Christmas guide

24 advent activity ideas for families

An activity advent gives you something small and shared to do each day of December, instead of (or alongside) candy or toys. These 24 ideas are easy, mostly free and work for kids of most ages. Pick the ones that suit your family and swap them around to fit your calendar.

How to choose which activity goes on which day

Look at December first. Put short, at-home ideas on school nights and workdays, and save the longer ones such as baking, a gingerbread house or a lights drive for weekends.

Aim for a mix: a few that are just for fun, a few that are kind to others, and a couple that build traditions you can repeat every year.

The 24 ideas

Write a letter to Santa together.
Make hot cocoa with toppings.
Watch a Christmas movie in pajamas.
Drive around to look at Christmas lights.
Cut paper snowflakes for the windows.
Bake and decorate Christmas cookies.
Trim the tree and tell the story behind your favorite ornaments.
Write a kind note and leave it on a neighbor's door.
Read a Christmas story by tree light.
Build a blanket fort and read inside it.
Make a paper chain garland.
Hold a family game night with Christmas music.
Choose toys, coats or food to donate and drop them off.
Make gift tags from cards or scrap paper.
Have a living room dance party.
Make salt dough or paper ornaments.
Eat breakfast for dinner with Christmas sprinkles.
Wrap gifts together with a playlist on.
Go out for a hot drink or treat and look at decorations.
Write a thank-you note to a teacher or helper.
Build a gingerbread house.
Have a picnic by the tree.
Let everyone pick one tradition to keep.
On Christmas Eve, set out cookies for Santa and read a bedtime story.

Tips for busy families

You do not have to do all 24. If a day is packed, move the card to a quiet day or skip it. A short activity done happily beats a long one done in a rush.

Prepare ahead: put any supplies in a bin in November so each day only takes a few minutes of setup.

Keep a note of what everyone liked. Next year you can repeat the favorites and replace the rest.

Want it ready to print?

Advent Activity Cards Printable on Etsy. 24 cut-apart cards with time and cost tags, 8 kindness cards, 8 blank cards, number tags and a tracker. 12 pages, $3.99. Instant download, nothing ships. See it on Etsy.

Get the free sampler: 8 of these cards plus a 30-idea Christmas bucket list.

More Christmas guides

Free printables: Christmas activity cards, gift and budget pages and more on the free printables page.