How to Make a Family Advent Calendar

Ideas for Fun, Easy Holiday Activities for Parents and Children

Nov 16, 2008

Crafty families may enjoy creating a fun holiday memory and a new family heirloom by working together to construct an Advent calendar full of personal significance.

Although store-bought Advent calendars are convenient and often lovely, families looking for a fun holiday craft to do together may prefer to use one of the following ideas and make their own personally significant and unique homemade Christmas calendar.

Make a Poster Board Advent Calendar

Draw and color on a large piece of poster board a religious or holiday scene that includes 24 doors and/or windows. Number these doors and windows 1–24. With a sharp knife, carefully cut out three sides of each door or window to create a flap that can be opened. Using spray glue or another glue that can be applied in a thin, even layer, stick this poster board to a white sheet of poster board that is the same size. Gently open each door or window and, in the space below, write a Christmas quote or Bible verse to read, a Christmas carol or hymn to sing, a suggestion for a good Christmas activity or deed to do, and so on. If doors will not lay flat until it is time to reopen them, tape them shut with tiny pieces of clear tape.

Make a Hanging Boxes Advent Calendar

Collect 24 paper take-out food boxes, either in seasonal colors or all-white. If white, use markers, paints, and crayons to decorate their sides. Number the sides and stuff each box with an Advent treat or other filling. Hang the boxes from the family Christmas tree. This calendar can also be constructed using small paper bags.

Make a Cloth Pocket Hanging Advent Calendar

Collect from family members items of clothing that are worn out but have sentimental value. Use a large piece of fabric in festive holiday colors or patterns as the background for your hanging. The background could also be cut in a holiday shape such as a snowman or a Christmas tree. Cut out 24 cloth pockets from the various clothing items and sew, embroider, cross-stitch, or glue with fabric glue the numbers 1–24 on them. Holiday-themed buttons can also be sewn onto the fabric behind the top of each pocket and buttonholes added to the pockets to hold them closed. Sew the pockets in rows onto the quilt backing. Sew the top of the quilt around a hanger or a wooden dowel and hanging string. Family members can be responsible for filling the pockets made from their items of clothing.

Make a Golden Rings Advent Calendar

Use fabric paint pens or markers to draw a religious or holiday scene on a piece of cloth. Sew 24 little metal rings to the cloth at various points in the scene. Tie treats or treat boxes to each ring that can be untied each day. Hang the Christmas calendar from a dowel or hanger.

Make an Advent Garland Calendar

Hang a simple clothesline or a decorative pine needle garland with wooden clothespins. Each day for 24 days, give children another item or have them make items to hang on the Advent garland. Items to hang could include:

Make an Advent Calendar Nativity Set

Construct 24 figures for a Nativity Set, such as Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus (for Day 24), the star of Bethlehem, angels, shepherds, the three wise men, camels, gold, frankincense, myrrh, palm trees, a stable, sheep, cows, horses, and so on. Children can make these figures from cut and colored paper or glue or sew them using felt or other fabrics. Hang the 24 figures from a clothesline or garland. Remove one figure each day and set up a Nativity set over the four weeks of Advent. Paper figures can be taped or glued to a painted cardboard background. Two-dimensional felt figures can be stuck to a felt board. Three-dimensional felt figures can be set up as any other Nativity set would be.

Constructing an Advent calendar together provides a loving family with a good opportunity to spend quality time together during the busy holiday season. The finished product can be saved and reused each year or preserved as a souvenir of a particular year's festivities and a new Advent calendar constructed the following year.

Once a homemade Advent calendar with compartments is finished, consider how to fill it.

The copyright of the article How to Make a Family Advent Calendar in Holiday Kids Crafts is owned by Renee Carver. Permission to republish How to Make a Family Advent Calendar in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.