Advent activity calendar maker

One small family Christmas activity for every day until Christmas Eve. Quick ones on school nights, bigger ones on weekends. Swap any day you don't like, tick them off as you go, and print a calendar plus cut-out cards for your advent boxes or envelopes.

Kids in the house

Options

Tips

Put each daily card in a numbered envelope, a paper bag or an advent box, and let the kids open one each morning so they know what's happening that day. The first day is decorating the tree and Christmas Eve is Santa night if you keep those turned on. The shopping list shows what to buy ahead. Your calendar is saved on this device only.

Make December extra special

The Christmas Kids Bundle (printable PDF, $7.99) has a letter to Santa kit with a reply from Santa, an Elf arrival kit with 36 idea cards and a cookie swap party kit.

See the Kids Bundle Elf Kit: $3.99

Related: Letter from Santa · Elf on the Shelf planner · Christmas gift scavenger hunt · Christmas bingo cards · Cookie swap planner

48 advent calendar activity ideas

Every idea the planner can pick from. Most are free and take under 30 minutes.

  1. 🎄 Decorate the tree: Put up the tree and decorate it together.
  2. 💌 Write letters to Santa: Write or draw a letter to Santa with a wish list, then mail it.
  3. ❄️ Paper snowflakes: Fold paper, cut shapes, open them up and tape them on the windows.
  4. 🚗 Christmas lights drive: Pajamas on, hot cocoa in travel mugs, drive around and vote for the best house.
  5. 🍪 Bake Christmas cookies: Bake and decorate a batch together. Save a few for Santa.
  6. ☕ Hot cocoa bar: Set out cocoa with marshmallows, sprinkles and candy canes to stir.
  7. 🎬 Christmas movie night: Blankets, popcorn and a holiday movie everyone picks together.
  8. 🏠 Gingerbread house: Build and decorate a gingerbread house (a kit, or graham crackers and icing).
  9. 🔦 Story by flashlight: Turn the lights off and read a Christmas book by flashlight.
  10. 🔗 Paper chain countdown: Make a paper chain with one link for each day left. Tear one off every night.
  11. 🧸 Toy give-away: Pick toys you have outgrown to donate to kids who need them.
  12. 🎁 Treats for a neighbor: Bring cookies or a card to a neighbor and wish them Merry Christmas.
  13. ⛺ Blanket fort: Build a blanket fort by the tree and read or play inside it.
  14. 🎶 Christmas dance party: Put on Christmas songs and dance. Freeze dance counts!
  15. ⭐ Salt-dough ornaments: Mix 2 cups flour, 1 cup salt, 3/4 cup water. Cut shapes, bake at 250°F for 2 hours, paint the next day.
  16. ✉️ Cards for family: Make homemade Christmas cards for grandparents and cousins.
  17. ⛄ Snow day: Go sledding, build a snowman or have a snowball fight. No snow? A winter walk with cocoa.
  18. 🥞 Pajamas and pancakes: Breakfast for dinner in Christmas pajamas.
  19. 🦌 Reindeer food: Mix oats with colored sugar (no glitter, it hurts birds) to sprinkle out on Christmas Eve.
  20. 🎀 Wrapping party: Wrap presents together with music on. Little ones do the tape and stickers.
  21. 🖐️ Handprint reindeer: Paint a hand brown, press it upside down: the fingers are antlers. Add a red nose.
  22. 🧩 Puzzle night: Start a Christmas jigsaw puzzle on the table and keep going all week.
  23. 🎲 Board games by the tree: Play board games with only the tree lights on.
  24. 🎅 Visit Santa: Visit Santa at a store, a mall or a local event. Bring the wish list!
  25. ⛸️ Ice skating: Go ice skating at a local rink or a frozen pond that is safe.
  26. 🍿 Popcorn garland: Thread popcorn and cranberries on string for the tree or for the birds outside.
  27. 🔔 Christmas bingo: Play Christmas bingo with prizes. Print free cards at blacksgit.github.io/christmas-bingo
  28. 🗺️ Gift treasure hunt: Hide a small gift and follow clue cards to find it. Free clue maker at blacksgit.github.io/gift-hunt
  29. 🚪 Decorate a door: Turn a bedroom door into a present, a snowman or a gingerbread man with paper and tape.
  30. 📞 Carol call: Video call grandparents or friends and sing them a Christmas carol.
  31. 🎂 Birthday cake for Jesus: Bake a simple cake and sing Happy Birthday to Jesus.
  32. 🌟 Set up the nativity: Set up the nativity scene and talk about who each figure is.
  33. 📖 Read the Christmas story: Read the Christmas story from Luke 2 together.
  34. ⛪ Christmas service: Go to a Christmas church service or a carol service.
  35. 🌲 Bird feeders: Spread peanut butter on pinecones, roll in birdseed and hang them outside.
  36. 📸 Family photo: Take a family photo in Santa hats or matching sweaters.
  37. ❓ Trivia night: Christmas trivia, kids against grown-ups. Loser makes the cocoa.
  38. 🫙 Thankful jar: Everyone writes 3 things they are thankful for and puts them in a jar to read on Christmas Day.
  39. 💛 Kindness day: Everyone does 3 kind things today and shares them at dinner.
  40. 🥫 Food bank drop-off: Pick canned food together and drop it off at a food bank.
  41. 📬 Thank the helpers: Leave a thank-you note and a treat for the mail carrier or trash collectors.
  42. 🧶 Ugly sweater day: Make an ugly sweater with felt, pom-poms and tape on an old shirt.
  43. 🎤 Christmas karaoke: Sing Christmas songs karaoke style. Hairbrush microphones are fine.
  44. 🔮 Jar snow globe: Glue a small toy to a jar lid, fill with water, a drop of glycerin and glitter, seal tight.
  45. 🎄 Christmas market or tree farm: Visit a Christmas market, a tree farm or a light show.
  46. 🖍️ Color Christmas pictures: Color or paint Christmas pictures and hang them up as decorations.
  47. 🎧 Make a Christmas playlist: Everyone adds 3 songs to a family Christmas playlist for the car.
  48. 🎅 Santa night (Christmas Eve): New pajamas, track Santa's sleigh, leave cookies and milk for Santa and carrots for the reindeer.