Family Advent Calendar Activity Ideas: 24 Simple, Screen-Free Things to Do in December

An activity Advent calendar swaps the daily chocolate for something to do together: one small thing each evening from December 1 to 24. Children look forward to it just as much, and at the end of the month you have a string of small memories instead of a pile of wrappers.

The trick is choosing activities that fit real December weeknights, when everyone is tired, and saving the bigger ones for weekends. Below are 24 ideas sorted by type, a way to match them to your calendar, and tips for keeping it going when life gets busy.

How to plan an activity Advent calendar that lasts

Most activity calendars fail in the second week, when a school concert, a late meeting and a sick child all land on the same days. Avoid that with ten minutes of planning before December starts:

1. Open your actual calendar. Mark the nights that are already busy: school events, work parties, travel.
2. Give busy nights the smallest activities, things that take ten minutes at the kitchen table.
3. Put outings on weekends, such as a lights walk, a tree farm or a visit to a grandparent.
4. Leave two or three flexible cards. Label them "family's choice" or "rest night" so you can swap things around without guilt.
5. Gather supplies on November 30. One box with paper, glue, string, oranges, cocoa and a few good library books saves a lot of last-minute searching.

24 family Advent activity ideas

Quick weeknight ideas (10 to 20 minutes)

1. Cocoa and a story. Make hot chocolate and read one winter picture book together.
2. Paper snowflakes. Fold, cut, and tape them to the windows.
3. Write to someone far away. A card or a short letter to a grandparent, a friend who moved, or a pen pal.
4. Make a paper chain. Each link is a day left until Christmas; one person tears off a link each night.
5. Wrap one gift together. Let children choose the paper and ribbon.
6. Color an ornament. Print color-your-own ornaments and hang one a night.
7. Holiday joke night. Everyone brings one joke to dinner.
8. Gratitude round. Everyone names one good thing from today before bed.

Making and baking (30 to 60 minutes)

9. Dried orange garland. Slice oranges thin, dry them in a low oven for two to three hours, then thread them on twine. Start it after dinner and finish before bed.
10. Bake one batch of cookies. Keep it to one simple recipe, and freeze half for later in the month.
11. Make paper ornaments. 3D stars and trees are a good project for older kids.
12. Pinecone bird feeders. Spread pinecones with nut butter, roll them in seed and hang them outside.
13. Homemade gift tags. Make tags for the presents you'll wrap later.
14. Salt dough ornaments. Mix flour, salt and water, cut shapes, bake low and paint them the next night.

Giving to others

15. Cookie delivery. Take a plate of cookies to a neighbor.
16. Donation box. Go through toys and clothes together and choose things to give away.
17. Thank-you notes for helpers, such as a bus driver, a mail carrier or a crossing guard.
18. Shop for a food bank. Let children choose a few items and drop them off together.

Outings and big nights (weekends)

19. A lights walk or drive. Bring cocoa in travel mugs and vote on the best house.
20. Pick out a tree or a branch of greenery.
21. Visit someone, such as a grandparent or an older neighbor.
22. A winter nature walk. Collect pinecones, sticks and evergreen sprigs for the table.

Rest nights

23. Blanket fort movie night. Build it together, then watch a holiday film inside it.
24. Pajama dinner by candlelight (or by the tree lights), with no phones at the table.

How to present the activities

There's no wrong way, but these are the easiest:

• Envelopes or bags numbered 1 to 24, each holding a card. Hang them on a string or pin them to a board.
• A jar of folded cards with numbered tags. Children love drawing the day's card.
• A countdown board on the fridge, with a star or ornament colored in each day.
• A paper chain, where each link has the day's activity written inside.

Whichever you pick, keep the next card visible. Anticipation is half the fun.

Keep a record

Add a line to each card: "What we want to remember". After each activity, write one sentence: who laughed hardest, what the cookies tasted like, who won the lights vote. Keep the cards in an envelope with the year on it. In a few Decembers you'll have a stack of small family histories, and reading the old ones becomes a tradition of its own.

When you miss a night

You will miss a night. Everyone does. Don't try to catch up with three activities at once. Either skip it, or move the card to the next rest night. The point is a calmer December, not a perfect one. If you start late, begin with today's date and do "the rest of December". It still works.

Our printable family Advent calendar

The Family Advent Activity Calendar has 24 activity cards like the ones above, each with a short how-to, a "you'll need" line and space for a note to remember. It also has a countdown board poster, 24 numbered tags, 8 blank fillable cards for your own ideas, a color-one-a-day ornament tracker and a paper chain. The activities are non-religious and suit all ages. It's 15 pages, US Letter and A4, decorated with vintage botanical plates of holly, spruce and oranges, for $6.

For the whole season, the Holiday Printables Bundle includes the Advent calendar, our Thanksgiving table and games pack, and 24 Christmas party games for $15. Kids who love the craft nights may enjoy our color-your-own paper ornaments, and our guide to DIY paper Christmas ornaments has tips for making them.

Quick answers

When should I set up an activity Advent calendar? By November 30, so the first card is ready on December 1. Gather supplies the same weekend.

What are good Advent activities for toddlers? Paper chains, coloring ornaments, cocoa and a story, and a lights walk. Keep each one under 15 minutes.

What are free Advent calendar activities? Most of the list: letters, snowflakes, lights walks, gratitude rounds, nature walks, forts and joke night cost nothing.

Can I start an Advent calendar late? Yes. Start on today's date and skip the earlier cards, or save them for the week between Christmas and New Year.