Advent means coming, and one of my favourite family Christmas traditions is counting down the days to the coming Christmas with our little wooden Christmas tree Advent Calendar that has pull out drawers on both sides of the tree. I put a chocolate coin for each child in the drawer with a little card with the next day’s special Christmas activity. As we have five kids, they have to take turns, and every day it is a different child’s turn to open a drawer. They spend as much time counting the drawers to see when it is their turn next to open one, as they do to see how many days it is until Christmas. Not too surprisingly any smaller children who are learning to count has a big jump in their counting skills at Christmas time!
These are the Advent activities that we will be doing this year:
- Write a letter to Santa Claus
- Make paperchains
- Decorate Christmas Tree
- Write a family Christmas newsletter
- Go visit Santa Claus and get a photo taken
- Go for a walk to collect pine cones
- Pick some toys to give to charity
- Take presents to local giving/wishing tree
- Mail Christmas cards
- Make pine cone decorations
- A surprise outing
- Make paper snowflakes
- Read a Christmas story
- Make some Christmas cookies
- Sing some Christmas carols
- Make some home made baubles
- Go to Carols by Candlelight
- Watch a Christmas movie
- Make a gingerbread house
- Painting – Hand print angels
- Make some salt-dough ornaments
- Go for a drive to see some Christmas lights
- Make gingerbread men
- Hang stockings
I printed these on some plain red cardboard for a pretty Christmassy feel. If anyone would like to they can download the advent activity cards to use as well: Printable Advent Calendar Activities (232)
There are some amazing Advent Caendars out there to purchase or if you are crafty to make yourself. The Organised Housewife has a fantastic suggestion list of Advent Calendars to buy or make.
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November 21, 2011 at 1:56 pm
Awesome list of activities!!! Don’t know that I could’ve come up with 24, lol!
Alyce recently posted..Free Christmas Tree Subway Word Art
November 21, 2011 at 7:25 pm
Wow! I love seeing what everyone’s Christmas traditions are. It’s really interesting to see how much effort a lot of families put into Christmas and it’s such a lovely thing to see.
Norlin recently posted..Parenting Magazines – A Wealth of Information
November 22, 2011 at 4:37 am
What a lovely set of Christmas traditions and ideas, going to borrow some for home and the children I work with, Thanks so much Nx
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November 23, 2011 at 2:34 pm
I need to get on the advent activity calendar bandwagon! It’s up there with the Fall Activity Bucket List I want to do next year! Love this idea!
critters and crayons recently posted..The Many Sounds Children Make When You Need Silence
November 24, 2011 at 7:12 pm
We had an Activity Advent Calendar last year but as we are going away in mid Dec this year I thought to wrap up some xmas books to read every day. Our most awaited tradition starts at the beginning of Dec.- then the children put their slipper onto the window sill before going to bed. And Father Christmas` Elves are going to leave a little chocolate or a present there. In our case- they are going to leave some little notes as well
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