One of my favorite weeks during the school year is Gingerbread Week! Each year I do it the week before Christmas and the kids LOVE it! It is filled with TONS of fun gingerbread activities and my favorite activity…making gingerbread milk carton houses! What preschooler doesn’t LOVE using icing, licking their fingers, and building with candy?
I’m here to share with you how I do it in my classroom wth 18 kids (yes 18) and some tips and tricks I have learned to make it go smoothly!
The first thing I do about three weeks before is put up a sign up sheet so parents can sign up to bring in materials we need to make our gingerbread houses. I brought in Peep marshmallow trees I found at Target. I hope they have them again next year! They were a fun addition to our gingerbread houses this year! You can grab editable sign in sheets and parent reminder notes in my Gingerbread Centers Math, Literacy, and More Pack.
Oh and start to save and collect milk cartons. If you don’t have milk cartons juice cartons work as well. Walmart or maybe your local grocery store has some orange juice single serve juice cartons. 
The morning we are going to make the milk carton gingerbread houses, I set up everything we will need. If you prep everything BEFORE the activity, it will go smoothly. That is my biggest classroom management technique, always having things prepared and ready to go.
Do you see why the kids and I LOVE making milk carton gingerbread houses? It is a blast and its AMAZING fine motor work too!
Need gingerbread centers? Check out these Gingerbread Centers and Gingerbread book comparison posts!
I have a ton of gingerbread themed goodies in my store. All the work is done for you so you have time to actually enjoy the holidays with your family. Gingerbread Centers Math, Literacy, and More (included the editable sign-up sheets and parent notes).
Or r you can grab the Gingerbread Bundle and get all of my gingerbread goodies including the retelling cards for four different gingerbread books, writing paper, comparison anchor chart pieces, favorite gingerbread book class graph, and more!
Want to remember all these fabulous tips? Pin this image!
How many house will you be able to make with the above supply list?
I had 20 students and more than enough decorating supplies. I also had an extra box of crackers (in case some broke).
How do you send the gingerbread houses home? What size is your plate? We’ve done this project in K for years, although, sending them home can be troublesome! We’ve bagged them and one year, used cling wrap. Do you have a better solution? Allowing a day for the graham crackers to set, might make the houses sturdier when decorating it.
I like to use the dessert plates the best. They are smaller and easier to manage. I absolutely recommend giving the icing and graham crackers a day to set. It makes a HUGE difference!
Thanks for replying to my questions, although, you didn’t state how they’re sent home!
My parents come in the room to pick up so they just take it with them as is.