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Printable Gingerbread House Kit (DIY Template for Kids)
Create a festive gingerbread house with this printable DIY kit for kids and families. Includes templates and instructions. Instant download.
Guessing dimensions without a Printable Gingerbread House Kit
Creating a gingerbread house is one of the most magical holiday traditions—but baking, cutting, and assembling can feel overwhelming, especially with kids. This printable gingerbread house kit makes it simple to enjoy the fun without the stress.
Designed for families, classrooms, and holiday parties, this DIY kit gives you everything you need to build a festive gingerbread house using easy-to-follow templates and instructions.
👉 Get the Printable Gingerbread House Kit
Instant digital download – perfect for kids and families
What Is a Printable Gingerbread House Kit?
A printable gingerbread house kit is a digital download that includes pre-sized templates and instructions you can print at home. Instead of guessing measurements or struggling with fragile baked pieces, you’ll have a clear plan that makes assembling a gingerbread house much easier—especially with kids helping.
This kit works whether you:
Bake your own gingerbread
Use graham crackers
Want a practice run before making an edible version
What’s Included in the Gingerbread House Kit
✔ Printable gingerbread house templates (PDF)
✔ Step-by-step building instructions
✔ Decorating ideas that work for kids
✔ Tips to help prevent cracking and collapsing
✔ Instant digital download (no waiting!)
Why Families Love This Gingerbread House Kit
Why Families Love This Gingerbread House Kit
Kid-friendly: Simple shapes and clear instructions
Low stress: No guesswork or complicated measuring
Reusable: Print and use year after year
Flexible: Works with gingerbread, graham crackers, or cardboard
This makes it a great option for:
Christmas Eve traditions
Holiday baking with kids
Classroom or homeschool activities
Family holiday parties
How to Use the Printable Gingerbread House Kit
Download and print the templates on standard 8.5×11 paper
Cut out the template pieces
Roll dough and using your template pieces, cut around dough creating panels (roof, side, front, and back)
Bake your house panels
Decorate with your favorite sprinkles or treats
Assemble using royal icing or buttercream frosting
Display and enjoy!
The instructions are written so kids can follow along with adult help.
Gingerbread House vs. Sugar Cookie House
If you love decorating but want an easier edible option, you might also enjoy making a sugar cookie house instead of a gingerbread house.
👉 See our Sugar Cookie House Tutorial for Kids
(Perfect if you want softer cookies and less breakage)
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this a physical gingerbread house kit?
No. This is a digital download that you print at home. Ingredients and candy are not included.
Is this gingerbread house kit good for kids?
Yes! It’s designed to be kid-friendly and works best with adult supervision.
What paper size should I use?
Standard US Letter (8.5×11). No special printer needed.
Can I reuse this kit every year?
Yes. Once purchased, you can print and reuse it for personal use.
Make Gingerbread Houses a Holiday Tradition
Creating a gingerbread house doesn’t have to be complicated to be special. With this printable gingerbread house kit, you can skip the stress and focus on what matters most—making memories, laughing through the decorating mess, and starting a holiday tradition your family will look forward to year after year. Whether you’re baking with kids, hosting a classroom activity, or planning a cozy Christmas afternoon at home, this easy DIY kit helps turn a simple idea into a meaningful experience.
This printable gingerbread house kit takes the pressure out of holiday baking and lets you focus on what matters—making memories together.
👉 Get the Printable Gingerbread House Kit – Instant Download
More Baking Posts:
How to Make a Sugar Cookie Gingerbread House (Recipe and Template included)
Love decorating gingerbread houses but prefer sugar cookies? This sturdy sugar cookie house recipe includes step-by-step assembly tips, buttercream decorating ideas and a free printable gingerbread house template.
Pink sugar cookie gingerbread house decorated with buttercream icing and sprinkles
Sugar Cookie Gingerbread House: Tips for a Sturdy, Easy House
Want a gingerbread house that’s cute, sweet, and actually easy to build? This sugar-cookie gingerbread house is one of my favorite holiday traditions — simple to make, sturdy enough for decorating, and perfect for kids or beginners. In this guide, I’ll share the full recipe, step-by-step instructions, the exact tools I use, my best decorating tips, and troubleshooting tricks so your house comes out picture-perfect every time.
Whether you're hosting a Christmas cookie party or creating a cozy holiday moment at home, this sugar cookie gingerbread house is a festive project that everyone will love.
I wouldn’t call myself a baker, though I love to make cookies and cupcakes. My best friend, and realtor: Holly Patterson, had her annual Christmas Gingerbread House Contest and when I saw her post, I thought, “I wish I liked Gingerbread.” To go through all the trouble to make something I didn’t like seemed silly. That’s when I started the research. I can’t be the only one, someone must’ve tried this before! I found fancy houses and then I found Studio DIY. First off, I follow Kelly on Instagram and was inspired after reading her post. I went down a long rabbit hole of research and I was pretty pleased with the results! I was looking at recipes and ways to avoid going out to buy cream of tartar or molasses, things I never use. The good news, I didn’t have to go anywhere and had everything I needed in my pantry (my huge sprinkle collection finally came in handy)!
I didn’t even know where to begin, and started asking things like: how do you make the house shapes? Do you put the frosting on before or after you construct the gingerbread house? What design should I do? I then did what I do best, I made a Pinterest Gingerbread House Ideas board to collect my thoughts and inspiration. After I had my gameplan, I was ready to start!
Note: I keep calling it a Gingerbread house because you can use the template for a Sugar Cookie House or a Gingerbread House.
Looking for more sugar cookie house ideas beyond Christmas?
See our complete Sugar Cookie House Guide for easy builds, kid-friendly designs, and creative ideas for more holidays including Valentine’s Day, a Leprechaun Trap, a Bunny Cottage, Snoopy’s Dog House and more.
📄 Free Printable Gingerbread House Template
No need to measure your own walls and roof pieces! Use my free printable house template with the sugar cookie recipe below.
Sugar Cookie Gingerbread House Template and Plan
What You Need to Make a Sugar Cookie House
🛍️ Shop our favorite sugar cookie decorating tools and supplies on Amazon → My Favorite Baking Supplies List
Baking Essentials
Stand Mixer
Silicone Baking Mats
Cooling Racks
Rolling Pin
Parchment Paper Sheets
Cookie Cutter Set
Decorating Tools
Piping Bags + Tips
Edible Glitter Decorations
Holiday Sprinkles
Icing Scraper
Food Coloring Gel Pack
Display & Extras
Gingerbread House Display Board
LED Fairylights (fun lights outside or inside!)
Sugar Cookie House Recipe
Plan ahead! I did a sketch and made my own template based on other templates I saw. I was worried the sugar cookie would be a little crumbly, so I made a smaller house by taking an inch off of every measurement in this Gingerbread House blueprint template. I followed the recipe from Better Homes & Gardens but tweaked it a little:
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Chill Time: 1 hour
Bake Time: 12–15 minutes
Total Time: About 2 hours
Yield: 1 Sugar Cookie House
Ingredients
2 cups butter, softened
1 ¼ cup sugar
2 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract (I love Vanillas of the World)
4 ½ cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup rainbow sprinkles
2 cups buttercream icing (see recipe in next section below)
Use a pizza cutter for those edges!
Directions - Sugar Cookie Dough That Holds Its Shape
Step 1 - Preheat oven to 325F.
Step 2 - In a large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar; beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in 1 tablespoon milk and 1 teaspoon vanilla at a time (2x each total). Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. With a wooden spoon (or cute spatula), stir in sprinkles and any remaining flour.
Step 3 - Divide dough in half. Cover and chill about 1 hour or until dough is easy to handle. You can refrigerate the cookie dough for up to 2 days. On large sheets of parchment paper or Silpat mats (less slippery) roll out dough portions to 1/4-inch thick. Lightly flour the top of the dough as necessary to keep it from sticking to the rolling pin. Pro Tip: I lined my cookie sheet with parchment paper so I could cut the excess dough and throw them in the oven!
Step 4 - Using my gingerbread house template, set pattern pieces on the dough; use a sharp knife (or roll a pizza slicer) to cut around each pattern piece. Remove excess dough. Remove pattern pieces; set aside.
Step 5 - Transfer dough cutouts on parchment paper to a large cookie sheet. I pop mine in the freezer for 10 mins so they keep their shape better. Then, bake in the preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool 2 minutes on pan. Remove to wire racks and cool completely. Use a knife (or pizza slicer) to cut edges evenly, if necessary. Use excess to make trees, snowmen, or gingerbread men shapes.
Pro Tip: Avoid overbaking the pieces. Very thick cookies may need extra baking time, but overbaked edges can become dry and crumble when trimmed.
Step 6 - Decorate as desired with buttercream icing (see recipe below), candies, and decorative sprinkles. Refrigerate for 20 mins. Assemble cookie house, using buttercream icing as glue. Let stand until firm.
Cut the pieces to the size of the template.
Best Frosting or Icing for a Sugar Cookie Gingerbread House
Royal Icing vs Buttercream Icing… I read you have to use Royal Icing to make pieces stick together. I love the taste of buttercream frosting so I thought I’d give it a try and use toothpicks if it didn’t work. Guess what, I didn’t need those toothpicks! After a week… it’s still standing!
Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted if possible
1-2 tablespoons milk
Divide and add food coloring
Directions
Cream room temperature butter with a hand mixer, the paddle attachment of a stand mixer, or a wooden spoon until smooth and fluffy. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until fully incorporated. Beat in vanilla extract.
Pour in milk and beat for an additional 3-4 minutes. Add food coloring, if using, and beat for thirty seconds until smooth or until desired color is reached.
Decorating Your Sugar Cookie Gingerbread House
Here’s my advice:
I used my frosting tip kit to help make it look more professional, but you can also cut a small hole in the corner of a plastic bag.
Here are a few icing tips and tricks I have found over the years:
Make sure frosting is not too soft and not too hard. It should have a little peak at the end if you dip a spoon in.
If you are making colors, make sure you set enough aside to use as glue for your house. You can always make white a different color but you can’t go back to white without making more!
After inserting the tip into your piping bag, place it in a pint glass or similar, then open the top of the bag and fold over the top of the glass to get the icing in.
I have a huge sprinkle collection which came in handy! The ManvsSprinkles shop on Amazon has some great options! I found some good sprinkles (especially holiday themed ones) from stores like Target, Home Goods, Ross, or TJ Maxx.
I refrigerated the decorated pieces for 20 mins after I had my design so they were a little more solid and the frosting would set a bit. This gave me time to clean up some of my mess and switch my frosting to a new bag so I could use a different tip for the icing to use as glue for the house assembly.
Pro Tip: Put the decorated pieces in the fridge for 20 mins to help the frosting set
Tips for Making a Sturdy Gingerbread House
I used soup cans to lean the pieces against while frosting the edges of my next piece. Once I had two pieces sticking together, it was pretty solid so I was able to put all the pieces together without a side falling over.
Hold the sugar cookie house pieces up with soup cans
How to Assemble the House Step by Step
Plan ahead and figure out where your house is going to live (because it is hard to move it).
Put parchment paper down or directly on the plate.
Make an Icing base for the front of the house and stick it down. Lean it against the soup can.
Add frosting to the bottom of sides of the house and along the side that will connect to the front.
Carefully and gently push the side into place, do the same with the other side.
Line the bottom and sides of your back with frosting and connect to the house.
Let it set for 10 minutes or so before applying the roof.
Smother the top of your house with frosting add one side of the roof and then connect the other. I put frosting in between the peak of the roof too.
I added more frosting to the corners to make it looks smoother.
Pro Tip: Don’t use too much frosting on the roof or it will collapse!
And voilà:
Gingerbread House design idea - cat in the window
Back of Sugar Cookie Gingerbread house
See every angle of the Sugar Cookie Gingerbread house!
