ColorNest
Gingerbread has been baked as a special treat in Europe since the Middle Ages, when spices like ginger, cinnamon, and cloves were expensive luxury ingredients. The tradition of making gingerbread houses became popular in Germany in the early 1800s, inspired by the fairy tale of Hansel and Gretel. Today bakers use royal icing — a hard white frosting made from egg whites and powdered sugar — to stick candy decorations onto the walls and roof.
Coloring ideas: color the walls a warm golden brown like baked gingerbread, and make the roof a slightly darker shade. Use bright red and white alternating stripes on the candy canes. Give the round candy buttons on the walls assorted colors — imagine a random mix of red, green, purple, and yellow. The Christmas trees on either side can be deep green with different colored ornaments on each.
This highly detailed image is best for older kids and patient colorers. Younger children can focus on just the house front or just the path decorations. A fun activity: after coloring, try making a real gingerbread house with a grown-up and use it as a guide for how to decorate it.
