How do I make paper gingerbread houses from the printable template?

What the printable includes and what you still need

You can print decorating cards, step-by-step instructions and blank planning notes. The cards give children ideas such as candy-striped walls, paper shingles and cotton-ball snow. Printing these pages will not give you house pieces at the right sizes.

Before children can build, get a separate cutting template or cut the pieces yourself from the measurements below. Then make one complete house from the same glue and cardstock you plan to use at the party. The trial build shows whether the pieces fit, how much help children will need and how long the glue takes to hold.

Your trial house also shows you how to set up the table. If children needed help with certain pieces, prepare those pieces ahead and arrange who will help. The guide to organizing a craft station covers adult help, space for drying houses and how finished pieces will go home.

Check the paper and piece sizes

Start with 65 lb cardstock for the trial build. On a cutting template, solid lines are cuts and dashed lines are folds, so do not cut along the dashed lines. The original plan also mentions folds at the bottom of the walls without showing their shape, so check those against your actual pattern.

These measurements are for review. They have not been tested as a cutting pattern. Because the windows are attached separately, the original description of nine pieces may not match your count. Count the parts in the template you actually use.

How to put the house together

Label each piece with the tab numbers below before handing out sets if your cutting template does not already have labels. Keep each house's walls, roof and details together.

• Cut out and sort the pieces. The original estimate allows about six minutes for cutting. Pieces cut in advance or extra help will change that.
• Fold the tabs. Fold corner tabs inward and roof-support tabs outward, as the pattern shows. The original estimate allows about two minutes.
• Attach the front wall by gluing T1 and T3 to its two inside corners, one side wall at each corner.
• Attach the back wall by gluing T2 and T4 to its inside corners to close the box. Keep the walls upright while the joints start to hold.
• Add the roof. Bring the two panels together at the peak and glue them to the gable tabs. Check that both panels are holding before you let go.
• Glue the door on with T8 and glue the windows flat against the walls.
• Glue the chimney tab, T7, to the roof half an inch from the peak.
• Hold joints with clothespins where they fit without bending the paper, then set the house aside to dry.

Color the pieces or add glue-on decorations

Coloring before cutting works well when children decorate flat pieces. They might draw candy stripes along the wall edges, yellow windowpanes or curved shingles on the roof. Write each child's name inside the back wall before the house is put together.

Glue-on decorations go on after the house is built, when children want raised details. Thin lines of white glue can look like icing. Children can then add paper shingles, cotton-ball snow, or the raisins, O cereal and mini pretzels suggested on the cards. Set the house aside again if the new glue needs time to dry.

The cards with a path or a snowy yard need a separate paper base, which is not one of the house pieces. Cut a base from extra paper or skip those cards.

Set up the craft table for eight children

The quantities below are for eight builders. Count every child who will make a house, including the birthday child or any siblings who join in. Adults who are only helping do not need a set.

You can set out supplies in four areas: coloring, cutting and folding, assembly, and glue-on decorating. Children still need to do the steps in order. Two groups of four can work through the steps with help, or everyone can stay seated while you bring out the next supplies.

Whichever way you run it, set out the supplies children need first and keep the later supplies together nearby. That way the next step is ready without crowding the table. The guide to choosing a craft project and preparing the table can help you manage pauses between steps and plan cleanup, without adding more crafts.

Worked example: if your cutting template uses two sheets per house, eight builders need 8 × 2 = 16 letter-size sheets. Two practice sets add 2 × 2 = 4 sheets, so you need 20 sheets in total. Add extra paper for any yard bases. If your template uses a different number of sheets per house, redo the calculation.

• Build a complete sample house before making eight sets.
• Put out eight piece sets and eight crayon tubs, or arrange shared crayons so everyone can reach them.
• Cut the tricky gable and tab shapes in advance, and keep two pairs of adult scissors at the cutting area.
• Put four glue bottles and 24 clothespins (three per house) at the assembly area. Use the sample house to check whether three are enough.
• For glue-on decorating, set out two glue pens, cotton balls, eight small portions of pretzels, and two bowls each of raisins and O cereal if you use them.
• Keep a folded sample tab and the tab chart beside the assembly supplies.
• Write names on the sets, prepare a labeled drying tray or cookie sheet, and check that all eight houses fit on it.
• Set up a game for the drying break away from the wet houses.
• For the trip home, set aside eight 6-inch paper plates, tape and grocery bags. Try packing the sample house first.

One option for the break is a small set of Christmas matching cards at a dry table. You'll need to make the cards yourself, and add drawings if some children can't read yet. Bag a few starter pairs, keep the rest in a labeled envelope, and make a separate set for each table.

Example 90-minute session

This is an example schedule. It assumes the pieces have been cut in advance and adults are available to help. Adjust it after your trial build. The drying break may need to be longer.

The 90 minutes covers the craft session, not necessarily the whole party. Arrivals, food and pickup may need extra time. A longer drying break or steps that need one-on-one help can stretch it further. Once your trial build shows the real timing, check how long a birthday party should last.

The steps add up to 90 minutes: 15 + 15 + 15 + 20 + 15 + 10. The last ten minutes are for displaying the houses and getting ready for pickup. Glue added just before then may not be dry.

Wrap up and send the houses home

For the ride home, set each house on a 6-inch paper plate and tape the plate inside a grocery bag so the bag does not press on the roof. If a house is still wet, keep it on the tray longer or arrange a later pickup. A simple chart with each child's name, the time the house was built, when it was checked and when it is ready to pack helps you keep track of drying houses.

You could set up a pickup area like a favor table, with each child's name marked at a spot. Put houses that are ready to pack there. Keep any that are still drying on the tray, away from the others, until they're ready or the family picks them up later.

For the drying break, choose one activity and get it ready before guests arrive. Christmas picture bingo comes with a blank board and text calls, so add the matching pictures beforehand if children will play by pictures. Christmas word-game sheets suit children who can read, and the word-search grid also needs preparing in advance. Christmas paper chains work for early finishers if you cut the strips ahead of time. Keep each activity's supplies separate from the house sets and away from the wet houses.

Checklist before the party

• Get a cutting template or cut the pieces yourself; the printable does not include one.
• If your template includes a 1-inch test square, print it at Actual Size and check that it measures 1 inch.
• Build a complete trial house and note how long the glue took to hold.
• Count everyone who is building, then calculate sheets based on your template.
• Decide which cuts children will do and which an adult will do in advance.
• Set out coloring, assembly and decorating supplies, plus drying trays.
• Keep snacks on a separate table and plan a time for hand-washing.
• Prepare a drying-break activity, including any pictures, grids or strips it needs, plus take-home plates and bags.

Sources and further reading

• Paper gingerbread house craft template

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