How to build a gingerbread house from a kit with children
Updated 30 October 2026 · By Rob and Chris, two Sheffield dads, and our families
Start by reading the kit’s instructions, then decorate the pieces while they lie flat, if the kit allows it. A grown-up builds the house, children add the finishing touches, and the house gets a name.
- Time: about 40 minutes
- Ages: 3 and up, with a part for each age
- In the Famoo calendar as: Gingerbread house workshop
What do you need?
- A gingerbread house kit
- The icing that comes with the kit, or the one it asks for
- Sweets or decorations that suit everyone
- A large plate or board to build on
How do you do it?
- Read the kit. A grown-up reads the instructions and notes any setting time.
- Plan the house. Lay out the pieces and work out which are the walls and which are the roof. Pick a simple decoration idea.
- Decorate flat. If the kit allows it, decorate the pieces while they lie flat, so everyone has a job at once.
- Build with help. A grown-up builds the house as the kit says, holding the pieces until the icing sets.
- Finish it off. Add the last decorations and give the house a name. Follow the kit’s instructions for storing and eating it.
How can each age join in?
- Ages 3 to 5. Decorate one piece a grown-up has set out for you.
- Ages 6 to 9. Help build the house and plan the decorations.
- Ages 10 and up. Plan the layout and the building order, and make a little garden or sign.
Tip
Let the walls set before the roof goes on. Leaning a tin or mug against each wall holds it up while you wait.
Keeping it safe
A grown-up checks the kit’s ingredients for allergies before you start. Follow the kit’s own storage and eating instructions.
Plan 24 of these into your family’s Advent calendar with Famoo
Famoo has 46 activities like this one, each with picture steps, an elf helper who reads every step aloud, and a part for each age so brothers and sisters can do it together. Join the beta, choose your 24, and a new door opens each day in December.
Famoo is a family app for UK homes, in beta, so things may change. Find out more about Famoo.
