What began as a simple folktale about a gingerbread cookie come alive soon took on a life of its own after being published in print for the first time in 1875. Since then, the tale of “The Gingerbread Man” (originally titled “The Gingerbread Boy”)has been told time and again in various forms, including songs, stage musicals, animated films and even video games. And of course, not a single winter has since gone by without kids and their parents baking gingerbread men (and women!) and building gingerbread houses together to herald the coming holidays.
As it turns out, gingerbread isn’t just a tasty treat—it can also be a source of inspiration for your young authors-to-be. Celebrate the winter holidays with your 1st graders this year with these sweet “Gingerbread Man” writing activities!
Writing Activity #1: A 21st Century Gingerbread Man
Writing Activity #1: A 21st Century Gingerbread ManThe original Gingerbread Man folktale is a tale of a daring escape attempt by a creature no larger than a cookie. Born—baked?—on a farm, he flees through a barn, then a field of mowers and past various people and animals who want to eat him up.
But what if that same story was set in today’s world, rather than a 19th-century farm? Ask your students to imagine and write about what would happen if a gingerbread cookie came to life today. Would he ride away on a Roomba? Catch a flight on a drone? Would he become internet famous? Encourage your students to think critically about what sort of tools and technology a modern gingerbread man might use to make his daring escape.
PROJECT IDEA
This activity also makes for a great narrative writing project! Start with a quick brainstorming session to get the ideas flowing. Then, provide your students with three simple sub-prompts: “First…”, “Then…” and “Finally…” Ask them to fill in at least one short paragraph after each transition word explaining what happens when their 21st-century gingerbread man comes to life. Once they’ve finished writing, ask them to draw three-panel comics to illustrate their stories, with one panel each for the beginning, middle and end. Finally, publish their stories in a delightful classbook that celebrates both their talents and the holidays.
Writing Activity #2: A Gingerbread Me
Many kids know what it’s like to make (and eat!) gingerbread cookies, but what is it like to be one? This gingerbread man descriptive writing activity asks your 1st graders to imagine what it would be like if one day they were turned into crisp little holiday cookies! Encourage them to use as much detail as possible when describing the change. How would they smell? What ingredients would make up their hair, their eyes? How different would the world look from a cookie’s vantage point?
PROJECT IDEA
To turn this writing activity into a delectable self-portrait project, begin by first providing your students with a printout of a generic gingerbread person outline (or asking them to draw their own). Then, ask them to draw themselves in gingerbread form, keeping in mind not just what they would look like, but what they might be made out of. Then, have them use their pictures as a reference when writing their descriptions of life as a cookie. And of course, when all is done, be sure to publish their work in a unique holiday-themed classbook.
Heralding the Holidays with Gingerbread Man Writing Activities
Kids love cookies. Kids also love holidays. It should come as no surprise then, that incorporating both into a creative writing assignment is a recipe for success. Whether your students will be writing a modern-day retelling of the Gingerbread Man’s story or cooking up a fresh story from their own perspective, activities like these aren’t just great writing practice. They’re also an engaging and heartwarming way to celebrate the holidays together as a class before the long winter break.
And, by publishing their work in a classbook, you’ll be giving them one of the most precious gifts of all—that of becoming real published authors. Honestly, it’s a gift for you, too—few things will be more rewarding this year than getting to witness that magical moment when they see their books for the first time and realize they did it—they made that book a reality. And that’s a holiday memory you and your students will no doubt cherish for many years to come.
For more tantalizingly creative writing activities, be sure to check out our online teacher’s lounge and sign up for a free publishing kit!
Image sources: Lead image via Shutterstock