Popsicle Stick Gingerbread House: A Sweet and Festive Holiday Craft for Kids
A Popsicle Stick Gingerbread House craft is the perfect mix of cozy creativity and holiday charm. This project turns a few simple supplies into an adorable Christmas decoration that looks like it came straight from a storybook. Kids will love decorating their own gingerbread house, and adults will enjoy how easy and inexpensive it is to make. With popsicle sticks as the base and colorful pom poms, construction paper, and templates for details like the door and trees, this project has everything you need for an afternoon of hands-on holiday fun.
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How To Make This Popsicle Stick Gingerbread House
Start by gathering your materials. You’ll need popsicle sticks, pom pom balls, construction paper, scissors, and glue. If you have the included templates for the tree, door, roof, and other pieces, those will help you get the shapes just right. Paint ten popsicle sticks in your chosen gingerbread color—brown works best for that cookie-house look—and let them dry completely. Once dry, lay eight popsicle sticks horizontally to form the main wall of your house and glue them together side by side. Trim the edges so they’re even. Then, take two more popsicle sticks and glue them diagonally on top to create the roof.
Now comes the fun part: decorating! Use the templates to cut out a candy cane for each side of the house and glue them in place. Cut out the roof template, and use markers in red, green, white, and other festive colors to doodle swirls and patterns that look like icing decorations. Attach the decorated roof to the top of your popsicle stick structure.
Next, glue on the chimney and add pom pom balls around the roofline or along the candy canes for a colorful, candy-like effect. You can mix and match colors or stick with a classic red and white theme. In the center of the roof, glue on a paper flower to give the house an extra festive touch.
Once your roof is complete, it’s time to bring the rest of the house to life. Use the templates to cut out and attach trees on either side of the door, then glue the door itself in the center of the bottom portion of the house. Finish by adding a gingerbread man near the door to make your house look like a cozy little home for holiday friends.
This craft is a wonderful mix of structure and creativity—there’s enough guidance for younger children to follow along, but plenty of room for older kids or adults to add their own details. You can encourage kids to personalize their houses by adding paper windows, drawing snowflakes on the roof, or gluing cotton balls around the edges to look like snow. A little glitter can turn the roof into a frosty wonderland, and tiny buttons or beads make perfect “gumdrop” decorations.
Why parents and teachers love this popsicle stick gingerbread craft
In the classroom, this project works beautifully for a winter art center or as part of a Christmas craft day. Teachers can prep the painted popsicle sticks and templates ahead of time to make assembly easier. The activity supports fine motor skills, creativity, and sequencing as students paint, cut, and glue the pieces together. Once finished, the houses can be displayed on a bulletin board or lined up along a classroom window to create a “gingerbread village.”
At home, this craft makes a great weekend or after-school project. Families can work together to make an entire collection of gingerbread houses—each one unique. Set up a crafting table with different colored pom poms, glitter glue, markers, and ribbon so everyone can design their own version. The finished houses can be used as tree ornaments, shelf decorations, or even part of a Christmas village display.
From a practical perspective, this craft is low-cost and easy to manage. Popsicle sticks, glue, and construction paper are classroom staples, and the templates save time on cutting and measuring. The finished houses are lightweight, durable, and easy to hang or display.
Pair it with a gingerbread book
You can also pair this activity with a read-aloud to make it extra special. The Gingerbread Man by Jim Aylesworth or The Gingerbread Girl by Lisa Campbell Ernst are classic stories that fit perfectly with this project. For a fun twist, try The Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett, which has beautiful illustrations that might inspire your students’ designs. Reading a gingerbread-themed story before crafting adds a layer of connection and excitement—kids love seeing their art come to life in a story.
Extend the learning
This Popsicle Stick Gingerbread House craft also ties in nicely with academic skills. You can add a short writing activity where students describe their house or tell a story about who lives inside. For younger learners, this might be as simple as labeling parts of the house (door, roof, tree), while older students could write a short paragraph or creative story.
A fun gingerbread craft for the holidays
There’s something magical about gingerbread houses during the holidays—they instantly make a space feel festive. This version, made from simple supplies, gives children the joy of building and decorating without the mess of real frosting or candy. It’s an activity that encourages creativity, fine motor practice, and storytelling, all while capturing the warmth and fun of the season.
Whether you’re a teacher looking for a classroom craft or a parent hoping to create a holiday tradition, these Popsicle Stick Gingerbread Houses are a perfect choice. They’re simple to make, easy to personalize, and filled with charm. Each house becomes a little work of art that celebrates the magic of Christmas and the creativity of the children who make them.
Get your free gingerbread house template below:
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