The Gingerbread Man is always a favorite topic among little learners! Throughout the month of December, I love to read several variations of the Gingerbread Man, make gingerbread houses, and set up gingerbread man centers for reviewing a variety of math and literacy skills. With “The Case of the Missing Cookie” escape room, students are highly engaged as they complete six to eight different gingerbread man centers and challenges to eliminate suspects and discover the cookie snatching culprit!

Gingerbread Man Escape Room

I like to introduce “The Case of the Missing Cookie” Christmas escape room by reading a note from the old lady. This boosts engagement and gets students excited for our Gingerbread man centers.

“Where, oh, where,

Is the gingerbread man?

Find him, find him,

If you can!

Someone took our treat,

From the plate.

Hurry, hurry,

Before it’s too late!

Complete each challenge.

Then, read the clue.

Eliminate the suspects,

And save him too!”

Once the stage is set, it is time for the detectives to put together their case files. The easiest way to do this is with a file folder, but using a large sheet of construction paper folded in half works great too.

These case files will be where students keep all of their completed gingerbread man center activities and suspect elimination sheet.

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Gingerbread Man Centers Set Up

Prep is simple and easy for these gingerbread man centers!

The first step is to set up the challenges by either adding them to a manila envelope or using a basket or tub. I prefer to use a large envelope, as it makes their detective work seem more authentic.

If you want to drop the mystery aspect or do not have manila envelopes, baskets, or tubs, you can just complete the activities as regular centers too!

There are six or eight different challenges the students will need to work through in order to solve The Case of the Missing Cookie!

Once the students complete one of the math or literacy centers, they will receive a clue from the guilty suspect.

Based on the clue, a suspect will be eliminated. 

At the end of all eight challenges, one guilty suspect will remain and the case will be solved!

Gingerbread Man Centers for Literacy

There are four literacy center activities included. Students will practice word families, CVC words, digraphs, and composing sentences. Here is a more in depth look at what the students will work on during each literacy center:

To solve the “Present Challenge,” the students will segment the CVC word and match the correct present to Santa’s sack.

When they arrive at the “Gingerbread Man Challenge,” the students will need to identify the beginning digraph (ch, sh, th and wh), in order to get their next clue.

At the “Train Challenge,” students will need to identify the word family as they build each train.

Last up for literacy centers is the “Light Challenge.” At this center, the students will build each sentence, write the missing word, and color the lights to match.

Gingerbread Man Centers for Math

The math centers are just as exciting as the literacy centers! Students will review decomposing ten, identifying missing numbers 0-20, ordering numbers and counting by 10s, and building number sense with subitzing. Here is a little more detail on what’s included:

At the “Peppermint Challenge,” the students will count the peppermints and color the ten frame.

Students use a number line to identify the missing number, at the “Stocking Challenge.”

When they reach the “Ornament Challenge,” they will order the ornaments by 10s.

Once they make it to the final challenge, the “Tree Challenge,” they will need to assemble each tree with the correct number, domino, and ten frame.

The Case of the Missing Cookie Escape Room

Grab “The Case of the Missing Cooking,” including all eight math and literacy centers, here!

More Gingerbread Man Activities

Work on retelling with this simple Gingerbread Man retelling bracelet and FREE emergent reader!

Have fun exploring the five senses with this FREE gingerbread cookie investigation!

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