Nothing says Christmas to me more than gingerbread cookies. My mom used to make them when I was little and the whole house would smell like warm, spicy ginger, cinnamon, and cloves.
I cannot wait until it’s time for us to make our traditional gingerbread cookies.
Elena can’t either! She begged and begged, so I whipped up a batch of homemade play dough, added gingerbread spices, and invited the girls to bake up as many gingerbread cookies as their little hearts desired.
I may have made one or two as well…
Down below you’ll find my gingerbread play dough recipe, and in the next section, I’ll show you what materials we used for our gingerbread bakery dramatic play.
Looking for an organized guide of fun, easy activities to do with your toddler that also encourages their growth and development?
I’ve created a 3-month activity planner just for busy parents like you! The plan includes 65 detailed, simple, and stress-free activities including: arts and crafts, sensory play, motor skills, and STEM–all using easy-to-find supplies.
Let me help make planning activities for your toddler easy, so you can skip the stress and get straight to the fun!
Gingerbread Play Dough Recipe
Making your own play dough (if you have time) is so worth it. It smells ten times better than store-bought play dough.
You can add spices to store-bought play dough if you’re short on time, but as Christmas is the season to DIY… I hope you give homemade play dough a try!
Kids can help with the dry ingredients, but it’s probably best to leave the boiling water to an adult.
Gingerbread Play Dough
Supplies
- 2.5 cups flour plus a little extra for dusting
- 1 cup fine salt
- 1.5 tablespoons of cream of tartar
- 1.5 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons ground cloves
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 2.5 cups of boiling water
Instructions
- Boil the water.
- Mix the dry ingredients together in a heat-proof bowl.
- Pour the boiling water into the bowl with the dry ingredients, then add the vegetable oil.
- Carefully mix the ingredients together until the dough begins to form. Let the dough cool off a bit.
- Divide the dough into sections, dust your hands with flour, and knead. Be careful, as the dough will still be very warm in the center.
Notes
Gingerbread Bakery Dramatic Play
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Once the play dough was ready, I got the kids settled at their tables and passed out these supplies:
- cookie cutters,
- small buttons and sequins,
- little red pipe cleaner pieces,
- rolling pins, (M&D)
- plates
Elena whipped out cookies like a well-oiled machine. She rolled out the dough, cut out gingerbread shapes, decorated them, put them on plates, and stuck them in her play kitchen oven.
She sometimes showed me a cookie she was especially proud of. And then as her last batch went in the oven, she looked at me and explained, “Just put your gingerbread in the oven for three… uh… hours.”
Three hours is a long time. It’s also, and I really don’t think I’m exaggerating here, the amount of time the girls spent making pretend gingerbread cookies today.
We had to break for lunch, in which I un-decorated and smashed all the cookies together in a ball like a Grinch, but it was necessary so that play could start all over again with new cookies.
What We’re Learning
Play dough is really fantastic for kids. Working with and manipulating play dough strengthens kids’ hand muscles, which is essential for things like writing or tying shoelaces.
Our scented play dough is great for sensory learning. We talked about the smell of ginger and cinnamon, and how that makes it smell like gingerbread.
Decorating is an easy way for kids to get really creative! I love how Elena anthropomorphized this stocking. See the eyes and mouth?
He doesn’t look very happy, but I suppose most stockings are unhappy creatures when they spend most days hanging off a mantel and then getting stuffed on Christmas Eve and ripped open again on Christmas. (Now who’s anthropomorphizing?)
Your Turn to Make a Gingerbread Play Dough Bakery
The bakery dramatic play was an easy way to play with our homemade dough. I like creating dramatic play opportunities because it helps make play time with play dough last longer. (How many times am I allowed to use the word play in a sentence?)
Dramatic play is an easy way to help kids stretch their imagination and give purpose to playing with play dough.
The girls (aged 17 months and 3 years old) had so much fun with the play dough bakery. Our house smelled Christmasy, and the kids were entertained for hours. We were able to spend good quality time together, learning through play, and learning to share!
I hope you give this activity a try!
Looking for an organized guide of fun, easy activities to do with your toddler that also encourages their growth and development?
I’ve created a 3-month activity planner just for busy parents like you! The plan includes 65 detailed, simple, and stress-free activities including: arts and crafts, sensory play, motor skills, and STEM–all using easy-to-find supplies.
Let me help make planning activities for your toddler easy, so you can skip the stress and get straight to the fun!