Advent Calendar Ideas 

Our list of Advent Calendar ideas will bring your family closer together this holiday season.

During the weeks leading up to Christmas many families celebrate the anticipation of the holiday with an Advent Calendar. There are many ways to make your own Advent Calendar and it is a fun family project designing and putting it together.   Here are some simple calendar ideas to get your started.

The word advent means "arrival" and the calendar is a good way for families to count down the days until the big celebration day arrives. There are many ways to make an advent calendar each having its own special way of rewarding little ones for their patience.

 There are many printable templates that you can find online to guide you in your calendar design. You can make an advent wreath made with handprints, or make an advent jar or tree.   

Here is the first of our Advent Calendar ideas:

Advent Calendar Idea No. 1:   Advent Wreath

Supplies you will need: 

1. Construction Paper
2. Glue
3. Markers, crayons or paint
4. Paper Plate
5. Pencil

 What to do:

 Step #1 - Make a wreath out of the paper plate by cutting out the center of the plate. 

Step #2 - Have your child put a hand on a green piece of construction paper and trace his entire hand and fingers with a pencil. 

Step #3 - Cut out the hand and then use it to trace 23 more on green construction paper so you have 24 hands alltogether.

 Step #4 - Now with a dark colored marker write a good deed on each handprint. (if young children will be participating make sure the deeds are within their ability to complete).

Step #5 - Starting on December 1st., pick one cut-out hand for the entire family to do that day. Example: the good deed is to say something nice about someone else. Each family member needs to do this at least once that day.

At the end of the day a family member will glue the handprint onto the wreath

When all 24 handprints are on the wreath you will have something to be proud of and a beautiful decoration for your home.

Advent Calendar Idea No. 2:  Advent Jar

Supplies you will need:

1. Large Jar (glass or plastic)
2. Christmas themed stickers or other decorations
3. Construction Paper
4. Markers or Crayons

Use 24 themed stickers or other holiday small decorations, or you can have your little ones make some of their own decorations. You can do a combination of these suggestions too. Just make sure that you end up with 24 all together.

What to do:

Step #1 - Take a black marker and write a one-word blessing on each decoration. You an go round-robin with family members (the ones old enough) for blessing suggestions. You can also add one person's name on each decoration.

Step #2 - Place all 24 decoration inside of the jar.

Step #3 - On December 1st a lucky family member gets to draw a decoration out of the jar and glue it to the outside of the jar. What ever one word blessing is written on the paper is what family members will be giving thanks for that day. If you chose to write a person's name on the decoration, than each family member should think good thoughts about that person all day.

Step #4 - On Christmas eve the jar will be empty but the outside will be decorated with blessings and family members will be rewarded for their good thoughts when someone fills the empty jar with yummy holiday treats.

Advent Calendar Idea No. 3:  Advent Christmas Tree

Supplies you will need:

1. Felt - green
2. Felt - Assortment of brightly colored
3. Tracing Paper
4. Self-adhesive Velcro Circles

What to do:

Step #1 - Draw a Christmas Tree on thin tracing paper or use a pattern from the internet or a book you might find on Christmas crafts.

Step #2 - Pin the tracing paper onto the felt (green), and cut out the shape of the tree.

Step #3 - Cut out ornament shapes out of the brightly colored felt (freehand or use a pattern from the internet or a Christmas craft book). You will need 24 ornaments.

Step #4 - Stick the prickly half of the Velcro circles all over the tree where you will be placing the ornaments.

Step #5 - Now, stick the other half of each Velcro circle on each of the ornaments.

Step #6 - Starting with December 1, you "hang" an ornament on your advent tree by sticking an ornament onto the tree where you placed the prickly parts of the Velcro circles. Hang one ornament each day. They will all be hung by Christmas Eve and you will have a beautifully decorated felt advent tree.

If you have Advent Calendar Ideas you'd like to share, please send them to us via our contact page.