The Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett is the much-loved story of the gingerbread man retold with a delightful twist! Somebody opened the oven door before the gingerbread man was finished baking and out jumped the Gingerbread Baby!
Most of your students have heard the traditional version of the Gingerbread Man. The included Venn diagram is the perfect organizer to access their prior knowledge about it, and then use it to compare and contrast with Gingerbread Baby after you read.
As you read the story, encourage your students to make predictions about what will happen next. Jan Brett’s illustrations are rich with hints about what may happen next in the side panels. Take a look at Matti above. He is not out hunting for his Gingerbread Baby – but he is up to something. . .
This would also be a great time to complete the Venn diagram that you started, comparing and contrasting the Gingerbread Baby with the Gingerbread Man in the traditional tale.
This story provides a doorway into many fun and engaging gingerbread activities! Your students will be delightfully engaged as they learn in cross-curricular areas.
Language Arts Activities:
Retelling using the flap book
After you have finished reading, engage students in the retelling process with the four-flap book, recalling the Characters, Setting, Problem, and Solution.
Writing:
I have included some fun writing paper if you would like your students to write about the sassy little Gingerbread Baby.
Making Words:
This is an engaging activity that you could use in a variety of ways: literacy centers, partner activity, morning work, homework, or whole class activity.
Reading to Self :
Notice the gingerbread baby on his shoulder. 🙂
Math Activities
Gingerbread Measuring
After reading the story I tell my students that the Gingerbread Baby and his friends have hidden themselves around our classroom. (I hid them in plain sight before reading the story.) ‘We need to catch them if we can and measure them!’
These cards are also perfect for:
- Task Cards in Math Centers
- ‘Solve the Room’
- ‘Solve the Room’ with Partners
- Scoot
This Gingerbread Man Measuring activity is in my TpT store.
Just click on the image below to download it.
Gingerbread Bump
Another fun math activity your students may enjoy is ‘Gingerbread Bump’! Kids will have fun with this game and be practicing the mental math strategy of ‘making a ten’ at the same time!
This game is included in the ‘Gingerbread Baby’ Book Companion. (Watch for the link below.) It is also part of my Holiday Math Games, if you would like to see the rest of these engaging games – click on the picture below.
My name is Peggy Means. I am a child of God and a retired elementary teacher. I loved teaching and creating engaging resources for my students. Now, I love sharing my resources and ideas with busy teachers around the world.
Oh Peggy! Every.Single.Time your blog gives me WONDERFUL activities to use in my classroom. I adore this gingerbread unit and of course I adore you!
Thank you, Katie! You are alway so encouraging! 🙂