Winter is the perfect time to read and expand upon the beloved childhood classic, The Gingerbread Man. This story starter is a great way to make young children feel like authors and illustrators.
“Gingerbread Man” Story Starter
During the winter months we spend a bit of time reading various versions of the Gingerbread Man. The kids always love this story, and we expand on it in many ways in the classroom. One of my favorite activities to do with the kids is a “Gingerbread Man” Story Starter. I ask them to think of something (or someone) else who could be chasing the Gingerbread Man. A few of my preschoolers can write the word down with a model, but for the rest of the children I write the word for them. Then I ask the kids to illustrate the page.
They crack themselves up working on this project, and I love to see the creativity. This activity is a great way to get kids thinking outside the box and expanding on a book they are familiar with. It is my hope that this activity will encourage them to do even more story telling and story building. And as an added bonus the “Gingerbread Man” Story Starter is beyond easy to put together!
To create your own Gingerbread Man Story Starter simply copy this line onto a paper and let the kids go to town, assisting as needed with modeling words they want to write:
“Stop, stop!” said the _______________. But the Gingerbread Man laughed and said “Run, run, as fast as you can! You can’t catch me, I’m the Gingerbread Man!”
Here are a few of my favorites from a class I taught with preschoolers and kindergarten aged children:
