Good days start with one good idea.Make something. Play something. ↗
fun things
to do.Find my fun ↗

CHRISTMAS OR WINTER · MAKE SOMETHING WORTH REMEMBERING

Folded-paper gingerbread village

Fold a row of little brown-paper houses with white drawn icing—no baking or candy required.

35 min hands-on1–6 makersAges 6+ with adult helpEasy4 illustrated steps ↓

About 35 minutes for the first house; allow extra time for additional buildings.

Small folded brown-cardstock houses have white drawn icing, pitched paper roofs and green paper trees.
One way your finished project could look.

A LITTLE INSPIRATION

See it. Make it.
Make it yours.

Start with this finished example, then follow the four illustrated steps below. Choose the colors and details that feel like you.

Gather your supplies ↓Follow the steps ↓

Project and step images are AI-generated illustrations. About our images

Let’s make it.

  1. A flat four-panel brown-cardstock house strip with two triangular gables and a narrow end tab.

    Step 1

    Cut a brown cardstock rectangle 21 × 9 cm. Mark vertical folds at 5, 10, 15 and 20 cm, leaving a 1 cm joining tab. Mark a horizontal line 6 cm above the bottom for the wall tops. In the remaining 3 cm above that line, draw triangular gables over the first and third panels; cut around them and trim the tops of the other panels to the wall line.

  2. White doors, windows and icing lines decorate the flat brown-cardstock house panels.

    Step 2

    While the house is still flat, draw a door, windows and simple white icing lines on the four wall panels. Keep the narrow joining tab undecorated. Let marker ink dry before folding.

  3. The decorated walls form an open square house beside a separate brown roof folded down its middle.

    Step 3

    Fold the four wall corners along the marked lines, then tape or glue the 1 cm tab inside the opposite end to make a square house. Cut a separate brown roof rectangle about 7 × 12 cm and fold it in half across its length to create two 7 × 6 cm roof slopes.

  4. The roof is attached to the paper house and a second house and folded green tree complete the village.

    Step 4

    Draw white scallops on the roof and secure it to the gable edges with small pieces of tape on the inside. Make a second house if you like, then arrange the village with simple folded green paper trees.

A little help: Display as unlit paper houses. Keep the village away from candles, hot bulbs and heaters.

KEEP THE GOOD TIME GOING

What shall we try next?

MAKE IT · Santa’s workshop

Santa’s Workshop Cardboard Door

Build a tabletop elf-workshop entrance with a green paper door, a candy-striped frame, and cheerful paper toy shapes beside it.

55 min hands-on · 1–3 makers
Ages 8+ with adult cutting

Supplies & steps ↗

More Christmas or winter crafts, recipes & ideas ↗