An activity Advent calendar gives your family a small moment to look forward to each day in December. One pocket might reveal a Christmas story, another a paper craft, and another an invitation to take an evening walk to see the lights. The activities can fit around school, work, and the routines you already have, using supplies and decorations that are probably close at hand.
These 24 simple Advent calendar activities are designed for a December 1–24 countdown. Use them in the order below or rearrange them to suit your family. Most can become a short activity for a weekday evening, while baking, a film, or an outing can go on a day with more time.
🗓️ How to Put Together an Activity Advent Calendar
Write each activity on a slip of paper and place it in a numbered envelope, pocket, or reusable calendar. Keep the wording clear: “Choose a Christmas story to read tonight” is easier to plan around than “Have a magical evening.” You can reveal the note at breakfast and enjoy the activity later.
Check your calendar before assigning dates. Put activities needing ingredients, preparation, or daylight on suitable days, and keep a couple of easy replacements ready for changes in weather or energy. If you miss an evening, move on or repeat a favorite another day.
Adjust each activity to the people taking part. Young children might dictate messages or use paper shapes cut out by an adult, while older children can choose music, take photographs, or lead a game. If you also want a few small gifts in the countdown, our non-candy Advent calendar fillers for kids offer plenty of options to mix with activity notes.
🎄 1. Decorate One Small Corner Together
Choose a shelf, windowsill, or side table and give it a little Christmas attention. Set out a few decorations you already own, then let everyone help decide where they belong. Children might arrange a wooden village, display favorite cards, or add a drawing behind the decorations. Keeping the project to one small area makes it manageable for an ordinary evening and gives the family a finished display to enjoy.
📖 2. Read a Christmas Story
Choose a seasonal book from your own shelves or borrow one from the library before this activity comes up. Settle somewhere comfortable and read together, taking turns if the children enjoy reading aloud. For older children, try a short story or a chapter from a longer book. Ask which character or moment they liked best, and leave time to talk if the story starts a conversation.
🔗 3. Make a Paper Chain Garland
Cut colorful paper into strips, using an adult’s help where needed. Bend one strip into a ring and secure its overlapping ends with tape or glue. Pass the next strip through that ring before joining its own ends, then continue adding links in the same way. Let family members choose colors or decorate their strips first. A short garland is enough to brighten a shelf or doorway.
🎶 4. Build a Family Christmas Playlist
Invite everyone to choose one or two Christmas songs and put them into a shared playlist. Mix familiar favorites with songs different family members remember from childhood, then listen while cooking dinner or tidying together. Children who enjoy moving can turn the first few songs into a dance party. Save the playlist with the year in its name so you can return to it next December.
💌 5. Make and Send a Christmas Card
Choose someone your family would like to send a little cheer to, then make a card with folded paper and drawing supplies. Younger children can draw the picture while someone else writes their message. Address the envelope together and plan to post it while there is still time for delivery. If you need help finding the words, our Christmas card messages for friends and family can provide a starting point.
✨ 6. Go Looking for Christmas Lights
Take a short walk or drive to look at decorations in your neighborhood. Choose a familiar route and keep the outing comfortable for everyone, whether that means ten minutes around the block or a slightly longer trip. Invite children to spot a star, a decorated tree, or their favorite color of lights. When you get home, compare the displays you liked and decide what made them memorable.
🖍️ 7. Have a Christmas Coloring Session
Set out paper and crayons or colored pencils, then spend a little time drawing together. Everyone can color the same picture in different ways or invent a scene of their own. Our Christmas activity page for kids is an easy option to prepare ahead. Older children might prefer designing a Christmas sweater, an imaginary toy shop, or a cover for their favorite holiday story.
🎲 8. Play a Favorite Family Game
Let one person choose a game that everyone can comfortably join, and agree on a manageable length before starting. A familiar card game, cooperative puzzle, or short board game is ideal when you want to spend the evening playing rather than learning rules. For a seasonal twist, browse our Christmas games for families and groups. Take turns choosing if game night appears more than once in your countdown.
☕ 9. Enjoy a Cozy Drink Together
Prepare a favorite warm drink, such as hot chocolate, warm milk, or a caffeine-free option your family enjoys. An adult can handle heating and pouring, allowing children’s drinks to cool comfortably before serving. Let everyone choose a mug and gather around the table for a few minutes. Ask a light question, such as which Christmas decoration they would invent if anything were possible.
🏷️ 10. Make Homemade Gift Tags
Cut simple rectangles from sturdy paper or the picture sections of old Christmas cards, then decorate them with drawings and short messages. Leave enough space for the recipient’s name and attach the finished tags when you wrap gifts later. Young children can add colors while older children handle lettering. Our guide to reusing old Christmas cards offers more ways to turn saved cards into useful seasonal crafts.
🧺 11. Have a Living Room Picnic
Spread a washable blanket on the floor and serve an easy meal or snack you were already planning to have. Keep the food straightforward so the change of setting becomes the special part. Everyone can help carry over napkins, plates, or cushions, then choose a Christmas song to play quietly in the background. If floor seating is uncomfortable, bring the picnic feeling to the coffee table or another cozy spot.
📞 12. Ask Someone About a Christmas Memory
Arrange a short call or visit with a relative or family friend and invite them to share a Christmas memory. Children can ask what decorations they remember, which foods they enjoyed, or what they did on Christmas Eve. Choose a time that suits the other person and keep the conversation relaxed. Afterward, write down a detail the family found interesting so the story has a place in your own memories.
