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advent activity calendar: fun, festive family holiday time

home / Activities / holidays / christmas / advent activity calendar: fun, festive family holiday time
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post contains affiliate links

 

 

advent activity calendar | teachmama.comIt’s that time of year again–time for our Advent Activity Calendar!

Our Advent Activity Calendar is something we’ve been doing for the last four years, where we very simply plan a fun, festive, family holiday activity for each day of December.

Nothing fancy, crazy, or over-the-top–these are simple, small holiday pleasures that we pencil into this very busy month so that we don’t pass them by.

Giving activities, family activities, indoor and outdoor activities.  Solo activities and group activities.  Messy and not-so-messy activities.

Activities that need prep–and many that don’t.

Our focus is simple: to enjoy every possible minute of our favorite month of the year.

Here’s the skinny. . .

  •  Advent Activity Calendar: Fun, Festive Family Holiday Time:  We kept a lot of our old faves, and we added a few new activities.

 But essentially our Advent Activity Calendar is just that–ours, and it incorporates what our family values and appreciates during the holidays:

  • baking cookies
  • helping others
  • decorating
  • singing, dancing
  • Christmas specials
  • family time
  • making memories and remembering past holidays.

advent activity calendar: fun, festive family holiday time

Pick out our Christmas tree and decorate it!

Printing out two copies makes remembering activities a tad bit easier!

advent activity calendar

advent activity calendar

advent activity calendar

advent activity calendar

I print out a copy of the calendar to keep on hand for myself, and then I cut each of the squares out of the calendar and place them in our felt Christmas tree–something I picked up at the store years ago but something that you can find just about anywhere.  

(Check the bottom of the post for some ideas!)

You could make your own or do what several of my friends have done.  They’ve cut apart the squares of each calendar day and

  • put each square in a numbered envelope that their children decorate;
  • wrapped each in a tiny box that kiddos can unwrap each day;
  • hidden the square under a place mat at breakfast;
  • taped the square on the bathroom mirror;
  • used the chocolate Advent calendar and stuck the squares in each of the windows so kids get chocolate and an activity.

Either way, here’s the calendar to download either as we have it here, or feel free to adjust as you see fit:

Advent Activity Calendar, download as a pdf here: advent activity calendar 2014

Advent Activity Calendar, download as a word doc here: advent activity calendar 2014

Please, if you choose to share, link to this post instead of the calendar attachment! Thank you!

advent activity calendar | teachmama.com
advent activity calendar 2014

 

Here’s to a happy Advent season and to really appreciating this exciting and joyful time with family!

Want a few more holiday-inspired gift ideas or activities? Check out: 

  • Best Gifts for Kids and Families 2014
  • Best Gifts for Kids and Families 2013
  • Best Gifts for Kids and Families 2012
  • Best Gifts for Kids and Families 2011
  • Holiday Fun Fact and JOKES Lunchbox Notes (with Hannukah!)
  • Holiday Time Fun Fact Lunchbox Notes
  • Little Holiday Notes and Jokes
  • Holiday Notes for Families
  • The Polar Express tradition
  • Scratch-off Cards
  • K-Cup Advent Tree
  • New Year’s Family Interview
  • Happy Holidays Backyard Birds 

Need a few more great ideas?

Here are our 2015 gift guides:

teachmama gift guide toddlers | smart products for smart families

**************

teachmama gift guide best gifts for preschoolers

**************

best gifts for elementary schoolers | teachmama's gift picks | must-have games for learning and fun

**************

best gifts for middle schoolers | teachmama.com | teachmama's picks

**************

gift guide best books as gifts | teachmama's picks | teachmama.com

**************

 

Want a few more holiday-inspired gift ideas or activities?

Click on the images below: 

must-have-gifts-for-kids-and-families-teachmama.com_

********

best books as gifts for family teachmama.com

********

gifts that give back: ideas for kids and family | teachmama.com

********

gifts for sunday school teachers or CCD teachers | teachmama.com

********

kids-and-family-gift-guide-cover

********

teachmama-gift-guide-2012-cover-400x400

********

holiday-gift-guide-teachmama.com_

 

  • Holiday Fun Fact and JOKES Lunchbox Notes (with Hannukah!)
  • Holiday Time Fun Fact Lunchbox Notes
  • Little Holiday Notes and Jokes
  • Holiday Notes for Families
  • The Polar Express tradition
  • Scratch-off Cards
  • K-Cup Advent Tree
  • New Year’s Family Interview
  • Happy Holidays Backyard Birds 

 

Follow amy mascott @teachmama’s board christmas ideas for kids and family on Pinterest.

 

 

fyi: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. This small percentage of money helps offset the costs of hosting this blog, which helps me keep this content free for you. Forever and always I recommend only products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”  For more information, please see teachmama media, llc. disclosure policy. 

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About amy mascott

teacher, mother, dreamer. lover of literacy, fun learning, good food, and three crazy-cool kids. finder of four-leaf clovers | dc metro · http://about.me/amymascott
tweet with me: @teachmama

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Emily N.

    December 17, 2012 at 8:35 am

    Hi! I really like your Christmas tree advent calendar and I’m trying to make my own based off of your pictures. I was just wondering if you could tell me how it’s hung on the wall, and I’m wondering how it’s sewn to keep it from folding in on itself (?). I know you may not know the answers to these questions, but if you have any information you can give me and possibly a picture of the back, that would help me so much! Thanks 🙂

    Reply
    • amy

      December 17, 2012 at 7:22 pm

      Emily! What a riot! I will definitely take a photo and email it to you in the morning–I actually have zero clue as to how to answer your questions!

      Reply
  2. Holly

    December 4, 2014 at 9:26 am

    Thanks Amy! We love your advent activity calendar and use it every year. Merry Christmas to your family!

    Reply
    • amy mascott

      December 4, 2014 at 10:49 am

      Holly!! Awwwwh, THANK YOU, friend. Hope it brings you joy, peace, and happiness this season! Cheers!

      Reply

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