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This past weekend I finished preparing our Christmas countdown for this year and wrapping the wonderful Christmas books we plan to read together before the holidays, and I can’t wait for December to start!
The Christmas countdown I prepare every December is one of the most beloved holiday traditions in our home!
I love homemade Advent calendars because they allow us to plan activities we really enjoy and build happy memories together!
If you are looking for some simple and fun ideas to try this year, I gathered here our favorite homemade Christmas countdown ideas to inspire you!
These are ideas that we either tried in the past (and enjoyed) or I discovered on other blogs and plan to try in the next years.
These Advent calendars are very easy to prepare, and they can bring a lot of joy to your little ones during the holiday season!
Christmas countdown idea #1: A Christmas book countdown
All you need to do is wrap 24 Christmas-themed books and read one of them every day as you count down to Christmas.
Reading the books aloud to your kids every day is a wonderful day to connect with your little ones and bring more holiday joy to your home in December!
⭐ Find more details here: Book Advent Calendar by Natural Beach Living.
This year we planned something a little different, but still focused on books: 10 days of Christmas stories for us to enjoy together!
⭐ You can find all the details and the list of wonderful stories here: 10 lovely Christmas books for kids to read this holiday season.
Christmas countdown idea #2: An activity countdown in a box
You can prepare this Advent calendar in a few minutes, and it will offer you and your kids 24 lovely moments to enjoy together before Christmas.
⭐ You can find all the details here, including a set of printable activity cards: 24 happy family moments in a little Christmas countdown box.
I also discovered a nice way to create an activity countdown using small matchboxes and a jar. You can find it here: Christmas Advent Jar by Just a Girl.
Christmas countdown idea #3: An Advent calendar that encourages creativity
This is the idea we planned for this year: a homemade Advent calendar with easy and fun art activities for every day until Christmas.
⭐ You can find all the details (plus our activity ideas) here: A Christmas countdown that encourages creativity.
Christmas countdown idea #4: A paper chain countdown
This is one of the quickest ways to prepare a Christmas countdown, and you can get your kids involved in preparing it!
⭐ Here is a nice idea you can easily put into practice: Paper Chain Snowman Christmas Countdown by From ABCs to ACTs.
You can make your paper chain countdowm even more fun by adding one activity idea on the back of each slip of paper. This way you will have something nice to do with your kids every day until Christmas!
Christmas countdown idea #5: A LEGO Advent calendar
There are many LEGO Advent calendars that you can buy, but I loved the idea of a homemade LEGO calendar because I think it encourages kids’ creativity even more!
⭐ You can find all the details about how to create it here: LEGO Advent Calendar by Little Bins for Little Hands (including a full list of activity ideas).
Christmas countdown idea #6: A kindness Advent calendar
Using the Advent calendar to encourage kids to be kind is a wonderful way to prepare for the holiday season!
You can easily prepare it by creating 24 notes with acts of kindness that the kids can either participate in or do on thei own.
⭐ You can find ideas and a printable list of acts of kindness here: Acts Of Kindness Advent Calendar by Mama.Papa.Bubba.
Christmas countdown idea #7: A sibling Advent calendar
This is an awesome idea I can’t wait to try when my youngest son will be a little older!
One way to create a sibling Advent calendar is to focus on encouraging siblings to be kind to each other.
⭐ This Sibling Kindness Advent Calendar Jar by What Do We Do All Day invites kids to give one complement to each other every day.
Another way to create a Christmas countdown for siblings is to prepare one activity idea for them to try together every day. It’s a great way for the kids to get closer and have fun together!
24 Christmas countdown activity ideas to include in your Advent calendar
If you are looking for activity ideas to include in your Christmas countdown, check out this list:
- Make paper snowflakes and decorate the windows.
- Create a salt dough ornament and decorate it.
- Go on a Christmas-themed scavenger hunt.
- Play a Christmas board game.
- Decorate the house and the Christmas tree.
- Have a Christmas-themed visit to the library.
- Make a Christmas craft.
- Sing carols by the Christmas tree lights.
- Make reindeer food.
- Make a Christmas wreath.
- Have a mini dance party with Christmas songs.
- Bake Christmas cookies.
- Create a homemade gift for a loved one.
- Have a picnic under the Christmas tree.
- Make a holiday greeting video for family and friends.
- Drive around town to see the Christmas lights.
- Write a letter to Santa.
- Go on a walk and collect pinecones.
- Have a movie night with Christmas movies.
- Go to a Christmas event.
- Have a pajama day.
- Go on a sleigh ride.
- Go ice-skating.
- Have a special evening with cookies and hot cocoa.
⭐ If you are looking for more Christmas activity ideas, including a printable set of activity cards to include in your Advent calendar, check out the Holiday Fun Kit!
