A huge thanks to our friends at World Market for sponsoring today’s post.
Making gingerbread houses with my kiddos is an activity we look forward to every year. And this year wasn’t any different, as soon as I mentioned picking out the supplies to make “houses” they were all over it. Over the years I’ve picked up few key tips to save my sanity when we have our gingerbread house making nights. And I wanted to share them with you!
Here are some tips to follow to make this activity easier with kids:
1 | Use a Table Runner to Lay Out Supplies:
Lay a table runner right down the middle of your table before you start to set up. This will give you a space to put all of your supplies, and it can help guide your little ones to keep all of the decorations in that space. We used this pretty Signature Plaid Table Runner because it is so festive and really helps to set the holiday mood!
2 | Make Icing Simple:
To make the icing simple for kids to use, set them up prior (most have a label to peel off and top to attach) and store them in an open container so you can have them nozzle up. This way, they’re easy to take out, less of a mess, and your kids can see all of their color options in front of them the entire time.
3 | Create Levels
Use galvanized cake stands to set supplies at different levels. Because when everything is laid out it can make accessing everything tricky. Levels help keep things easy to grab when needed.
I really needed this post. As in, I personally needed this post. I have never been able to decorate a gingerbread house without it turning into a catastrophe.
I love these ideas!!! I love this time of the year, gingerbread houses are fun to make with the kids.
Awww…Look at the cutie helping mama! I like how he’s using his tongue to help him with the icing. 😉 I do that too! lol
Great tips for creating a gingerbread house! I’ll have to give it a try this year! 🙂
Oh, someone is having a wonderful time! The gingerbread house looks amazing.
This is a great tips. Now I know how to make cookies with my kids in a easier way.. I’m so glad you’ve shared this to us..
We make Ginger Bread Houses every year and have not tried many of these tips. This will make it much easier and I love the cookie sheet idea.
I have tried to make gingerbread houses with my kids using the kits. There was one kit that I had and the icing was way too thin which made gluing the pieces a bit difficult. Then I got another kit and the icing was so much better. The better the icing the better that your house stays together. 🙂
These are all great tips to make it more enjoyable and less stressful. I love that this time of year brings out so much creativity.
Great tips! I usually buy a kit and make it with the kids. For some reason when I try it from scratch I have a harder time.
We do a gingerbread house every year. The kids plan out a theme they want to do every year. Now that they are teenagers they each do one.
These are some really great tips!!!! Building ginger bread houses is hard!!!! Mine never come out!
This makes it look so much more fun haha! I love making gingerbread houses, but I can only imagine how difficult it can be with little kids! I’ll know one day! ; )
Thanks for the tips. I think I’m going to do gingerbread houses with the girls this year. I always think about it but never follow through. ^yolonda
My kids always ask me to make gingerbread cake but I refuse because I don’t know how to make it in easier way.. This tips can help me to make the gingerbread cake and my kids will be very happy for sure.
I have read somewhere that there are pre-assembled Gingerbread houses that we can purchase. Whatever option we choose, whether we make it ourselves or buy pre-assembled ones, it is the decorating that is the most fun part! I hope we make ours pretty this year! BTW, those kids look like they’re having so much fun decorating!
Good tips! I usually assemble the house for younger kids, that way they can just focus on decorating!
Love these tips… my kids always want to decorate their own ginger bread… they’re not quite ready yet, maybe next year
This is one of our favorite traditions! I love that you actually put gingerbread men on the actual house.
Great idea for the table runner, and building in levels. My kids alway love doing these, I have become accustomed to the mess being part of the process.