When first introducing the gingerbread man to preschool children, it's important to read and discuss the story. Let the children ask questions and use their imagination as they learn about this fun-filled fairy tale. This is also a great opportunity for teachers to introduce the letter "G"; the letter "G" is for gingerbread.
Preschool-aged children should be practicing their cutting and pasting skills. With appropriate adult supervision and guidance, children can used online printed gingerbread man stencils to trace the outline of the man onto a brown paper bag or brown construction paper. Once traced, kids can cut the image out and decorate it. This is a chance for young kids to use their imagination and use their choice of sequins, cereal, glitter, googly eyes and more. They can use a wide range of small objects to paste and fully decorate their gingerbread men .
Most preschoolers love play-dough. When learning about the gingerbread man fairy tale, teachers can use homemade gingerbread play-dough to spice things up a bit and make the preschool activity exciting. The recipe is simple and can be completed in around 10 minutes.
Ingredients:
1 cup of flour
½ cup of salt
2 tsp. of cream of tartar
1 cup of water
1 tsp. of vegetable oil
Cinnamon, allspice, ginger and nutmeg
Red and green food coloring (to make the play-dough brown)
Mix all the dry ingredients first. Add in all the spices, to create a gingerbread scent and color that is pleasing. Mix the water and oil together and then add to the dry ingredients; already mixed. Take the completely mixed ingredients and cook on the stove top for three to five minutes; on low/medium heat. Stir the ingredients continuously. Once the dough starts to form into a sticky ball, releasing from the sides of the pot, remove the play-dough from heat and begin to knead it until it forms a soft play-dough substance. Let the play-dough cool inside the refrigerator, storing it in a sealed container. It is then ready to introduce into the preschool gingerbread man lesson plan, as kids can mold and create their own gingerbread man out of homemade play-dough.