Paper Gingerbread Man Decorating Ideas

Supplies Needed

Any brown-colored paper
Scissors
White glue
Paper clips or masking tape
Colored pencils, crayons or colored markers
Glitter glue, puffy paint, ribbon, lace, small buttons, beads, sequins, stickers, small pompoms and other fun notions

STEPS

STEP 1 Paper Gingerbread Man Chain

1Print out the template.

This craft can be done by either using a gingerbread man template or drawing your own gingerbread man. If you prefer to work with a template, print out this gingerbread man chain on A4 or Letter size paper.

If you'd rather draw your own, fold any brown-colored paper accordion-style (back-and-forth folding) as shown in Steps 4 and 5. Draw half of a gingerbread man along the paper's folded edge then cut along the outline as shown in Step 6.

STEP 2 Paper Gingerbread Man Chain

2Cut out one template.

The printed page consists of three sets of gingerbread man templates. You only need one. Cut out one template following the rectangular frame or outline.

STEP 3 Paper Gingerbread Man Chain

3Position the template.

Align the template along the left edge of any brown-colored paper. Secure the top and bottom sides of the template onto the paper using paper clips or masking tape.

STEP 4 Paper Gingerbread Man Chain

4Fold the paper accordion-style.

Using the template's width as a guide, fold your paper accordion-style (back and forth folding). A sheet of A4 or Letter size paper can be folded into 6 equal sections while a larger sheet can be folded into 8 or more sections.

STEP 5 Paper Gingerbread Man Chain

5Fold or trim the excess paper.

If there's an excess section of paper after your last fold, you can either trim it off or fold that small section of paper.

STEP 6 Paper Gingerbread Man Chain

6Cut out.

Cut the folded paper following the outlines of the gingerbread man.

Note that the thicker the paper you use and the more folds you make, the harder it will be to cut. Younger children may need adult help in cutting. Brown craft paper or paper lunch bags are excellent options for easy cutting.

STEP 7 Paper Gingerbread Man Chain

7Unfold the paper.

Carefully unfold the paper to reveal a chain of gingerbread people.

STEP 8 Paper Gingerbread Man Chain

8Round out the corners.

Trim off any excess paper after the last gingerbread man. You may also round out the corners of the first and last gingerbread man.

STEP 9 Paper Gingerbread Man Chain

9Decorate the gingerbread people.

Draw details on the gingerbread people using colored markers, crayons or colored pencils. You can also draw lines with glitter glue or puffy paint.

Glue fun accents like small pompoms, beads, buttons, tiny bows, rickrack, strings and even paper or fabric cut-outs. You can also cut a length of ribbon to tie as a scarf around the gingerbread man's neck.

More Ideas

MORE IDEAS - Make standing gingerbread people.

Make standing gingerbread people.

Use cardstock or any heavyweight paper to come up with a chain of gingerbread people that can stand on a flat surface. Position the two outer figures at an angle so that the chain of gingerbread people can actually stand on their own. The downside to using thick paper is that it is a bit challenging to fold and cut.

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