🍪 13. Bake a Small Batch of Cookies
Choose a familiar recipe and check the ingredients before putting this activity in the calendar. Give everyone a suitable job, such as measuring, stirring, or shaping dough, with an adult handling the oven and hot trays. Keep the batch small enough to finish comfortably. If making dough would be too much for the day, decorating a few ready-made cookies can provide an equally enjoyable shared project.
🤝 14. Put Together a Small Donation
Look at a local organization’s current wish list and choose one modest contribution your family can make. Children can help select requested pantry items, gather suitable books, or pick an item from an approved gift list. Check what the organization accepts before collecting anything, and include the drop-off in your plans. Use the activity to talk simply about helping neighbors, letting children ask questions at their own pace.
🔍 15. Try a Christmas Spotting Hunt
Write a short list of things to find around your home, such as something red, a star, a tree shape, a bell, and something soft. Walk around together and point to the objects as you find them, keeping decorations in place. For children who do not read yet, draw little pictures beside the prompts. Older children can create a second list with more unusual clues for everyone else to solve.
🏘️ 16. Create a Paper Winter Village
Use a sheet of paper as the background and add rectangles for houses, triangles for roofs, and small squares for windows. Children can draw the shapes or use pieces an adult has cut out beforehand. Add roads, trees, people, or an imaginary shop as the village grows. Each person can contribute a building, creating a shared picture that works even when everyone’s drawing and cutting skills are different.
📝 17. Invent a Christmas Story Together
Begin with one sentence, such as “On Christmas Eve, a tiny delivery van stopped outside the wrong house.” Go around the family, with each person adding the next sentence. Let the story become funny or surprising without worrying about making every detail fit. Someone can write it down, or children can draw the main scene afterward. Give the finished adventure a title and save it to read again.
🎁 18. Wrap One Present as a Team
Choose a gift whose recipient will not be joining in, and gather the paper, tape, and tag before starting. Let children decorate plain paper, hold a fold, or help attach the tag according to their abilities. An adult can handle cutting and any awkward parts. Wrapping a single gift keeps the task small while giving children a real part in preparing something thoughtful for another person.
🎬 19. Watch a Christmas Film or Short Special
Choose something that fits the available time and the ages of the people watching. A short animated special may work better on a school night, while a full film can go on a quieter afternoon. Let everyone help choose from a small selection, then settle in together. You can make it feel like an occasion with homemade paper tickets and seats arranged before the opening scene.
📷 20. Make a Family Photo Keepsake
Choose a favorite photograph from the year and print it, or use a spare print you already have. Mount it on a piece of card and let family members decorate the border with drawings or a few words about that day. Add the year and the names of the people pictured. Display it near your Christmas decorations, then keep it with them when the season ends.
🌿 21. Take a Winter Noticing Walk
Head outside for a short daytime walk and look closely at the season around you. Depending on where you live, you might notice bare branches, evergreen leaves, birds, puddles, frost, or flowers still blooming. Let each person choose one interesting thing to point out. If going out is impractical, spend a few minutes looking through a window together and draw or describe what you can see.
🌍 22. Learn About a Christmas Tradition Somewhere Else
Choose a place your family is curious about and read about one of its Christmas traditions together. Find it on a map, look at a picture, and talk about what seems familiar or new. Pop & Thistle’s guide to Christmas traditions around the world offers a starting point. Older children can help choose the country, while younger children might enjoy drawing something they learned about.
🍽️ 23. Set a Festive Family Table
Give an ordinary dinner table a small seasonal touch using things already in the house. Children can fold napkins, draw paper placemats, or write name cards, while someone else chooses a decoration for the center. Keep enough room for the meal and let everyone contribute one detail. This works well on a busy day because you can enjoy the finished result during dinner rather than finding time for a separate event.
❤️ 24. Share Your Favorite December Moment
On Christmas Eve, gather for a short conversation about the month. Ask each person which activity they would like to repeat, what made them laugh, or which quiet moment they enjoyed. Children can answer aloud, draw a picture, or have someone write down their words. Date the page and tuck it into the calendar when you put it away, ready to rediscover when you begin next year’s countdown.
🌟 Keeping Your Family Advent Calendar Simple
Before December begins, gather a small collection of supplies: paper, pencils, tape or glue, a few envelopes, and any printables you plan to use. Check the kitchen cupboard before scheduling baking or drinks, and arrange calls or visits ahead of time. A little preparation makes it easier to enjoy the activity when its day arrives.
Keep the calendar flexible as the month unfolds. A longer outing can become a short neighborhood walk, a craft can wait until the weekend, and a familiar story can fill an evening when everyone is tired. Family members can take turns choosing or leading activities, sharing the preparation as well as the fun.
At the end of the season, save the notes that worked especially well. Next year’s calendar can include those favorites alongside a few new ideas, gradually creating a countdown that feels familiar and personal to your family.
🔗 Related Articles
- What Is an Advent Calendar? History, Meaning, and How It Works
- 50 Advent Calendar Fillers for Kids That Aren’t Candy
- 25 Christmas Eve Traditions for Families and Adults
- 20 Christmas Eve Games for Families and Groups
- 12 Creative Ways to Reuse Old Christmas Cards
📚 Sources & Further Reading
For more on manageable family celebrations and simple seasonal crafts:
