The Gingerbread Man Story for Kids (Short, Full and Printable)
Kids ask for the same bedtime story night after night, and the version in your head never seems to match the one they remember. Most free copies online are either a video, a story with no ending you’d want to read to a three year old, or a printable stuck behind a sign-up. Here is the gingerbread man story in two lengths, a full read-aloud and a two-minute short version, with a button that reads it out loud for you. After the story you’ll find the moral, where the tale came from, a sequencing game, questions to ask after reading and free printables for home or the classroom.
What is the story of The Gingerbread Man?
An old woman bakes a gingerbread man who jumps out of the oven and runs away. He outruns the old couple, farm animals and farmers while shouting “Run, run, as fast as you can! You can’t catch me, I’m the Gingerbread Man!” At a river, a sly fox offers to carry him across, tricks him onto his nose and eats him. The tale warns kids not to trust someone just because they act friendly.
Read The Gingerbread Man Story
Pick the full version for kids around 4 to 8, or the short one for toddlers and quick bedtimes. Every time the chant comes up, pause and let your child shout it with you.
The Gingerbread Man Full Story
Once upon a time, a little old woman and a little old man lived in a small house at the edge of a farm. They had no children, and the house was often very quiet.
One cold morning, the old woman said, "I'll bake a gingerbread man to cheer us up." She mixed flour, butter, molasses and ginger, rolled the dough flat and cut out a little man. She gave him raisins for eyes, a red candy smile and three gumdrop buttons down his front. Then she slid him into the oven.
Soon the whole house smelled warm and spicy. The old woman bent down and opened the oven door to check on him. Out jumped the Gingerbread Man! He hopped off the tray, ran across the kitchen floor and slipped straight out the front door.
"Stop! Come back!" called the old woman. "Come back here!" shouted the old man, and they both hurried after him. The Gingerbread Man just laughed over his shoulder and sang,
"Run, run, as fast as you can! You can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbread Man!"
The old woman and the old man ran and ran, but they couldn't catch him.
Down the lane, the Gingerbread Man met a pig rolling in the mud. "Oink! Stop, little cookie," said the pig. "You look like a tasty snack." The Gingerbread Man didn't slow down one bit. "I've run away from a little old woman and a little old man, and I can run away from you, I can!"
"Run, run, as fast as you can! You can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbread Man!"
The pig trotted after him, but it couldn't catch him.
Next he passed a cow chewing grass by the fence. "Moo! Stop right there," said the cow. "I'd love a bite of you." "I've run away from a little old woman, a little old man and a pig, and I can run away from you, I can!"
"Run, run, as fast as you can! You can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbread Man!"
The cow lumbered after him, but she couldn't catch him.
Then he raced past a horse in a field. "Neigh! Wait for me," said the horse. "You smell like breakfast." "I've run away from a little old woman, a little old man, a pig and a cow, and I can run away from you, I can!"
"Run, run, as fast as you can! You can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbread Man!"
The horse galloped after him, but he couldn't catch him either.
At the far side of the field, some farmers were cutting hay. "Look at that running cookie!" they shouted, and they dropped their tools. "Let's catch him for lunch!" "I've run away from a little old woman, a little old man, a pig, a cow and a horse, and I can run away from you too, I can!"
"Run, run, as fast as you can! You can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbread Man!"
Now a whole crowd was chasing him. There was the old woman, the old man, the pig, the cow, the horse and all the farmers, puffing and panting down the road.
The Gingerbread Man felt very proud of himself. "Nobody can catch me," he said. "I'm the fastest cookie in the world." Then he came to a wide, deep river, and he had to stop. He couldn't swim, because gingerbread turns to mush in water.
A fox stepped out from behind a bush. "Hello there," said the fox with a friendly smile. "You look like you're in a hurry. Do you need to cross the river?" "Yes," said the Gingerbread Man, "but you won't eat me, will you?" "Me? Of course not," said the fox. "I don't even like gingerbread. Hop on my tail, and I'll swim you across."
The Gingerbread Man looked back at the crowd coming closer, and he jumped onto the fox's tail. The fox began to swim.
Halfway across, the fox said, "The water is getting deeper. Climb onto my back so you stay dry." So the Gingerbread Man climbed onto his back.
A little farther on, the fox said, "It's deeper still. Climb onto my head." So the Gingerbread Man climbed onto his head.
Near the other bank, the fox said, "Quick, the water is up to my ears. Jump onto my nose!" So the Gingerbread Man jumped onto the very tip of the fox's nose.
The fox tossed his head back and opened his mouth wide. SNAP! The Gingerbread Man was a quarter gone. SNAP! He was half gone. SNAP! And just like that, the Gingerbread Man was all gone.
