Gingerbread House Decorating Party

by Alli

A Gingerbread House Decorating Party is so much fun – for kids and adults!

Welcome to my Gingerbread House Decorating Party! This party was held on a Saturday morning, early in December,  for our preschoolers and children’s church kids. It started at 10:30 AM and was over at 12:30 PM. I like to do kid’s events early so the party doesn’t interfere with afternoon naps.

Gingerbread House Decorating Party

Decorating for this party is so much fun! The tree is already up so that’s good. Add some colorful Gingerbread Man decor and you’re done. 

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Start a Gingerbread House Decorating Party Off On The Right Foot

As the children arrive, welcome them to this festive party by playing kid-appropriate Christmas music playing in the background.

Guess How Many Game

Invite the kids to guess how many M&Ms are in a jar. Of course, the person that guesses the closest, without going over, is awarded the jar of candy. Some of the answers will be quite amusing.

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Delegate When Hosting a Gingerbread House Decorating Party 

To make it easier for the children, my faithful elves and I pre-assembled the gingerbread houses and trains the day before. Not one house or train came tumbling down! Good work, elves!

It helps so much to have friends to help with a party like this. 

Children Are Good Decorators

The one element that surprises me is how well children can decorate gingerbread houses. I imagined the younger children (2-3) would get lots of help from their parents, so I was amazed that they just jumped right in there and were incredible decorators!

Set up the assorted candy-filled cups and decorator icing all along the center of the tables, within easy reach of all the kids. 

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After the kids get finished decorating their gingerbread houses and trains, move them to a safe place to dry. Have the children gathered around the Christmas Tree to enjoy the reading of “The Gingerbread Man.”

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Lunch is Served

After decorating and reading, the kids are ready to eat. A simple meal of sandwiches and chips is perfect for this party. A dessert table adds a festive element to a Christmas party. Include fruit, too! 

 

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Gingerbread House Decorating Party Games

After lunch, it’s time for a few lively games of charades! My, how time does fly when you’re having fun! Musical chairs is another fun game for the kids to play. 

Before you know it, it will be time to go home with a decorated house or train and a box of goodies! Run, run, as fast as you can, you can’t catch me, I’m the Gingerbread man! 

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Here’s the recipe for the gingerbread boy/girl garland I made.

Gingerbread Boy Garland (NON-EDIBLE)

Gingerbread Boy Garland (NON-EDIBLE)

These non-edible gingerbread boys and girls are so cute. They are perfect to string together to make a gingerbread garland.

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 cup ground cinnamon
  • 1 Tablespoon ground cloves
  • 1 Tablespoon Ground Nutmeg
  • 3/4 cup applesauce
  • 2 Tablespoons Aleene's tacky glue
  • Ribbon or gold cord

Instructions

  1. In a medium bowl, combine cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Stir in applesauce and glue. Work mixture with hands for 2-3 minutes to form a ball. If the mixture is too wet, add more cinnamon. If it's too dry, add more applesauce.
  2. Knead on a cinnamon-sprinkled surface until dough holds together. Divide into four equal portions. Roll out each to 1/4-inch thickness.
  3. Cut with cookie cutters. Place on cookie sheets. Use a pencil (I used a chopstick) to make a small hole in the top of each for hanging (OR if making gingerbread men garland, make a hole in both hands). Make sure the hole goes all the way through.
  4. Place in a 250 degrees oven for 2-3 hours. Once they have cooled, attach the gingerbread boys/girls together with ribbon, leaving a large looped ribbon at both ends of the garland for hanging. Reminder: These are non-edible!

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Facebook

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Our Gingerbread House Decorating Party was a huge success. The kids loved every minute of this fun party. 

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Favors

When the kids leave the party, make sure they have take-home favors to thank them for coming. These boxes are so cute. 

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This is such a fun party and it’s a great way to celebrate the Christmas season. 

25 comments

jessica blackwell December 9, 2012 - 12:15 am

I would have loved to have that gingerbread stuff tonight while decorating my church room it was lacking decor 🙁 great job!

