Children love counting down the days of excitement before a major holiday such as Christmas with an Advent calendar. While Advent calendars come in many shapes and sizes, the homemade variety offers the most choices for personalization. And counting down the days with a calendar need not be reserved for Christmas only. Hanukah, Kwanzaa, New Year’s Day, or any other holiday where the waiting brings excitement and suspense might warrant a countdown calendar.
Child Friendly Paper-Chain Craft Calendar
One simple Advent calendar that is quick to assemble and easy to use is the paper chain. Children, with adult supervision, can cut strips of paper, insert one strip into the circle made by the previous loop, and staple or tape the ends of the paper strip together. This can be made more special with the addition of unique elements such as stickers, a color pattern, or pattern cutting scissors. Also, families that wish to include special scriptural references, activities, or special Christmas surprises can print up typed references to be included, one to each day’s strip of paper.
Do-it-Yourself Trinket Holding Craft Calendar
Household items can be used to create an advent calendar that counts down to Christmas with a prize for each day. A simple mini-cupcake tin with 24 holes can be the base of a treasure-keeping advent calendar. The cupcake holder serves as the backing and felt or fabric can be adhered with a glue gun to the front. An adult can add small doors or slits to each partition and added decorations to the front create a holiday feel. Small pieces of candy or surprise trinkets can then be inserted into each partition.
Simple Sewing Project Pocket Advent Calendar
For families with some sewing knowledge a simple way to assemble an advent calendar is to use the pockets of old jeans. Such an advent calendar can be reused many times and with flexible fabric choices can be adapted to fit holidays or events throughout the year. Families begin by gathering worn out jeans or pants and shorts with multiple pockets. Once the pockets are cut from the fabric and aligned on a chosen backing fabric they only require a zig-zag stitch to secure them to the backing material. Seasonal decorations or numbers can add interest.
Printable and Online Advent Calendars
Printable advent calendars are perhaps the simplest to use and create. A web search will result in many colorful nativity scenes or holiday images sure to please. Online calendars offer another option. Parents should be sure to check for appropriate content and approve individual sites. Returning to a site each day to see the additional features can be another fun way to await the holiday season.
Any way a family chooses, counting down the days until Christmas need not be dull or frustrating. Finding the calendar that keeps your family busy and excited can be fun and easy.
Christine Silva - Christine is a Stay-at-Home-Mother of three children under the age of 6 working feverishly to maintain the appearance of order, calm, and ...
