This year, I wanted to make a very special advent calendar for my little man who is almost 4 years old! A calendar that is about sharing family time and creating special memories rather than receiving gifts. So, I gathered some of my favourite ideas for family activities, and I am sharing them here with you. My plan is to pick 24 of these ideas, write a little note to accompany each one, and craft all these little notes together into a Christmas calendar. If you need ideas for your own family oriented advent calendar, look no further. I would love to hear some of your ideas as well. Share them with me in the comments below!
COOKING
- Bake and decorate gingerbread men
- Bake and decorate a gingerbread house
- Make Christmas cookies
- Invite a few friend over for a cookie decorating party
- Make chocolate you can gift for Christmas
- Prepare a plate with a carrot, a cookie, and some milk for Santa and his reindeer on Christmas eve... Make sure to eat and drink a piece of each, so when your little one wakes up on Christmas, you can tell him Santa and Rudolph loved his/her presents!
- Make eggnog
- Make hot apple cider
- Roast marshmallows
DECORATING
- Decorate the tree
- Decorate a wreath together
- Hang some mistletoe and give out kisses. Can’t find mistletoe, we got you covered! You can make your own by following this tutorial: http://www.stayathomeartist.com/2010/12/make-your-own-mistletoe-tutorial.html
- Make a paper garland to decorate the tree or your house
- Make a star to put on the top of your tree
GOING OUT
- Go to a Christmas show (The Nutcracker, for example)
- Take each child on a Christmas shopping trip for their sibling, parent, or grandparent
- Get the kids in pyjamas and go on a late night drive to see the neighbourhood Christmas lights
- Visit Santa!
- Cut or pick out a Christmas tree
- Attend a Christmas parade
- Attend a Christmas concert
- Check out books from the library about how people celebrate Christmas in other nations.
- Attend a holiday themed story time at the library or bookstore
- Go pick out a special ornament for the tree
- Ride a Christmas train
DID IT SNOW?
- Go sledding
- Build a snowman with the whole family
- Go sleigh riding
- Go ice skating
- Go on a sleigh ride
- Make a snowball fight
- Go hiking in the snow
- Make snow angel
CRAFTING
- Make salt dough ornaments
- Wrap special gifts
- Make colored ice sculptures
- Craft snowflakes
- Make a gift for a teacher
- Make Christmas cards
- Make a Christmas ornament
- Write a letter to Santa
- Make your own Advent calendar
GIVING
- Adopt a family for Christmas and go shopping for them
- Fill a shoe box for Operation Christmas Child or any other children's charity
- Write a letter to a loved one that lives far away
- Sort through your old toys and donate to a local charity
- Take a few small gifts to a shelter for women and children
- Make thumbprint snowmen
HAVING FUN AT HOME
- Have a Christmas movie night
- Make special hot cocoa together
- Read a Christmas themed book
- Have a living room dance party!
- Let everyone in the family choose a country, and then google that country to see how they celebrate Christmas there
- Unwrap and read a new Christmas book
- Have a family story night, and read all your Christmas storybooks while enjoying a plate of cookies and milk
- Have a funny Christmas photo shoot (80’s Christmas sweaters?!)
- Make a “pillow bed” on the living room floor, and watch some classic Christmas cartoons (Rudolf, Frosty, etc.) together
- Let each child choose a friend to invite over for a Christmas-themed tea party
- Implement a "fancy dress code" for a special dinner one night
- Check your shoes on Saint Nicolas Day – December 6th [Leave the kids a few pieces of candy]
- Do story time under the tree