Love Christmas + trucks? Meet The Trucks That Saved Christmas
The Trucks that Saved Christmas written by yours truly!
I wrote a children’s book! My favorite thing to do is read with my boys. I love watching their faces light up as they laugh at a funny moment or learn a good life lesson along the way.
We read a lot of truck books around here — and my favorites are always the Christmas ones, of course! 🚒🎄
This year, I felt inspired to create one of our own. I’m beyond excited to share that I’ve written and published The Trucks that Saved Christmas, now available on Amazon! Also available on Barnes and Noble, Walmart, IngramSpark, and other retailers!
It’s a rhyming, heartwarming story about teamwork, friendship, and helping Santa when he needs it most — perfect for little readers who love trucks and holiday magic.
If you have a truck-loving kid (or know someone who does), I’d be so grateful if you checked it out, shared it, or added it to your holiday reading list.
🎁✨ Thank you for being so sweet and supporting this little Christmas dream of mine!
See more about The Trucks that Saved Christmas, free printable activity sheets, and other books.
FAQ
Can You Make a Gingerbread House With Sugar Cookies?
Yes! That's exactly how this sugar cookie gingerbread house started. If you love decorating gingerbread houses but prefer the taste of sugar cookies, you can use a sturdy sugar cookie dough instead. The key is using a recipe that holds its shape, cutting the pieces evenly and letting them cool completely before assembly.
Can I Make a Sugar Cookie House Instead of Gingerbread?
Absolutely. A sugar cookie house is a great alternative to a traditional gingerbread house if you prefer the buttery, vanilla flavor of sugar cookies. The most important thing is to use a sugar cookie dough that holds its shape while baking so the walls and roof pieces fit together properly. You can assemble and decorate it just like a gingerbread house, and my printable house template works with either sugar cookie dough or gingerbread.
Why did my gingerbread house collapse?
Usually the icing wasn’t fully dried or the pieces weren’t cut evenly. Make sure edges are straight and let the icing harden for at least 10–15 minutes before adding the roof.
Can I make the dough ahead?
Yes! Refrigerate up to 2 days or freeze up to 1 week.
Does this recipe work with gingerbread instead of sugar cookie dough?
Yes. The printable template can be used with either gingerbread or sugar cookie dough. I use sugar cookie dough because my family prefers the flavor, and this recipe is designed to hold its shape well enough for building.
How do I make my sugar cookie dough hold its shape?
Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes before rolling, I recommend an hour, and freeze the cut pieces for 10 minutes before baking.
Does This Sugar Cookie House Recipe Use Eggs?
No. My sugar cookie house dough or icing does not use eggs. If you're looking for an egg-free alternative to a traditional gingerbread house, this dough can be used with the printable house template and assembled the same way.
What icing is the best gingerbread house glue?
Royal icing or “edible glue” is strongest. Buttercream tends to soften at room temperature but I haven’t had any issues.
How long will a sugar cookie gingerbread house last?
About 5–7 days at room temperature, or up to 2 weeks if you’re keeping it for decoration only.
Can I make the pieces ahead?
Yes! Bake the pieces up to 2–3 days in advance and store in an airtight container.
Troubleshooting Your Gingerbread House
My dough cracked while rolling.
It’s too cold—knead slightly until smooth.
The pieces puffed or spread in the oven.
Freeze cut shapes before baking and avoid overmixing.
The roof keeps sliding off.
Add more icing to the top edge and let it dry longer before adding decorations.
My icing is too runny.
Add more powdered sugar 1 tablespoon at a time.
If you make your own sugar cookie gingerbread house, I'd love to hear how it turns out! And don't forget to grab the free printable house template before you start.
Looking for more ideas? See all of my Sugar Cookie Houses, including Christmas, Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Easter and Halloween designs.
More Holiday blog posts:
See my favorite cookie house ideas for Christmas, Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter and Halloween, including sugar cookie houses, a chocolate haunted house and one reusable printable template.