Oh snap, we’ve gone gingerbread crazy! Over the weekend I made a pair of gingerbread softies, and while playing with the felt and patterns, it dawned on me that the thick felt was perfectly-suited for some real-life-sized play gingerbread cookies.
I sat down with some scissors and came up with a bundle of holiday gingerbread shapes – houses, icing outlines, traditional winter-themed shapes, even gingerbread people that have already been nibbled on (I tend to start with the arm, myself).
Bakeries are one of my favorite dramatic play arrangements for kids. The imaginative play processes can help encourage the development of actual kitchen skills, reduce stress, support good communication, and motivate self-initiated independent play. Cookie-decorating works out fine motor skills, and simple math can easily be incorporated.
If you have older kids, these felt cookies are also a good way to practice simple stitches and embroidery. Sew on a button, practice embroidering an eye, make a simple pattern. Their size is perfect for little hands, and free stitching looks super cute on these little sweets.
Packed up with some real baking utensils, this set of felt gingerbread “cookies” makes a darling handmade gift for little ones!
For your own DIY Gingerbread Play Cookie Set you’ll need:
Note: We prefer to shop locally or use what we have at home, but this list contains a few Amazon affiliate links for reference. As Amazon Associates we make a small commission on qualifying purchases.*
BASIC DIY COOKIE SUPPLIES:
- Scrap cardboard or (2) 12-inch x 12-inch brown felt squares – I used this quarter-inch thick Dimensions Wool Felt in Saddle Brown.
- Scissors
- Our printable Gingerbread Play Bakery Kit
FOR FELT “ICING”
- Small squares of felt in assorted colors
DECORATING SUPPLIES:
- Felt scraps, buttons, beads, sequins, ricrac, bells, or similar items for extra decoration
- Yarn and/or ribbon
- Fabric paints and a couple of brushes
- A low-temp glue gun or craft glue
FOR CARDBOARD “ICING”
- DIY Puffy Paint
- Assorted hard candies or baking decorations
DIY Gingerbread Play Bakery Instructions:
- Download and print our gingerbread cookie templates
Download and print the gingerbread cookie templates you’d like to use. Choose a variety of gingerbread people, holiday shapes, or gingerbread houses!
- Trace and cut out
Trace onto felt. I make light lines with a permanent marker, then just flip over for play. I also used a thick felt (I think it’s typically used as a base for needle felting). This felt made really nice, thick cookies that work especially well for pretend play and covering with felt “icing”.
Cut out your felt gingerbread cookies using craft or sewing scissors. - Play!
Gather and layout simple supplies, then watch them bake!
This time of year I’m positively buried in cardboard boxes (especially now that I’m getting most things delivered instead of doing in-store shopping). You can put those boxes to good reuse by switching up the felt for cardboard and making some paintable gingerbread “treats”!
I ran across this wonderful DIY puffy paint from The Artful Parent that would make the perfect piped “icing” on nice thick cardboard cookie cutouts! You could use a layer of colorful paint for icing, or pipe on details and features. Add some decorative craft supplies (think small pom poms, buttons, paper scraps, googly eyes, chalk pastels, jingle bells, feathers, etc.)
Looking for a way to add some “piping” to your gingerbread cookies, but want to avoid the extra cleanup of paint? Making piped features with yarn and white craft twine is a great way to work with some unique materials and practice a new style of “drawing”.
Ideas for setting up your DIY gingerbread play bakery…
There are so many ways you can arrange a simple play space for bakery fun. Here are a few of my favorite kitchen dramatic play supplies – all things you probably already have at home!
- A Cookie sheet
- A Spatula
- A Rolling pin
- An Oven mitt
- An Apron
- Cookie cutters
- Sprinkles or hard candies
- DIY gingerbread playdough and mixing bowls
- Brown lunch bags (for packing up cookie orders!)
- Signs and forms from our printable play bakery kit
Simply set all the pieces on a low tabletop or the kitchen floor and watch them go to town! Let them mix some play dough gingerbread, roll it, then use cookie cutters with it. Invite them to decorate their cookies by placing bowls of cake decorations or craft supplies out. Put in orders and invite your little ones to match your order with their cookies and package up a specific number.
If you’ve found yourself in a time crunch (it’s the holidays after all!) these templates make fantastic quick coloring pages too. Kids can design their own gingerbread people with crayons, markers, or even glue on typical gingerbread house decorative candy pieces.
*A note about Amazon affiliate links: We strive to use simple, earth-friendly supplies that can be purchased locally whenever we can, but sometimes we find the best universally available options, a rare eco-friendly find, or a niche product only available on Amazon. When included in our supply list, these products are affiliate links, and if you click-through to make a purchase, we receive a small commission that helps us re-order these supplies!
