Christmas Party Activity for Kids

Here’s a fun activity you can do with your kids this Christmas: Make “gingerbread” houses out of graham crackers and decorate them with candy. I used to do this as a kid.

20131213-121226.jpg

Last night, during a gathering Edric and I had with our bible study group, the kids made their candy houses. My friend, Marilen, made the prototype above for the kids to copy. They had a blast putting their creativity to good use.

The key to making a house that stands is the royal icing. Mix 2 egg yokes with a teaspoon of lemon juice. Add powdered sugar in batches to test consistency while mixing. If the icing has peanut butter stickiness it’s ready to be used as the “glue” for the graham crackers and candies.

Check out wiki how for detailed instructions. This site was super helpful!

The recipe for the icing is so easy I had the kids make it. They got a good biceps workout because the hand mixer wasn’t working. But, a kitchen whisk worked just fine. Then they put the icing into a thick freezer ziploc bag and snipped off a tiny bit off one corner.

Candies and sweets were laid out for the kids to use as their decorations and they got right to it.
20131213-120556.jpg20131213-120603.jpg20131213-120613.jpg20131213-120620.jpg20131213-120628.jpg20131213-120634.jpg
20131213-120910.jpg

20131213-121036.jpg
The graham cracker houses are easier to decorate when they sit for a little bit after connecting all the sides and the roof. Otherwise, it can get frustrating for the kids when it accidentally topples over while they are sticking on the candies.

Their creations (safe to eat just mind the sugar content)…

20131213-121131.jpg

20131213-121146.jpg

20131213-121153.jpg

20131213-121200.jpg

20131213-121206.jpg

4 thoughts on “Christmas Party Activity for Kids

  1. Have you had any trouble with ants though? Pls. share your tips if you have any. That’s the one thing that’s keeping me from doing this project in tropical weather. Thanks!

  2. super thanks! I’ve always been thrilled with gingerbread houses from my readings but never really took it upon me to make one. Now I can do it in class or with my nieces and nephews 🙂 It seems so easy to do after all! 🙂

Leave a Reply to Jane Go Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *