Love to build gingerbread houses during the holidays? We do!
I know they can get messy and are such a nightmare to put up, just to see them collapse eventually.
But hey! They are such fun to decorate!
That’s why this year, we decided to make a non-edible craft that includes all the joy of decoration without the falling-apart sadness.
This Popsicle Stick Gingerbread House is the perfect Christmas craft to get those hands moving and that imagination flying.
With it, your kids will develop their fine motor skills, which will help them with their writing.
And, they will also use their creativity, which is essential for the development of their brains.
This gingerbread house craft comes with a printable set of ornaments that will get your kiddos occupied cutting for a long time. That’s extra good if your children are around 6.
Remember that cutting helps children develop their hand muscles, which are crucial for holding pencils.
You can also let your younger kids help you cut. Just give them the larger pieces, like the candy canes, doors, and windows.
Ready to learn how to make a gingerbread house out of popsicle sticks?
Keep scrolling to read our tutorial or watch our video instructions!
Materials
- Popsicle Sticks
- Acrylic Paint
- Paintbrushes
- White glue
- Scissors
- Printable Ornaments (Get them for free at the end of this post)
How to make a popsicle stick gingerbread house
- Paint the popsicle sticks with acrylic paint.
We decided to use the traditional brown, but you can let your kids pick any color and get as creative as you want.
- Once your popsicle sticks are completely dry (will only take a couple of minutes as acrylic paint dries pretty quick), it is time to start assembling the gingerbread house.
Line up the popsicle sticks in a row, face down. We used 10 regular-sized sticks to build our house.
- Use 3 popsicle sticks to hold your wall together. Glue one at the top, another one in the middle, and the third at the bottom.
Let them dry while you work on the roof.
- Take two popsicles sticks and cut ⅓ of one stick and ½ of the other. (Check step 6 picture)
Your kids will need your help with this step. You can cut with regular scissors. Just be slow and steady to avoid breaking the sticks.
- Arrange the sticks from small to big. (Check step 6 picture)
Use the ⅓ piece on top, followed by the ½, then the ⅔, and finally two full-sized sticks.
To hold them together, glue the remaining ½ piece to the back and let it dry.
- Carefully, flip over the roof and the wall, and place them next to each other.
Glue two sticks at the sides of the roof to attach it to the wall.
- While you let dry your house, it is time to stock up on ornaments.
Download our free printable ornaments at the end of this post, print them on cardstock, and cut them out.
Glue your decorations with regular white glue and the help of a paintbrush to distribute the glue evenly.
Feel free to use other materials to decorate your gingerbread house.
Some ideas of things you can use are:
- Stickers
- Pop poms
- Buttons
- Sequins
- Ribbons
- Self-adhesive jewels
- Beads
- Tissue paper
- Glitter
- Pipe cleaners
- Fabric straps
- Seeds
Here are our finished gingerbread houses! Aren’t they cute?
You can glue some ribbon on the top back and hang them on your Christmas tree every year.
Or add magnets to the back and proudly display them on your fridge.
Video Tutorial: Popsicle Stick Gingerbread House
Still hesitating about how to build your popsicle stick gingerbread house, watch the video below to see the step-by-step process we followed.
Printable Gingerbread House Ornaments
This free printable set includes anything you need to decorate your houses.
From candy canes, wreaths, and baubles; to stars, peppermints, and gingerbread doors and windows.
You can even combine the elements to create your own unique decorations.
Ready to make your own gingerbread house?
Click the link below to download your free ornaments.
And scroll back up to follow the steps to make your popsicle stick house!
DOWNLOAD THE PRINTABLE ORNAMENTS
*Please remember that these printables are for personal use only. You may not sell or distribute the files. If you want to share them, please link to this post and not directly to the PDF files.
Is there any way you could make this an SVG file? I’d like to cut the out on my Cricut but PDF’s won’t download.
Hi Deb! I’m really sorry but I don’t offer SVG files at the moment.
This is super cute! Do you have a B&W version of the printable ornaments? I would love to do this with my students but we do not have color printing and I would have them decorate with color pencils.
Sorry, Jenna, I currently only have the full-color version available.
Very good idea!
Will try with kids this coming Christmas!
Superbe brick, je m’en suis inspirée