Easy Gingerbread Man Craft For Christmas

This adorable Christmas craft for kids is so simple yet totally awesome! Everyone loves a good ol’ toilet paper roll craft because it’s an inexpensive item you just about always have lying around somewhere. And, these recycled cardboard tubes just happen to have a natural brown color that looks like gingerbread, making this cute little holiday craft extra easy to make. Less painting and less mess!

Half the fun is giving these little gingerbread people their own personalities! Kids can mix and match colorful buttons, draw silly faces, add rosy cheeks, or decorate the arms and legs with squiggly white icing. You can even break out the pom-poms, glitter, stickers, or anything else hiding in your craft drawer.

Supplies Needed

2-3 toilet paper roll tubes (for each gingerbread man)
colorful construction paper or cardstock
black marker
white acrylic paint pen
small black buttons (or googly eyes)
craft glue
scissors

Step 1Let’s start by preparing the gingerbread man’s body! Cut two slits on opposite sides of the toilet paper roll, near the top, and two more near the bottom, for a total of four slits. This is where we’ll slide in the arms and legs later.

Step 2Flatten one of the toilet paper rolls and use a pencil to draw the shapes for the arms, legs, and head. The easiest way is to draw half of each shape along the folded edge, then cut through both layers. When you unfold the pieces, you’ll have perfectly matching sides!

Step 3Once you’ve cut out your shapes, it’s time to decorate! Use a white acrylic paint pen to create the cute little “icing” details, then paint or draw on some rosy cheeks. Finish the sweet little face by gluing on small black buttons for eyes. You can also use googly eyes or simply draw them on.

Step 4Time to put it all together! Slide your decorated arms and legs into the slits you made in the toilet paper roll. If the slits are snug enough, the pieces should stay in place on their own. If they’re a little loose, just add a dab of glue to hold everything together.

Step 5To make the buttons, cut small circles out of colorful paper. You can use a dime as a guide to make them all about the same size. Once they’re cut out, use a black pen to draw four little dots in the center of each circle to make them look like real buttons! You could also glue real buttons on if you have them stored away in your sewing cabinet.

Step 6Time for the finishing touches! Glue your colorful paper buttons onto the front of the toilet paper roll, then attach that adorable little gingerbread head to the top. And just like that, you’ve turned an ordinary cardboard tube into the cutest little gingerbread man!

These DIY toilet paper roll gingerbread men are a fun holiday activity for preschoolers, kindergarteners, and older kids, too. They’re inexpensive enough to make with a whole classroom of kids and simple enough for a cozy afternoon of Christmas crafting at home. Make a whole gingerbread family, line them up on a shelf, or use them as cute homemade Christmas decorations.

I just love crafts that take ordinary things from the recycling bin and turn them into something worth showing off. With a little cutting, gluing, and decorating, you’ve got an adorable gingerbread man that looks way more impressive than the effort it takes to make him! Plus, this is such a fun and budget-friendly Christmas craft for kids of all ages. Make a whole gingerbread family with different faces, colorful buttons, and silly little expressions.