Gingerbread Man Play Dough Activity

Winter is the perfect time for trying this adorable gingerbread man play dough activity! Kids will love using their creativity to build gingerbread people using fun, inviting materials.

A red table is covered in brown play dough, a mini rolling pin, googly eyes, jewels, and gingerbread men cut out of play dough.

Why you should try this gingerbread man play dough activity

It’s no secret that we love, love, love play dough.

I make play dough so much that I feel like I’m wiping down my Kitchen Aid every time I am in the kitchen (the best way to make play dough).

While recently at a cooking class to learn how to make French macarons, the instructor mentioned making the merengue in the KitchenAid, and I jokingly said to my friend next to me, “Wait, that thing isn’t just for play dough?”

Play dough on its own is the best ever, but adding some simple materials to make gingerbread men makes this activity a one billion out of ten.

Related: Your kids will also love a GIANT 10-foot Gingerbread coloring page

Materials

Brown play dough – if you don’t have brown dye, you can make brown by mixing red + green dye
Spices – optional, but adding nutmeg, allspice, or cinnamon to your dough makes it feel extra gingerbread-y (you don’t need all of them – using one or two makes a huge difference!)
Rolling pin
Gingerbread man cookie cutter – we love and use this exact one (sometimes the color changes online between red and green, but it’s the same)
Loose parts – ex: jewels, googly eyes, pom poms, beads, buttons, beans, etc.
Baking sheet – optional (we aren’t cooking these)

Three photos (1) a child presses a gingerbread cookie cutter into brown play dough, (2) she holds the gingerbread man cut out in her hand, (3) three gingerbread man shapes sit on a red table.

Directions

Roll out your brown play dough and cut out gingerbread cookie shapes
Decorate with loose parts, inviting your child to use their creativity to create different pieces
For added fun, invite your child to set their completed cookies on a baking sheet (a fun little way to add in some pretend play)

When your child is done playing, invite them to take their pretend cookies apart, store the dough in an airtight container, and keep it for the next day.

We love an activity you can prep once and use repeatedly!

A child's hand sits on a flattened brown circle of play dough ready for the Gingerbread Man Play Dough Activity.

What kids learn from this gingerbread man play dough activity

In this activity, kids are

Using fine motor skills when rolling out the dough and decorating their cookies
Learning about measurement when following the play dough recipe
Practicing using their imaginations when creating the gingerbread people
Using sensory skills to smell, touch, and see their play

Gingerbread man play dough activity extensions

I love, love, love a gingerbread theme in the classroom.

You can:

Make gingerbread cookies – I have this on my list of recipes to try – it has over 3,100 reviews and has five stars!
Create gingerbread collage art – with free printable
Color a giant gingerbread coloring banner – THE MOST FUN
And read gingerbread books!

My favorite gingerbread books:

We love reading each of the books and comparing their similarities and differences. This is an outstanding opportunity for reading comprehension and for building comparing and contrasting skills.