Make Graham Cracker Houses

These simple milk carton gingerbread houses are the perfect craft for the Christmas season. By using a milk carton as your base, this house is easily constructed and fun to decorate.

Graham Cracker House for Christmas

Crafts at Christmas time are an important tradition to have with the kids. They look forward to making them each year, making Christmas special. Like making this doily snowman, a popsicle stick keepsake ornament sled, and making salt dough ornaments

I was introduced to these cute, and simple milk carton graham cracker gingerbread houses when my oldest was in nursery school.  That’s the year I stopped buying the boxed gingerbread houses. We haven’t looked back since. These graham cracker houses are way too much fun.

What I love about this Graham Cracker House Christmas Crafts

• It is easy to build
• It is so much more fun than the store-bought gingerbread houses
• This is a great school party craft for Christmas.

Supplies Needed:

1. School Cafeteria Milk Carton, or something similar – small whipping cream cartons might work ***FYI – don’t hesitate to walk into lunch at school and ask the cafeteria workers. They usually throw the cartons away. They’ll probably even have them washed out for you.
2. 16 oz. White cake frosting
3. powdered sugar
4. graham crackers
5. low temp or hot glue gun and glue sticks (adults should do this part)
6. plate to put the house on (Paper, Styrofoam or plastic works best)
7. Various Christmas candies
   

Assembling the Gingerbread House

This carton is not from the cafeteria. It is an empty heavy whipping cream carton. They are not exactly the same, but very similar

Step One

Grab your clean and dry milk carton ( I put mine on the top shelf of the dishwasher to clean them)

Hot glue graham crackers to the sides of your carton

Step Two

Hot glue graham crackers to the roof.  Don’t get too picky here.  The frosting will cover any of the carton showing through.

Step Three

If you are using a whipping cream carton, then you’ll have a spout in your way. You’ll want to break the graham cracker square in half and glue them separately. Glue one half at the base of the roof, and then you can layer the other one over the spout

Step Four

Hot glue the graham cracker house to the plate. Place it in the back, leaving room for a front sidewalk.

To make the peaks in the roof. I like to saw a square graham cracker piece at a diagonal. I use these pieces for the sides of the roof. When trying to get those triangle cuts for the side of the roof, take a square and USE A SAWING MOTION on the graham cracker.  Press down VERY LIGHTLY, and pretend you saw a piece of wood with your butter knife.  I don’t know how many I broke pushing down, trying to slice the square into two triangles.

You can also use scissors to cut the graham cracker, but you’ll need to go slow and use gentle pressure.

Adding a Chimney

(optional)

this house is from a cafeteria milk carton

The top of the carton peaks out just enough to give room for a cute little chimney

Frosting 101

I add about 3/4 cup up to 1 cup of powdered sugar to 16 oz. frosting to thicken it.  This keeps the candies from sliding off the roof and walls.  It also dries nice and hard.

Candy Ideas for Gingerbread Houses

I found the best and least expensive selection at none other than Dollar Tree.  They have awesome candy to choose from.  Plus, everything is $1.

• Sixlets
• Gumdrops
• candy canes
• Christmas Peeps
• gummy shapes
• peppermint candy
• M&Ms
• candy canes
• Hershey’s Kisses
• Hershey’s Chocolate Bars

Decorating

Frost the house and start adding candy

I found it best to get the divider trays for each kid and portion the frosting and candy out before they sat at their house.  There is less fighting that way. Throw-away foil cupcake tins work perfectly for this.

Now, let them get creative.  My almost 2-year-old even caught on after watching the older kids.  He is so proud of his house.

Display, and enjoy.   Make a bet on whose house has the most candy left by Christmas.  You’d be amazed at how some of the decorations seem to just disappear off the houses. Must be those impish elves

Expert Tips

Don’t hesitate to call the school and ask the cafeteria workers for used milk cartons. They usually throw the cartons away. They’ll probably even have them washed out for you.

Use a divider like a foil cupcake tin and divide the Christmas candy up for the kids. This way they each have equal amounts of candy and they can concentrate on getting creative

Classroom Party Tips:

• Have frosting in individual Dixie Cups (kids will eat the frosting, and you don’t want those germs returning to a community bowl).
• Take a few bowls for each table and divide the candy into bowls.

FAQs

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Melissa
KidFriendlyThingsToDo.Com – Providing fun kid-friendly activities, recipes, ideas, and crafts to do with kids.