Gingerbread Friends | Christmas Loose Parts & Playdough Mats
Two little gingerbread friends are waiting to be decorated!
Meet our adorable Gingerbread Friends, a beautifully illustrated pair of gingerbread characters ready for little hands and big imaginations!
Featuring a smiling gingerbread boy and girl, complete with delicate icing details and soft watercolour finishes, these printable mats are perfect for inviting children to explore creativity, fine motor skills and imaginative play throughout the festive season.
Designed with simplicity in mind, each character has plenty of space for children to add their own decorations using playdough, loose parts and other creative materials.
Will your gingerbread friends have colourful buttons, sparkling decorations, a cosy scarf or perhaps a whole new outfit? The possibilities are endless!
How could you use them?
Loose parts decorating: Provide buttons, pom-poms, wooden shapes or other suitable loose parts for children to decorate their gingerbread friends.
Playdough invitations: Encourage children to roll, pinch and shape playdough to create buttons, bows, scarves and decorations.
Early maths: Invite children to add a certain number of buttons, count decorations or explore patterns and symmetry.
Fine motor exploration: Support hand strength, coordination and finger control through placing, pressing and manipulating small materials.
Creative expression: Allow children to design their own gingerbread characters, choosing colours, patterns and decorations independently.
Festive storytelling: Encourage children to name their gingerbread friends and imagine their adventures in a little Christmas bakery.
Sensory play: Pair the mats with gingerbread-inspired sensory materials for an inviting festive activity.
What's included?
1 A4 landscape printable featuring two gingerbread characters
A gingerbread boy and gingerbread girl with simple icing details
1 additional Gingerbread Friends display sign
Soft watercolour illustrations in warm, natural tones
Digital PDF download, ready to print
Supporting early learning
These versatile mats offer opportunities to develop:
Fine motor strength and hand and eye coordination
Creativity and imaginative thinking
Counting, sorting, patterns and early mathematical language
Communication and language
Independence, decision-making and problem-solving
Concentration and perseverance
Perfect for childminders, nurseries, preschool classrooms, Reception and home education.
A little note from The Early Years Edit
Sometimes the simplest resources create the most wonderful learning opportunities.
A handful of loose parts, a little playdough and two gingerbread friends can become an entire morning of creativity, conversation and discovery.
There are no instructions to follow, no finished example to copy and no right or wrong way to decorate. Just an open-ended invitation for children to explore, create and make something entirely their own.
Print and laminate for repeated use throughout the festive season!
Digital download only. No physical product will be posted. Playdough, loose parts and additional play resources are not included. Always select age-appropriate materials and supervise loose parts play, particularly with younger children.
