How to Draw a Gingerbread Man
A gingerbread man is drawn like a cookie cutter: thick, round shapes with no thin bits. The arms are chunky with round ends. The round head overlaps the top of a tall oval body a little, and the two short legs point slightly outward, each ending in a round foot.
Face, bow tie and buttons
Dot eyes and a smile come first, then a bow tie under the chin. Draw the round knot before the triangle on each side. Three round buttons go evenly down the middle of the body. Box seven adds wavy icing across the arms and legs.
The finished cookie
Box eight shows the whole cookie. Box nine is an empty dashed space with the words Your turn, and in each box the new lines are orange and the older ones black. Page two lists the seven steps next to a small finished drawing, with one large box marked Draw yours here. The sheet is marked for ages 3 to 5. The round shapes make it a gentle first figure, while older children can add their own icing patterns or a hat. There is also an animation of about 16 seconds and a dashed gray outline for tracing. Shrinking the page makes the step boxes smaller and harder to copy, so the A4 or Letter PDF is best printed at 100 percent.
Draw a gingerbread man in 7 steps
Draw a round head and an oval body.
Draw two chunky arms with round ends.
Add two short legs with round feet.
Give him dot eyes and a big smile.
Add a bow tie under his chin.
Draw three round buttons.
Finish with wavy icing on arms and legs.
Tips to make your gingerbread man drawing easy
- Let the head circle overlap the top of the oval body a little.
- Keep the arms thick with round ends, like the shape of a cookie cutter.
- Draw the legs as short tubes that point slightly outward.
- Place the round knot of the bow tie first, then add a triangle on each side.
- Space the three buttons evenly down the middle of the body.
- Move the pencil up and down like a snake to make the icing.
Gingerbread Man outline to print and trace
Print the finished outline on its own: trace over it with a pencil to learn the shapes, or use the dashed tracing sheet for younger kids who are still building pencil control. Both fit A4 and US Letter.
Color your gingerbread man
Finished drawing? Print one of our 2 gingerbread man coloring pages to color the same character in 2 difficulty levels, or color your own drawing with the step sheet beside you.
More gingerbread man activities
Frequently asked questions
Where does the bow tie begin?
With the round knot, drawn under the chin in step 5. A triangle goes on each side of it afterward, which is the easiest order to follow.
How far apart should the three buttons be?
Evenly, in a line down the middle of the body. All three round buttons go on in step 6, and the wavy icing follows in step 7.
How is the icing drawn?
As a wavy line across each arm and leg in step 7. Moving the pencil up and down like a snake makes the wave.
Is it easy enough for a preschooler?
The sheet is marked for ages 3 to 5. Every part is a circle, an oval or a rounded tube, and a short animation of about 16 seconds shows each line being drawn.
About this printable
- Made with AI assistance (vector drawing authored by a language model) and checked by automated tests and an AI reviewer.
- Checked by automated tests and an AI reviewer on 22 Oct 2026.
- Free for personal and single-classroom use. See the license. Read the license · How these are made · Report a problem.
- Vector PDF, 2 pages, 186×254 mm art box — prints edge-safe on A4 and US Letter.
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