Reply
Alli December 9, 2012 - 5:38 am

Thanks so much! I was so pleasantly surprised when “Catch My Party” featured my Gingerbread party on their site! The garland is so easy to make. With a little imagination, a trip to Sam’s, Hobby Lobby, Everything’s a Dollar Store & a little online shopping at Oriental Trading, you can get it all fixed up! Oh, and all the candy you can carry in your arms! Never forget the candy! 🙂

Reply
Denyse @ Glitter, Glue & Paint December 4, 2013 - 4:07 pm

How fun, Alli! I love this. I just told my daughter that one of the things we’ve never done is a gingerbread house.

xoxo
Denyse

Reply
Alli December 5, 2013 - 4:19 am

It was lots of fun and the kids were so creative!

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shashi @ http://runninsrilankan.com December 20, 2013 - 4:46 am

Love your blog – visiting from SITS!
Great idea to have premade the gingerbread houses/trucks – and that garland must have smelt HEAVENLY!
Hope you enjoy your SITS day

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Alli December 20, 2013 - 5:23 am

Thanks so much for visiting! And, yes, that garland did smell heavenly.

Reply
Debbie December 20, 2013 - 9:12 am

Beautiful pictures and such a fun day! Happy SITS day!
Debbie

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Alli December 20, 2013 - 12:42 pm

Thanks, Debbie!

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misssrobin December 20, 2013 - 9:13 am

I am so completely not a party person. I struggle with chronic fatigue and it just seems like so much work. But I might possibly be able to do something like this when I finally get grandkids. It looks amazing! What a fun day for them and, hopefully, for you.

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Alli December 20, 2013 - 12:42 pm

It was a fun day! And all of the children had a blast. (It was so much easier with the icing already prepared and ready to go)

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Bev December 20, 2013 - 11:20 am

This looks like so much fun! And you are right, the kids did a really impressive job decorating their houses.

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Laura Townshend December 20, 2013 - 11:37 am

What a beautiful thing to do! Love your photos, too. Happy SITS Day!

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Alli December 20, 2013 - 12:18 pm

Thanks! I love how the party turned out. This year we did a different theme party (Jesus is my Super Hero). The kids loved it, but they wanted the Gingerbread party again, too. Thanks for visiting!

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Kimberly H. Smith December 21, 2013 - 1:34 pm

Look at all that talent! I’m pinning this, Alli. Looks like a lot of fun.

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Alli December 21, 2013 - 4:14 pm

Thanks! It was a lot of fun.

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Rachel Keeth December 21, 2013 - 3:45 pm

Congrats on your SITS day! This party looks wonderful. I know of a lot of little ones who would love it.

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Alli December 21, 2013 - 4:13 pm

Thanks for stopping by, Rachel! I really enjoyed the Gingerbread party, too.

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Dianna @ Oy Vey a Day December 21, 2013 - 10:31 pm

What a fun event. You really went all out. There were some talented decorators at that party.

I’m wondering about the guesses on the candy jar. I know my 4-year-old probably would have guessed one billion and two (apparently, that is his favorite number right now).

Reply
Alli December 22, 2013 - 5:18 am

Thanks, I did the decor all by myself, but my little elves helped put together all of those houses and trains. Some of the guesses for the candy jar were hilarious! But we let the parents of the preschoolers give them a nudge in the right direction. 🙂

Reply
Kristen December 27, 2013 - 8:17 pm

What a fantastic idea! I am definitely throwing a gingerbread party next year…thanks for sharing and for the lovely photos.

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Alli December 28, 2013 - 7:20 am

The kids (and I) had so much fun. We did a different one this past Christmas (Jesus is my Superhero) and the loved it, too, but several of the kids asked if we were doing the gingerbread party again. They are all such little artists!

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Colleen H. January 21, 2014 - 8:35 am

This looks like a lot of fun! Love the goodie boxes, too.

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Lindsey January 21, 2014 - 7:13 pm

I love this idea of having a gingerbread house decorating party! I host craft sessions with my mom’s club, and this idea would be perfect for that!
Your Fellow SITS Triber,
Lindsey

Reply

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