Gingerbread Making Ten Craft
Bring math and creativity together this winter with this Gingerbread Making Ten Craft! This hands-on holiday activity is a fun and visual way for young learners to explore number combinations that add up to ten.
Perfect for preschool, pre-k, and kindergarten classrooms, this gingerbread-themed math craft combines coloring, counting, and writing into one engaging lesson. Students will love decorating their gingerbread houses with colorful gumdrops while discovering the different ways to make ten.
Build Number Sense with a Sweet Twist
Understanding how numbers work together to make ten is an important part of early number sense and addition readiness. The Gingerbread Making Ten Craft provides students with a concrete, visual representation of how two groups of numbers combine to equal ten.
Each student decorates a gingerbread house with gumdrops in two different colors. Then, they use the recording sheet to show their number sentence, just like a math story. For example:
“My gingerbread house has 4 green gumdrops and 6 yellow gumdrops. So, 10 = 4 + 6.”
By coloring, counting, and recording, students build an understanding of number pairs in a meaningful and memorable way.
What’s Included
This printable gingerbread math craft includes everything you need for an easy and engaging winter math lesson:
- Black-and-white gingerbread house sheet featuring ten gumdrops to color
- Half-page recording sheets that say: “My gingerbread house has (NUMBER) (COLOR) gumdrops and (NUMBER) (COLOR) gumdrops. So, 10 = ___ + ___.”
- A simple layout that makes it easy to print, copy, and prep for the whole class
Because everything is in black and white, students can fully customize their gumdrop colors and designs, making each craft unique while still reinforcing the same key math concept.
Easy Prep, Low Mess
This activity is designed to be simple to prepare and quick to set up. It’s perfect for busy teachers during the winter months!
To prep:
- Print the gingerbread house template and the recording sheet for each student.
- Gather crayons, colored pencils, or markers.
- Optional: Prepare construction paper and glue if you’d like students to mount their finished craft.
That’s it! No cutting small pieces, no laminating required. Just print, color, and learn.
How to Use the Gingerbread Making Ten Craft
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Supplies Needed:
- Gingerbread Making Ten Craft printable (get it at the bottom of this post)
- Crayons, markers, or colored pencils
- Scissors and glue sticks
- Card stock for mounting
Directions:
- Have students color the gumdrops on the gingerbread house using two different colors. For example, some gumdrops might be red, and others green.
- Color the rest of the gingerbread house.
- Cut out the gingerbread house and the recording sheet.
- Glue the gingerbread house at the top of a piece of card stock paper and the recording sheet underneath.
- Have students fill in their number sentence to show how they made ten: “My gingerbread house has 3 blue gumdrops and 7 yellow gumdrops. So, 10 = 3 + 7.”
Students will love personalizing their math craft while reinforcing important addition concepts.
Why This Craft Works
This Gingerbread Making Ten Craft blends art and math, helping students connect visual and written representations of numbers. It’s a hands-on way to introduce:
- Composing and decomposing ten
- Addition with number partners
- Counting and color recognition
- Fine motor skills (through coloring, cutting, and gluing)
By letting students choose their colors and record their equations, they become more invested in the learning process — and more likely to remember the concept!
Fun Ways to Differentiate
This activity can be easily adapted for different levels of learners:
- For early learners: Provide ten counters or real gumdrops to help students count and visualize before coloring.
- For advanced learners: Challenge them to find all possible combinations that make ten, recording several number sentences on the back of their paper.
- For classroom display: Use different colored construction paper backings and hang the finished gingerbread houses for a festive winter math bulletin board!
You can even use this craft during a small-group math lesson, morning work time, or as a send-home enrichment activity.
How to Extend the Learning
After completing their crafts, gather students to discuss their findings. Ask questions like:
- “Who made ten using 4 and 6?”
- “Who made ten using 2 and 8?”
- “What did you notice about all our equations?”
This quick reflection helps reinforce the idea that there are many ways to make ten. This is a key understanding for early addition.
Click the button below to download your free Gingerbread Making Ten Craft and bring a little holiday cheer to your math lessons this winter!
For more fun gingerbread activities, be sure to check out these ideas:
Gingerbread Find and Color the Letter
Gingerbread Addition and Subtraction Mats
Feed the Gingerbread Boy Letters Beginning Sound Cards
Gingerbread Missing Sound Cards to Practice CVC Words
Christmas Tree Find and Color the Number Sheets
Gingerbread Making Ten Math Activity
Snow Globe Addition and Subtraction Mats