a piece of brown construction paper and invite them to draw a simple house: a square (or rectangle) for the house and a triangle on top for the roof.
- Encourage kids to outline the house with a dark oil pastel so the edges stand out.
- Set out the free printable inspiration sheet filled with candy canes, gumdrops, peppermint swirls, doors, and window ideas. Let kids study it like a gingerbread menu.
- Invite kids to add any details they’d like to their houses (ex: striped shutters, lollipop trees, gumdrop roof tiles, star windows, sprinkle paths, etc.). They can copy ideas from the printable, mix several together, or invent their own. I always make it abundantly clear that their versions never ever (ever) have to look like mine, and that my examples are only ideas.
- Color everything in with oil pastels, pressing firmly so the colors really pop against the brown “cookie” background.
- When the drawings are complete, carefully cut out each gingerbread house.
- Glue the houses onto colorful paper to create a bright frame. Kids can add snowy dots, stars, or extra candies around the border if they’d like.
Simple ways to draw a gingerbread house
If desired, invite your child to lightly sketch the house shape in pencil first so they can trace over it.
Offer a few “house shape” options: tall skinny house, wide cottage, or a house with a little side room so they feel like they’re choosing from a menu.
Remind kids that real gingerbread houses are never perfectly straight and that wonky lines are part of the charm and totally on-theme.
For a quick warm-up, have them draw a gingerbread house on scrap paper in under one minute to loosen up and get the sillies out.
Preschool winter art learning goals
- Fine motor skills: drawing, coloring, cutting, and gluing all those tiny candy details.
- Hand–eye coordination: lining up doors, roofs, and candy pieces where kids want them to go.
- Spatial awareness: deciding where to place windows, doors, chimneys, and pathways on the house.
- Planning and sequencing: choosing which details to add (and in what order) to complete the house.
- Creativity and imagination: designing unique candy patterns and inventing who lives in each house.
Extension ideas to draw a gingerbread house
Invite kids to draw a gingerbread house family: a big main house, a tiny baby house, and maybe a pet doghouse made of cookies.
Turn it into story time and ask kids to name their houses and tell who lives inside, what they like to bake, and what their favorite holiday tradition is. Older kids could also write a paragraph to go along with the house as an art/literacy connection.
Pair the project with a favorite gingerbread book for an instant, cozy blend of literacy and easy Christmas art for kids.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nope! Oil pastels are amazing on dark paper, but crayons or colored pencils work, too. The colors just won’t be quite as bold and creamy.
Yes, this project is very group-friendly. Just copy the free gingerbread house inspiration printable for everyone and set up shared baskets of oil pastels at each table.
Preschoolers and up! Younger kids may need help cutting out their houses, while older kids will happily pack in a million details.
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