Gingerbread Man Party {Bookish Birthdays}

I realize my kids may not always allow me to do storytime at their birthday parties, but for now they do! This year’s Gingerbread Man theme may have been my favorite. We had so much fun party prepping and celebrating! (And you’ve gotta love the wrap-around book jacket! My students used to be so excited when they found a book which, when you open the cover it makes a complete picture from front to back. Show your bookworms that trick and they’ll be on the hunt! See photo below as we observe the fox.)

As our guests arrived and settled in, I had a gingerbread man crafting station set up: decorating paper gingerbread men with buttons and poms, and beading pipe cleaners to bend into gingerbread man shapes.

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Next, storytime! In preparation for the party, we read piles of versions of the Gingerbread folktale. Our favorites were The Gingerbread Pirates, Tough Cookie (which is about an ornament who thinks he’s a cookie, not an ornament and wonders why he’s so different than everyone else! Good message!), Catch that Cookie, and Jim Aylesworth’s classic version, along with a few others I blogged about here. I came very close to reenacting Catch that Cookie, which follows a “scavenger hunt” of clues to find the runaway gingerbread man through the house! I thought my kiddos were a touch too young for that since they’re not readers yet. Look for it if you’re brainstorming your own activities because it’s very reproducible using the clues/rhymes in the story.

The birthday boy chose his favorite for our party storytime, The Gingerbread Girl by Lisa Campbell Ernst. I used to read this to my second graders every year. It’s a fabulous “fractured” version with a truly heartwarming ending, easing the loneliness of the “lonely old man and the lonely old woman.” Aww. A crowd pleaser 🙂

For our active games, we tried Pin the Button on the Gingerbread Man. Not a huge hit with this age set, so we quickly transitioned to Throw a Soft Ball And Aim for the Buttons. Much more fun! LOL. Afterward, we played Gingerbread Hide & Seek. Partners of kids took turns hiding/finding paper gingerbread men around the house.

Next, everyone’s highlight: decorating gingerbread cookies! Alllll the sugar! We went to the bulk candy aisle at our local grocery store before the party and my bookworms thought they’d gone to heaven. I placed the candy in silicone baking cups, which were Bookworm’s birthday present from his aunt (and have been GOLD- he plays with them nonstop, sorting things into them by color, etc. A GREAT inexpensive gift idea, about $10 for 36. My two year old niece very nearly stole them, and so they may need to be gifted right back to her family!).

Finally, we watched a version of the gingerbread story involving a pancake, on our library’s Tumblebook service: Marsupial Sue Presents The Runaway Pancake (this link is to the book, which is a great read aloud version!). Narrated by John Lithgow (on Tumblebooks, check with your library!), this was a favorite of my elementary students as well.

I sent each guest home with a science experiment: Borax crystal gingerbread men! Basically, you soak a Gingerbread man-shaped pipe cleaner in a Borax solution overnight and crystals grow on the pipe cleaner (I gifted everyone the glass jar with 1/2cup of borax measured out and instructions to add a little over 2.5cups of boiling water). My bookworms adored this experiment which we tested prior.

So there you have it, our Gingerbread birthday celebration! This party could certainly be a general December party, no birthday needed! I try to make sure my December baby doesn’t get lost in the shuffle of festive fun. I think this party spoke love to his heart (especially his sweets-loving heart!).

If you’re looking for more inspiration, follow along on my Facebook page or Instagram account!This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.