By the time the old woman, the old man and all the others reached the river, there was nothing left on the bank but a few crumbs. The fox licked his lips and trotted off into the woods. The end.
Just as the fox opened his mouth, the Gingerbread Man saw the riverbank right below him. He leaped off the fox's nose and landed safely on the soft grass. "You weren't helping me at all," he said. "You wanted to eat me!" The fox swam away, grumbling.
The Gingerbread Man walked the long way home over the old wooden bridge. He told the old woman and the old man he was sorry for running away, and they gave him a warm spot on the kitchen windowsill. From then on, he only ran in races. The end.
Is the ending too scary for your little one? Switch to a gentle ending where the Gingerbread Man escapes and goes home.
The Gingerbread Man Short Story
An old woman baked a gingerbread man. When she opened the oven, he jumped out and ran away!
"Run, run, as fast as you can! You can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbread Man!"
The old woman and the old man chased him. A pig, a cow and a horse chased him too, but nobody could catch him.
Then he came to a river he couldn't cross. A sly fox said, "Hop on my tail, and I'll carry you over." As the water got deeper, the fox told him to climb onto his back, then his head, and then the tip of his nose.
SNAP! The fox gobbled him up. The Gingerbread Man learned too late that someone who acts friendly isn't always a friend. The end.
Who Chases the Gingerbread Man?
The chase grows bigger every time he meets someone new, which is what makes the story so fun to read out loud. Here is who joins the chase in our version, in order.
| # | Who chases him | What they say | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The little old woman | “Stop! Come back!” | The kitchen |
| 2 | The little old man | “Come back here!” | The front door |
| 3 | A pig | “Oink! Stop, little cookie.” | A muddy lane |
| 4 | A cow | “Moo! Stop right there.” | By the fence |
| 5 | A horse | “Neigh! Wait for me.” | A field |
| 6 | The farmers | “Let’s catch him for lunch!” | The hay field |
| 7 | The fox | “Hop on my tail, and I’ll swim you across.” | The river |
What Is the Famous Line From The Gingerbread Man?
“Run, run, as fast as you can!
You can’t catch me, I’m the Gingerbread Man!”
This is the chant most kids know, and it repeats after every new chaser. The first printed version in 1875 used a longer boast that grows each time, like “I’ve run away from a little old woman, a little old man, and I can run away from you, I can!” Our retelling uses both, because the growing list helps young children practice memory and the order of events.
How Does The Gingerbread Man End?
In the classic ending, the Gingerbread Man reaches a river he can’t cross. A fox offers to swim him over, then asks him to move from his tail to his back, to his head and finally to the tip of his nose. Once he is right in front of the fox’s mouth, the fox flips him up and eats him. The 1875 version even has him call out as he disappears, “I’m quarter gone… I’m half gone… I’m all gone!”
Some picture books soften this so the Gingerbread Man escapes, which is why the story above has a gentle ending button for younger or sensitive kids.
What Was the Problem in the Story?
The main problem is that the Gingerbread Man can run from everyone but can’t get across the river. He is also too proud, and he believes the fox because the fox is polite and flatters him. His pride got him into the chase, and trusting the wrong helper is what ended it.
What Is the Moral of The Gingerbread Man?
Folk tales like this were told to teach children a lesson they would remember. There are three lessons you can talk about with kids.
Friendly isn’t always a friend
The fox smiles and says nice things, but he only wants a snack.
Say it to kids: “If a stranger offers help, check with a grown-up you trust.”
Pride comes before a fall
Bragging that nobody can catch him makes him careless right when he needs to think.
Say it to kids: “Being good at something doesn’t mean you can’t make a mistake.”
Think before you run
He runs from the people who made him and cared about him, straight into danger.
Say it to kids: “When you’re upset, stop and think before you run off.”
Where Did The Gingerbread Man Story Come From?
The story was first printed in the United States in St. Nicholas Magazine in May 1875, under the title “The Gingerbread Boy.” No author was named. The person who sent it in said a girl from Maine had told it to their children, and she had heard it as a child from an old woman. So the gingerbread man has no single author. Like most folk tales, it was passed along by word of mouth long before anyone wrote it down.
Folklorists group it with “runaway food” tales, a story type found across Europe where a pancake, bun or cake comes to life, escapes and is finally eaten.
Is There a Dark History Behind the Gingerbread Man?
There isn’t a hidden dark history. The darkest part is simply the ending, where the fox eats him, and the 1875 version that counts down as he is gobbled up. Some people also mix the story up with the 1998 crime movie The Gingerbread Man or with spooky internet remakes, but those have nothing to do with the original folk tale.
