How to draw a gingerbread man
Draw along here, then watch it take a bow. Free, with no ads, no sign-up and nothing uploaded.
- Draw a round head
- Two sausage arms
- A body and two legs
- Color him brown
- Wiggly icing lines
- Three round buttons
- A smile and pink cheeks
How to draw a gingerbread man in 8 steps
To draw a gingerbread man, draw a circle for the head, one rounded arm on each side, then a body that splits into two stubby legs. Color him all brown and add wavy lines of icing, three round buttons, rosy cheeks and a big smile. It takes eight steps and about ten minutes.
You need brown, sky blue, red, green, yellow, black and pink crayons, and paper if you are away from the screen.
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Step 1Draw a round head
Draw a circle near the top of the page. A gingerbread man has a big head for his body, so make it a good size.
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Step 2Add two rounded arms
Draw a line out from under the head on one side, around the end like a sausage and back toward the middle. Do the same on the other side.
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Step 3Draw the body and legs
From under each arm, draw a line down and out to a stubby rounded foot, then back up to the middle so the two legs meet.
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Step 4Color him brown
Scribble brown over the head and body with a fat crayon. Cookies are never all one shade, so a patchy color is right.
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Step 5Add the icing
Draw a wavy line in blue across each wrist and each ankle. Real icing is white, but on brown a pale blue crayon shows up better.
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Step 6Press on three buttons
Press a fat crayon down three times in a line down his tummy: red, green and yellow, like candy.
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Step 7Draw a smile and rosy cheeks
Draw a big curved smile in black, and press a pink dot on each side of it.
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Step 8Give it eyes
Draw two black dots above the smile, or two white circles with a black dot in each, so they stand out against the brown. On the screen, press Bring it to life, then tap twice and two googly eyes stick on.
Easier or harder, for any age
Most children can copy a circle at about three and a triangle at about five, so the shapes set the level. The sources are in our guide to what a child can draw at each age.
- Ages 3 and 4
- Draw the outline for them in one go, a bit like a star with a round head, and let them do the scribbling, the buttons and the cheeks. Scribbling inside a big shape is just right for a two- or three-year-old.
- Ages 5 and 6
- Follow the steps as they are. The arms and legs are the tricky part, because each one goes out and comes back. Saying “out, around and back” aloud as the crayon moves helps at this age.
- Ages 7 and 8
- Draw a whole gingerbread house behind him, add a bite out of one arm or leg, and give him a friend with a skirt and a bow.
Make your gingerbread man your own
- Take a bite out of one arm
- Give him a bow tie or a hat
- Draw him running with his legs apart
- Make a whole family, in a row
Then your gingerbread man takes the stage
Press Bring it to life and scissors go around the drawing. It lifts off the page as a paper puppet, gets two googly eyes and hops onto a little lit stage at the North Pole. From there every key or tap makes it jump, spin or sneeze while a sleigh crosses the moon, snow blows in and a present drops from above. The show is saved as a short video on your device.
A drawing page safe for small hands
This page is for children, so it is kept apart from the rest of the shop. Children’s privacy notice
- Cost
- Free, with nothing to buy to play.
- Ads
- None, and no advertising pixels, session recording or advertising cookies on this page.
- Sign-up
- None. No account, no names, no email, nothing to fill in.
- Drawings
- Made and kept on this device. Nothing is uploaded.
- Works on
- A phone, tablet or computer, in the browser, with no app to install.
What to draw next
Keep a drawing forever
A drawing that has just taken a bow can be stitched in real thread or kept on a necklace. From the grown-up gate it goes straight into the studio, and you see how it comes out before you order.
Questions about drawing a gingerbread man
Anything else, write to hello@thecuriousthing.com.
What makes a drawing look like a gingerbread man?
Rounded ends on the arms and legs, with no hands, feet or neck, then icing across the wrists and ankles. Those details make it look like a cookie from a cutter rather than a brown person.
How do you draw icing on a gingerbread man with crayons?
A white crayon hardly shows on top of brown, so use pale blue for the wavy lines, or leave gaps in the brown and let the paper show through. Another way is to draw the icing in white crayon first and brush watery brown paint over it: the wax resists the paint, and the line shows through.
Is this drawing website free, with no ads and no sign-up?
Yes. There is nothing to pay, no ads, no account and no email to give. It runs in the browser on a phone, tablet or computer. Nothing a child draws is uploaded: the drawing, the puppet and the show stay on your device. Read the children’s privacy notice.
Can we do it on real paper instead?
Yes. Every step is written out on this page with a picture. If you draw it on paper, tap the cross on the page, choose Upload a drawing and take a photo. The paper is removed on your device, and the gingerbread man still goes on the stage.