December Gingerbread Man Phonics Center Free Download | Sound Segmentation and Blending Mapping Mat

This December Gingerbread Man Phonics Center Free Download gives students a hands-on way to practice sound segmentation and blending using a playful December routine. Students use the included gingerbread man cutout to “run” through each gumdrop as they say the sounds in a word, then blend the sounds together to read the word.

Each gumdrop represents one sound in the word. Students move the gingerbread man across the gumdrops while segmenting and blending using a clear color-coded mapping routine. For example, students segment /m/ on the green gumdrop, /a/ on the yellow gumdrop, and /p/ on the red gumdrop, then blend the sounds to read map. This concrete movement supports strong phoneme awareness and blending accuracy.

This center works beautifully for December phonics centers, small groups, or targeted skill practice. The predictable routine helps students internalize sound-by-sound blending in an engaging, low-prep format.

Ideas for use:
• Add to December phonics centers for daily blending practice
• Use in small groups to model sound segmentation and blending
• Pair with magnetic chips, counters, or mini erasers if needed
• Introduce oral sound mapping before written word mapping
• Send home for December phonics reinforcement

What’s Included:
• Gingerbread man sound-running mat
• Gumdrop sound mapping visuals
• Decodable word cards for blending practice (cvc words, digraphs, CCVC words, CVCE words, CVCC words, and vowel variant words)
• Print-and-go December format