Jumping Into the Holiday Spirit With Our Gingerbread Unit

Dec 7

3 min read

This week at Little Squirrels Child Care, we officially kicked off the Christmas season with one of my most-loved themes: the gingerbread unit! This festive and engaging theme has brought so much joy, and it’s one of my personal favorites.

A Holiday Twist on Play

The highlight of the week was introducing a dramatic play area. This is something I’ve been very eager to do but have been trying to hold off on until we move. We are running low on space, and I am trying to limit the amount of things we will need to move, but when I found this amazing play kitchen on the marketplace for $20, I just couldn’t resist the urge to get it and set up our very first dramatic play area, a pretend gingerbread bakery. The kids had an absolute blast “baking” pretend cookies, serving up cups of imaginary hot chocolate, and creating all sorts of delicious Christmas goodies for each other (and, of course, for me too!).

To add even more excitement, we made little pretend phone number cards for the kids to “call” Santa, the gingerbread man, the reindeer, and even Santa’s elves. This imaginative play activity kept their creativity buzzing as they role-played fun holiday scenarios

Our sensory bin got a makeover with a peppermint gingerbread theme. Filled with festive manipulatives, the kids can scoop and pour and dig their hands into. Its been a hit with everyone. I even caught a the kids pouring this one over their heads, and all over the floor, which led to a quick lesson about using a broom and a dustpan. They sure do love to get messy

Circle and Storytime Adventures

To tie in the holiday spirit with our learning, we introduced a brand-new song,

Five Gingerbread men . https://youtu.be/wCZ3dzFK6BI Using a fresh new circle time prop similar to the others in previous units, the kids took turns removing a gingerbread man as we sang, keeping their hands and minds busy and engaged as they practice counting and numbers. This activity has quickly became a favorite. The repetition of doing this same activity each unit while changing up the song, keeps it familiar enough that the kids can confidently know what we’re doing, and also engaging enough that the kid’s never get sick of this activity. It’s always amazing to see how much they enjoy learning through music and play!

We said goodbye to our Thanksgiving turkeys and swapped them out for some festive gingerbread men. Each letter of the alphabet is now paired with an adorable gingerbread design, and the kids are having fun identifying their letters while getting into the holiday spirit.

Because there are so many delightful versions of The Gingerbread Man, we decided to read a different one each day this week. Each version offered its own unique twist, and the children loved comparing the stories and discussing the differences. It’s been a wonderful way to spark conversations about storytelling and imagination. I also sat back and enjoyed watching them as they recreated their own story time, and pretending to read stories to each other. These sweet moments are some of the most heartwarming in the world of early childhood. Its so amazing to just sit back and observe!

Our First Snowstorm of the Season

This week, we were shocked by just how much snow our first storm of the season brought! The kids left for thanksgiving break with only a few patches of ice in the puddles, and came back to a winter wonderland outside. Everything, including their outdoor toys, buried under a thick, fluffy blanket of white. We eagerly bundled up and headed out to explore. Our time spent digging in the dirt and jumping on logs has been replaced by giggles and excitement as we played hide-and-seek behind the towering, snow-covered trees, jumped into giant snowbanks, and zoomed down small hills on sleds. The sheer amount of snow made it all the more magical, turning our outdoor playtime into an unforgettable winter adventure! The laughter echoed through the crisp air as we discovered the endless fun the snow brings. It was a perfect way to celebrate the magic of winter while staying active and enjoying the beauty of nature!

If you’ve ever worked in the world of early childhood, you know that the coming weeks leading into Christmas get a little bit crazy. Knowing this, I tried to keep this week a bit more laid back before we get into the glitter filled weeks of Christmas crafts and holiday parties. It was a joyful cozy kickoff to the holiday season, filled with laughter, learning, and plenty of gingerbread-inspired fun. I can’t wait to continue building on this excitement as we get closer to Christmas and enjoying the magic of this season through the eyes of a young child!