ADVENT FUN WITH KIDS

HAPPY DECEMBER! Every year I make an ADVENT ACTIVITY CALENDAR with things to do with the kids and it's become a wonderful tradition in our family. I am sharing my curated list, from which I pick 24 activities each year, depending on our schedule and the kids' age and interests (and covid restrictions in '20 and '21).

I always take into account weekdays/weekends and any other plans to make sure we can actually do the activity and I even sometimes swap them around last minute if needed ;)

FUN AT HOME

1. Have a paper snowball fight (our absolute favourite activity)

2. Take a bubble bath and make a Santa beard

3. Watch Christmas movies

4. Host an Advent party with friends

5. Take photos with funny Christmas filters

6. Listen to Christmas songs in other languages

7. Tell Christmas stories from childhood

8. Make up funny Christmas stories

9. A Christmas karaoke or dance party

10. Look at old family photos

11. Record a family Christmas video

12. Pay Christmas games (I Spy, Would You Rather, Spot the Difference)

13. Tell Christmas jokes

14. Read Christmas books (we make a book Advent calendar)

15. Wrap up your siblings or parents as gifts

16. Prepare teacher gifts and cards

17. Decorate the Christmas tree

18. Decorate the house

19. Prepare for Santa

CRAFTS

1. Make ornaments or other decorations

2. Make Christmas cards for friends and family

3. Print Christmas colouring pages

4. Cut paper snowflakes

5. Make gift tags

6. Decorate the windows with chalk markers

7. Cut out a child-sized cardboard gingerbread man

8. Make a Christmas board game

EDIBLE FUN

1. Decorate a gingerbread house

2. Make hot chocolate and marshmallows

3. Dip mini Pretzels into melted chocolate

4. Bake and decorate cookies

5. Make lollipop angels

FUN OUTDOORS

1. Google Christmas traditions in another country

2. Go ice skating

3. Evening pyjama walk to check out the neighbourhood decorations

4. Drive around to see Christmas lights

5. Go sledding

6. Visit a Christmas market

7. Visit Santa’s grotto and take photos

8. Watch a Christmas play in the theatre

9. Donate toys to a charity

Another fun thing we do is our BOOK ADVENT CALENDAR. Every day we read a Christmas story and we've had pretty much the same Christmas storybooks for the past 9 years. Every few years were replace 2-3 with more age appropriate ones. The boys love these stories and always look forward to reading them.

I hope this article inspired you to try some of these activities or share one of your own with the readers.

Love, Maya