Decorating a gingerbread house is a wonderful sensory and hands-on experience that supports as much fun, learning and kindergarten readiness as there are candies. There’s so much to see, touch, hear, taste, and smell. No wonder it’s done by kids and adults all over the world.
One of the most obvious hand-on lessons is about doing steps in order. It’s impossible to assemble the pieces unless the icing is made. The roof can’t go on until the sides are put together. Only after these steps are done first, can we start decorating.
- Eyes get to see a variety of colors and shapes. What shapes are the candies? What colors? Matching colors to their names is a complex thinking skills and this is a great way to practice. Kids can sort the candies by shapes or colors.
- Whether using an electric mixer or a hand-beater there’s some specific noises. When candies drop on the floor, the sound, even though it’s small, helps us find them.
Sometimes, we need to have a taste-test of the icing. You may want to put a few candies aside before starting and tell your child that these are for eating and the rest are for decorating. That way, when kids want to eat one, it’s much easier to check the dish of the eating ones than say no.
- There’s lots to touch, that’s why it’s important to wash hands. Holding on to small candies and squeezing on icing need eyes and hands to work together. These are good activities for the small muscles in the hands and wrists.
- The ginger has quite a powerful and distinctive smell. Smells good enough to eat!
Making a gingerbread house is also a social activity. It’s fun to decorate together. There’s lots of language stimulation because there is so much to talk about and so many possible why questions. There’s a good chance for some basic math, such as counting, matching numbers to how many, and maybe some simple problems. You can ask your child questions such as, “Are there more candies on the roof, or on the front?” Or, “If there are 2 red candies and 2 yellow ones, how many could that be?”
Gingerbread houses are so popular, did you know there are decorating contests and displays of entire villages? And every house will be different. There’s no right way or wrong way. Do you do one at your house?