Sparkly Gingerbread Man Ornament

Inside: Make a sparkly gingerbread man ornament to hang on the Christmas tree this year! Fun for kids of all ages!

We kick off the month of December every year with a gingerbread man theme, and I try to add some sort of gingerbread ornament for the children to make.

Some examples:

• Gingerbread Man Suncatcher Ornament
• Clay Gingerbread Man Ornament
• Cardboard Pom Pom Gingerbread Ornament

I add these to the gift bags the children give their families and they are always loved!

This year I took an easier route and purchased pre-made wood gingerbread man shapes, but you can cut your own shapes from cardboard.

These are super easy and add some sparkle to the tree!

More >>> 25+ Ornaments Made by Kids

My 2 and 3 year olds love the story of the gingerbread man.

I use my gingerbread man circle time props as I read the book and the children are so attentive!

I have the classroom set up with a variety of gingerbread man activities such as:

• Gingerbread Man Kinetic Sand Sensory Table or Gingerbread Man Rice Table
• Gingerbread Man Ice Painting
• Gingerbread Bakery

And then I invite the children to make a gingerbread man ornament.

Sparkly Gingerbread Man Ornament

Supplies:

• Unfinished wooden gingerbread man ornaments (these are what we used)*
• Sequins (and any other small shiny pieces you might have on hand)
• Tinted glue (squirt your choice of tempera paint into a small container of white glue – we had several colors for the children to choose from)
• Paint brush
• Sealant (we used Modge Podge Spray)

*If you’d like to save some money and have cardboard lying around, cut them into gingerbread man shapes and use them instead of the wooden ones.

Setting it up:

First, you will want something underneath the gingerbread man to catch the sequins because some will fall.  Just trust me on this. I used paper plates.

Then, provide a small container of the glue/paint mixture and a paint brush.

Place the gingerbread man ornament on top of the plate.

Gingerbread Man Ornament Activity

Invite your children to brush the glue/paint mixture on top of their gingerbread man.

Make sure they stir the glue and paint mixture a bit to mix them.

Ideally the entire gingerbread man will be covered, but with my younger students that didn’t happen with some of them.

And that’s okay! This is their work.

Add the Sequins

When they are finished painting their ornaments, it’s time to add the sequins.

I had my students transfer the sequins from the container to their ornament using a spoon.

This is when you will thank me for suggesting having something underneath to catch the excess sequins!

When they are finished spooning them, shake off the excess.

Allow the ornaments to thoroughly dry.

Spraying the sealant:

Do NOT do this part with the children, and make sure it’s done in a well-ventilated area.

Apply sealant on each gingerbread man ornament and let dry.

If you purchase unfinished wood ornaments like I did, you will want to add the elastic gold “thread” through the hole (to hang on the tree).

It’s that simple!

Just make sure to write their names on the back. (I like to add the year since it might be a keepsake ornament to be enjoyed on future Christmas trees.)

Speaking of keepsake ornaments:

• Photo Ornament
• Fillable Ornament
• Alphabet Ornaments