Gingerbread Man Stories Around the World
| Story | Country | Who runs away |
|---|---|---|
| The Pancake | Norway (collected in the 1840s) | A pancake that rolls out of the pan |
| The Big, Fat Pancake | Germany (1854) | A thick pancake |
| Kolobok | Russia | A round bun that meets a hare, a wolf and a bear before a fox tricks it |
| La Roule Galette | France | A rolling flat cake |
| Johnny-Cake | England, from an American version (1890) | A cornmeal cake that rolls instead of runs |
| The Wee Bannock | Scotland (1894) | A small oat cake |
Fun Facts About Gingerbread Men
- Gingerbread is very old.People in Europe were baking gingerbread in the 1400s, and shaped figures followed in the 1500s.
- A queen made them famous.The first known gingerbread figures were made at the court of Queen Elizabeth I of England, shaped to look like her important guests.
- The biggest one weighed 1,435 pounds.Staff at an IKEA store in Oslo, Norway baked it in 2009, according to Guinness World Records.
- He used to be a boy.The 1875 story was called “The Gingerbread Boy.” The name Gingerbread Man came later.
Gingerbread Man Activities for Kids
These work at home after a bedtime read or in a classroom during gingerbread week. Everything prints on plain paper with no sign-up.
The Gingerbread Man Story Sequencing Game
Retelling a story in order is a key early reading skill. Tap the six scenes below in the order they happen, then print the cut-and-paste sheet so kids can glue the scenes in order and draw each one.
The sequencing game needs JavaScript. Here are the scenes in order: 1. The old woman bakes a gingerbread man and puts him in the oven. 2. He jumps out of the oven and runs out the door. 3. A pig, a cow and a horse try to catch him. 4. The farmers drop their tools and join the chase. 5. At the river, a fox offers to carry him across. 6. The fox tosses him up and SNAP, he is gone.
Questions to Ask After Reading
Ages 3 to 5
- Who baked the Gingerbread Man?The little old woman.
- What did he shout when he ran?“Run, run, as fast as you can!”
- Which animals chased him?A pig, a cow and a horse.
- How did he try to cross the river?He rode on the fox.
Ages 6 to 8
- Why did the Gingerbread Man trust the fox?The fox was polite, said nice things and promised not to eat him.
- Was the fox really being kind? How do you know?No. He kept moving him closer to his mouth.
- What could the Gingerbread Man have done instead?Walked along the river to find a bridge, or stopped and asked the old woman for help.
- How do you think the old woman felt at the end?Any answer works, such as sad, surprised or a little cross.
Write a New Ending
Ask kids what would happen if the Gingerbread Man said no to the fox. The printable sheet has a box to draw the new ending and lines to write it, which works well for ages 5 to 8.
Color the Gingerbread Man
Once the story is done, let kids color their own gingerbread man. Our free page has thick lines that work for toddlers too.
Want more? Browse all 40 free Christmas coloring sheets, including gingerbread cookies and a gingerbread house.
For a silly ending to story time, read a few gingerbread and cookie jokes from our Christmas jokes for kids.
Gingerbread Man Books to Read Next
If your child loves this tale, these picture books retell it or give it a new twist. They are easy to find at most public libraries.
- The Gingerbread Man by Jim Aylesworth, illustrated by Barbara McClintock. A classic retelling with old-fashioned pictures.
- The Gingerbread Boy by Paul Galdone. A simple version for toddlers that follows the 1875 story.
- Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett. A runaway gingerbread baby with a clever, happy twist at the end.
- The Gingerbread Man Loose in the School by Laura Murray, illustrated by Mike Lowery. A gingerbread man searches a school for his class, which makes it a favorite for kindergarten.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who wrote The Gingerbread Man?
Nobody knows. It is a folk tale that was shared by word of mouth, and when it was first printed in St. Nicholas Magazine in 1875 as "The Gingerbread Boy," no author was named.
Is The Gingerbread Man a John Grisham movie?
Yes, there is a 1998 crime thriller called The Gingerbread Man, directed by Robert Altman and based on an original story by John Grisham. It is a film for adults and has nothing to do with the children's story.
What does the gingerbread man symbolize?
In the story, he stands for pride and overconfidence. He is sure nobody can catch him, and that confidence is exactly what lets the fox trick him.
How long does it take to read The Gingerbread Man?
The full story above takes about 5 minutes to read aloud, and the short version takes about 2 minutes, which makes it a good fit for bedtime.
Read it once and your child will probably be chanting “Run, run, as fast as you can” for the rest of the day. Try the full story at bedtime, the short one on busy nights, and save the sequencing game and coloring page for a rainy afternoon.
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