You want to make your kids' advent calendar yourself this year or create a family advent calendar and are still looking for creative ideas for 24 doors? Then we have a few tips for you on how to fill it easily, individually, and sustainably! Let yourself be inspired and make the pre-Christmas season something very special for your little ones!
Filling Advent calendars for children and toddlers
1. Quality time & special outings
Surprise your children with shared experiences. Depending on their age, you can integrate special outings into the Advent calendar. How about a day at the zoo, a visit to the swimming pool, or a cozy movie night with popcorn at home?
2. Winter bathing fun with glitter effect
A highlight for the bathtub: Our bath additives with glitter effect! This makes bathing in the cold season even more fun and transforms the bathroom into a sparkling winter wonderland.
3. Small coloring pages for creative fun
With Christmas coloring pages, you can perfectly get into the Advent spirit. Print out a few cute motifs and let their creativity run wild. This way, you immediately have a nice activity for cozy afternoons. Here you can download free coloring pages for children with Christmas motifs.
4. Multi-part products for different doors
Products consisting of several parts can be perfectly divided into several doors, so your child can gradually assemble the complete set. Whether puzzles, building blocks, or collectible figures – the excitement grows with each day!
5. Mini-books or audiobooks
Every day a small book or a chapter of an audiobook – a daily story that you can read or listen to together in the evening. This makes reading aloud a fixed ritual in Advent.
6. (Healthy) Snacks – it doesn't always have to be sweet
Snacks are always well received, and preferably sweet! But it doesn't always have to be chocolate or cookies. Instead, the doors can also be perfectly filled with healthier alternatives, such as mandarins, dried apple rings, mini muesli bars, or other healthy snacks.
7. Useful small items: Clothing and accessories
Gloves, socks, hairbands, hats – why not combine fun with utility and hide them as a little surprise in the Advent calendar?
8. Make your own tree decorations
Pack materials or instructions for DIY Christmas decorations. Whether paper stars, baubles, or small salt dough ornaments – in the end, you'll have wonderful decorations for your Christmas tree.
9. Educational toys or small puzzles
For curious children, you can hide a small challenge every day, such as learning cards, small experiments, or puzzles that are fun and impart knowledge at the same time.
10. Personalized vouchers
Children also love small vouchers. Create individual vouchers that they can redeem, such as "A day without tidying your room", "An extra reading chapter", or "Your favorite dinner". Here you can let your creativity run wild.
Crafting an Advent calendar yourself or buying it ready-made?
We think both have their charm and, of course, both have their advantages and disadvantages!
Crafting an Advent calendar yourself allows you to individually cater to the preferences of your family or children, but it naturally also takes significantly more time. You can be creative yourself, hide personal surprises, and perhaps even deliberately opt for sustainable packaging materials. Many parents also use reusable Advent calendars or small cotton bags that can be refilled every year – a particularly sustainable alternative, we think.
Ready-made Advent calendars, on the other hand, naturally save time, often offer lovingly designed designs and already filled doors – a much more convenient solution for anyone who has less time this year but still wants to sweeten Advent. Ultimately, it depends on what suits you, your daily life, and your style better!
Family Advent calendar – one for all
Why not create an Advent calendar for the whole family? Instead of having a separate calendar for each family member, you can, of course, also share one large Advent calendar as a family.
Many of the ideas mentioned above are perfect for a family Advent calendar – shared experiences, creative activities, and small surprises that everyone can enjoy together. Other ideas: decorate a gingerbread house together, make salt dough Christmas tree ornaments, have a bonfire with stick bread and hot cocoa, visit a Christmas market in the area, watch a Christmas movie at the cinema, plan a pizza night with the whole family!
So that everyone can participate, you can take turns opening a door each day. This way, every family member gets a turn and can look forward to a small surprise.
🔗 Here you can find small gift ideas for the Advent calendar
Advent calendar for pregnant women?
A calendar for pregnant women is a wonderful way to consciously enjoy the last 12 weeks before birth and pamper yourself. Our Mom-to-Be Calendar is exactly that: a lovingly compiled collection of 12 small surprises for mom and baby.
But, it can also be repurposed as an Advent calendar for pregnant women. If you open a door every other day, the 12 small surprises last perfectly from December 1st to 24th.
O N L I N E E D I T O R I A L T E A M Leoni from das boep
