Advent Calendar Activity Ideas For Toddlers and Kids | free PDF

Advent Calendar Contents Ideas

100+ Advent Calendar Activity Ideas

We love Christmas in our house so we really look forward to starting our official Christmas countdown with the homemade Advent Calendar that I made before I even had children.

Nowadays, advent calendars usually contain chocolate. Some even have toys in them.

Personally, I like to include a family activity for us to do together. Something fun and Christmassy, to get us feeling festive!

So,  I’ve put together a huge list of advent calender activity ideas for you to use too.

Some involve baking or crafting, while other activities are designed to encourage gratitude and spread joy.

I love seeing how excited they are to read what the card says each day and I love spending special time completing a Christmas activity with them.

Advent Calendar Activity Ideas for Toddlers and Older Kids

Kindness and Gratitude Related Advent Calendar Activity Ideas 

• Bake homemade cookies for the local residential home.
• Bake dog treats for some neighbourhood pets (always ask owners permission first).
• Fill a shoe box for Operation Christmas Child or donate a gift to a local charity.
• Donate food items to a local food bank.
• Write a thank you card for your doctor’s surgery, library or fire station.
• Make a gratitude dice and play together.
• Visit a local beach or park and collect some litter. While you’re there have a play too!
• Make some homemade fudge or coconut ice for your postman or bus driver.

Baking Related Advent Calendar Activity Ideas 

• Make Christmas cookies.
• Build a gingerbread house.
• Make stained glass cookies to hang on the tree.

• Invite some friends over to decorate Christmas muffins.
• Fill Christmas molds with chocolate.
• Bake Mince Pies.
• Make Christmas fudge (with red sprinkles).
• Make a Yule log.
• Make a Christmas cake.
• Make hot chocolate.
• Make mulled apple juice.
• Make some Chocolate Bark to give as gifts.

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Outdoor Related Advent Calendar Activity Ideas

• Make a bird feeder to hang in your garden. Tie string around a pinecone. Mix peanut butter with oats and spread over pinecones. Roll the peanut butter covered pinecones in bird seed until covered. Hang in a tree and wait!

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• Plant a Christmas tree (or any tree).
• Make peanut or popcorn garlands and hang outside for the birds.
• Go on a winter Scavenger Hunt
• Walk in the woods and collect wood for the fire.
• Collect pinecones to hang on your tree.
• If it dips below freezing blow some bubbles outside and watch as they crystalize.
• Create a winter collage.
• Make a mini beast palace.
• Make snow angels.
• Go sledding.
• Build a snowman together.
• Get bundled up and go ice skating.

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Creative Advent Calendar Activity Ideas

• Paint snow scenes.
• Decorate the tree!
• Deck the halls with boughs of holly collected on your winter walk.
• Make some Christmas cards.
• Make a Christmas ornament for someone special.
• Make a Christmas gift for someone (like this rice heating pack)
• Make paper snowflakes to hang from the ceiling.
• Write a letter to Santa.
• Shoot a video to send to family on Christmas Day.
• Make some homemade play dough in white and make snowmen.
• Decorate a wreath together.
• Make a snow globe with an old jar.
• Make paper chains to decorate the house.
• Colour a Christmas picture.
• Make reindeer food using only edibles so it’s wildlife safe (no glitter!).
• Make some gift tokens e.g. I’ll do the washing up/ Give hugs etc

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Advent Calendar Special Experiences 

• Go and choose a Christmas tree.
• Visit Santa.
• Go to the Christmas Panto.
• Sing Christmas carols around the neighbourhood.
• Take a ride on the Christmas Steam Train.
• Drive around in your pj’s to see the Christmas lights.
• Go to see some Christmas lights being switched on.
• Take a look around a local craft fair.
• Go ice skating together.
• Write to Father Christmas.

Fun Advent Calendar Activity Ideas

• Sing Christmas Carols.
• Play with ice or snow on the messy play tray. Chuck in some toy penguins and polar bears if you can!
• Have a dance party to your favourite Christmas album.
• Unwrap and read a new Christmas book.
• Wrap gifts for family.
• Make a pillow fort and drink hot chocolate.
• Enjoy a movie night.
• Play a board game together.
• Make a pillow mattress under the tree and read a book together with the fairy lights on or watch Christmas cartoons.
• Make a gift for Mummy with Daddy etc.
• Celebrate Saint Nicolas Day (December 6^th) by secretly doing somehing kind.
• Put up the outdoor Christmas lights.
• Roast marshmallows inside over the fireplace.
• Have a Christmas picnic under the tree.

So there you are…100+ ideas to inspire your kids to get creative at home and in their community.

Download my free printable advent calendar activities ready to cut out and pop into each window.

You can download this advent calendar activity template for free here.

I hope you feel inspired by our advent calendar activity ideas! Which will you choose?