Can you believe we’re near the end of 2018 already? Every year seems to go by quicker than the one before it. Especially when I think of how much my children have grown. My girl is already beginning to enter the pre-teen stage, which I’m not quite ready to accept. My son is curious about everything and anything and is like a sponge taking it all in.
Lucky for us they both still enjoy Mom and Dad’s company, especially when the Advent calendar comes out! This year I’m sharing one of our favorite Christmas traditions with you.
28 days of Advent calendar activities that you can do at home.
The Advent countdown is all about the arrival of Jesus, but that isn’t the focus of our calendar. I do make it a point to include a few days of religious practice and reading stories about Jesus, but it isn’t the reason I set up ours every year.
In our home, the Advent calendar is used to bring us together.
As parents, we get so caught up in the day-to-day cycle of school, work, chores, dinner, and afterschool activities, that we forget to slow down and be present with our children. Childhood is a precious gift to us all and comes with a timestamp that will expire in what feels like the blink of an eye. I see it in my own kids, as I’m sure you see it in yours. Family-centered activities in our Advent calendar (the way we do it) encourages us to take a break for a little bit each day during the busiest time of the year.
Family-focused Advent activities for the holidays.
The activities I’ve planned are simple, but there are a few that require some planning. They range from simply watching a movie with popcorn and tea to making Gingerbread houses together. Some of them don’t require anything except a board game that everyone can play.
At the end of this post, you’ll see a link to download the list in PDF format. The list is ready to be printed on regular 8 1/2″ x 11″ paper and cut into individual activity cards. Each page has 6 activities. Use some of them or all of them, it’s up to you of course.
I also included a blank one if you decide to add something different or prefer to handwrite them instead. Add small candies or toys or whatever you want with the notes if you like. I usually add a combination of both. Last year I used candies. This year is a little different because my son happened to see the Lego Advent calendar at Target one day and asked for it every day since then. So we got him one.
And since my girl isn’t into toys as much these days, it works out better for him to have his own toy-themed calendar.
Don’t worry, he still participates in the activities each day. He’s so excited about his Lego calendar that he doesn’t even mind his sister being in charge of the original calendar. It’s a win for both!
And on that note, before you go, I’ll leave you with a starting tip.
Start the first week of your Advent calendar with crafting activities.
To kick off the Christmas season, start with crafting activities that will help brighten up your home with festive decorations. Pom-poms are the perfect example. They’re fun to make, and when put together, make a fun garland for a windowsill or mantel.
We had so much fun making them! I honestly did not expect the kids to like making them as much as they did.
We used the Clover pom-pom maker that I found at Micheal’s craft store.
I hope you all have fun with some or all of these activities this year, and maybe even add a few of your own!
Share them and tag me on Instagram if you do @spanglishspoon, por favor!
Now for that printable!
Click on the link below.
[download id=”6489″]
