How to Draw a Gingerbread House (Easy Step-by-Step for Kids)

To draw a gingerbread house, start with a square house and a triangle roof. Add a wavy line of icing along the roof, then a door and windows. Finish with a chimney, candy dots and two candy canes.

Finished cartoon gingerbread house with white icing, red and green candy dots, yellow windows and candy canes
The finished gingerbread house
Steps
6 easy steps
You need
  • Pencil
  • Eraser
  • Black marker
  • Brown, yellow, red and green crayons

Updated

Teaching this to a class?

Show one step at a time on the board and wait for the class before the next. The directed drawing for kids page explains how to run it.

How to draw a gingerbread house step by step

  1. A square house shape with a triangle roof on top

    Step 1 of 6: Draw a square house with a triangle roof on top.

  2. A thick band of bumpy icing along both roof edges, with the straight line under the roof erased

    Step 2 of 6: Add a wavy line of icing under both roof edges, then erase the straight line under the roof.

  3. An arched door with a round knob in the middle of the house, and a round window with a cross above it

    Step 3 of 6: Draw an arched door in the middle and a round window above it.

  4. A square window on each side of the door and a chimney on the roof

    Step 4 of 6: Add a square window on each side of the door and a chimney on the roof.

  5. Round candy dots along the roof icing and a candy cane on each side of the door

    Step 5 of 6: Draw candy dots along the icing and a candy cane on each side of the door.

  6. The gingerbread house colored brown with white icing, red and green candy dots, yellow windows, a brown door and red and white candy canes

    Step 6 of 6: Color the walls brown, the windows yellow, and the candy dots red and green.

Tips for little artists

  • Tip: Press lightly with the pencil first. Trace the lines you like with the marker, then erase the rest.

  • Tip: Draw the icing as a row of little bumps. Bumpy icing looks thick and sweet.

  • Tip: Leave the icing white. The white paper looks like real frosting.

Make it yours

  • Snowy house

    Add a snowy hill under the house and a few snowflakes in the sky.

  • Gumdrop path

    Draw a curvy path from the door with round gumdrops along both sides.

  • Gingerbread family home

    Draw a small gingerbread man waving next to the door.

Common mistakes and easy fixes

  • The roof is too small

    Let the roof hang a little past both walls. The overhang makes room for the icing.

  • The door floats in the air

    Start the door at the bottom line of the house. Doors always touch the ground.

  • The candy dots crowd together

    Space the dots evenly along the icing. Draw one at each end first, then fill in the middle.

Fun facts about the gingerbread house

  • Gingerbread houses first appeared in the 17th century. (Source: Britannica)

  • Gingerbread houses became more popular after the Brothers Grimm published the tale of Hansel and Gretel in 1812. (Source: Britannica)

  • In 2013, a gingerbread house in Bryan, Texas, was certified as the largest ever built. It measured 60 feet long and 42 feet wide. (Source: Guinness World Records)

Questions grown-ups ask

How do you draw a gingerbread house easy?

Draw a square house with a triangle roof. Add wavy icing, a door, windows and some candy dots. The 6 steps above follow that order.

How do you draw a cute gingerbread house?

Use round shapes everywhere: an arched door, a round window and bumpy icing. Candy canes by the door and bright candy dots make it look sweet.

How do you draw a simple gingerbread house?

Draw a square and a triangle roof, then add a door and a wavy icing line. Color it brown and stop there, or add candy later.

If the icing came out lumpy, that's perfect. Lumpy icing looks homemade. More easy drawings for kids are on the home page.

Step 1 of 6

A square house shape with a triangle roof on top
Draw a square house with a triangle roof on top.