Run, Run, Gingerbread Man

Synopsis

Scene 1 – The Little Cottage

A little old woman and a little old man decide to bake a gingerbread man. The Ingredients – Flour, Sugar, Butter, Ginger and the Currants – jump into the bowl and everything is stirred and popped into the oven. PING! Out jumps the Gingerbread Man, who has no intention of being eaten, and away he runs.

Scene 2 – Down the Lane

The Gingerbread Man races past a muddy Pig and a hungry Cow. Each one cries "Stop! I want to eat you!", and each time he escapes with the chant, so the chase line behind him grows longer and longer.

Scene 3 – Across the Fields

A galloping Horse and a field of Farmers join the chase. The Gingerbread Man is very pleased with himself: he is the fastest biscuit in the world! But then he comes to… the river.

Scene 4 – The River

The Gingerbread Man can't swim – he'd go soggy! A smooth-talking Fox offers to carry him across, promising (with his fingers crossed) not to eat him. SNIP! SNAP! The chasers arrive too late. In the optional gentler ending, the Gingerbread Man spots the crossed fingers, hops across the River's stepping stones and the Fox ends up with a SPLASH.

Scene 5 – Home Again

Back at the cottage, the oven goes PING once more… and out pops another cheeky Gingerbread Man. Oh no – not again! Everyone, including the audience, joins the final chant.

Themes & Curriculum Links

Literacy and Communication & Language

Knowing and retelling a traditional tale; joining in with rhyme, rhythm and repetition; predicting what happens next. New vocabulary: ingredients, oven, cottage, lane, field, river, sly, soggy, trust.

Mathematics

Counting the chasers as the line grows, ordinal language (first the pig, second the cow, last the fox) and positional language (on, onto, over, across, behind).

Understanding the World & Physical Development

Baking and how heating changes ingredients; farm animals, their sounds and homes; running, stamping, galloping, hopping and slinking.

PSED & Expressive Arts and Design

Talking about trust and who we can ask for help; feelings; singing songs and chants with actions; making masks, headbands and props.

KS1 links

English (spoken language; traditional tales), Science (animals, including humans; everyday materials), PSHE (keeping safe; who to trust), Music and PE.

Characters

• The Gingerbread Man (lead) – Cheeky, speedy and very proud of himself. Can be shared by up to four children, one per scene.
• Narrators 1–3 – Tell the story between the action; best read by adults or teaching assistants.
• The Little Old Woman & the Little Old Man – A cheerful baker and her husband with a very rumbly tummy. They lead the chase line.
• The Ingredients – Flour, Sugar, Butter, Ginger and the Currants, who become his eyes and buttons.
• The Pig, the Cow & the Horse – Animal groups who say "Stop! Stop!" and oink, moo and neigh – perfect first lines for nervous performers.
• The Farmers – Hungry farmers making hay who join the chase.
• The River – A swishing, swooshing movement role with blue fabric – great for children who prefer to move rather than speak alone.
• The Fox – Smooth, polite and very, very sly, with perfect timing for the SNIP! (or the SPLASH!).

The cast table shows exactly how to cast the play for 15, 20, 25 or 30 children, which roles can be doubled, and how many lines each part has. Pigs, Cows, Horses, Farmers, Ingredients and the River are groups that can grow or shrink, and there are tips for fewer than 15 or more than 30 children.