Advent calendar ideas

[BedPig2013]

My dd will be 22 months this Christmas so I'd like to do an advent calendar that doesn't have chocolate in and preferably one that we can re use for a few years, I'd like to put my own gifts in but I think that anything I could fit in an advent window would probably be a choking hazard for her so I'm wondering what everyone else does with their dc for advent or where I can get an age appropriate calendar?

I don't do gift advent calendars, I think the old fashioned ones with pictures are much nicer :) Orchard Cards have a very good selection including some lovely children's ones.

My dd has a chocolate in her calendar but we also do advent activities. Each day she gets a chocolate coin and a bit of paper with that day's activity on. We do things like:

• making snowman pancakes for breakfast
• visiting FC
• visiting the reindeer at the garden centre
• make a snowman from cotton wool balls
• make a jingle bell bracelet (thread mini bells onto a pipe cleaner, twist into bracelet, if your dd is anything like mine repeat for other arm and legs too )
• have a bath with a Christmas bath bomb/glow sticks

On nursery days when dd will be tired the activity is things like sing or dance to a Christmas song

The first year I did a calendar with presents Dd1 was 18 months, I put in a different plastic animal each day. I worked well. Finger puppets would work ok too.

Our calendar is a string of little buckets. The downside is that presents have to be wrapped, but it means you can fit slightly bigger things in than the calendars with doors, which is a big asset.

Happyland people would be perfect for that age. I used to get stuff from Tickseed.co.uk but recently discovered they've shut down - if anyone has an idea of anywhere similar, let me know

Likesilver and I obviously love our activity advent calendars as we keep popping up on the same threads! My kids are older than your DD but you can adapt things I"m sure.

This takes a bit of planning so you need to have your calendar/diary and plan around your busy and quiet days and other commitments like nursery concert, carol services, parties, visiting relatives etc.

here's some non-choc ideas I put on another thread.

We have activity advent calendar with a mixture of jobs as well as treats.

Jobs:
Make cards
Make paper garlands
Get house ready for Santa (clean and tidy rooms etc)
Go shopping with Dad to buy present for mum (Dad's present is always sorted before December!)
Wrap family presents and put under tree
Go for walk and collect greenery for table/mantelpiece
Lay table etc

The treats in the calendar can be

elaborate - panto or preschool theatre show, ice skating , see Santa, miniature railway, go to buy tree and go to pub for lunch
Easy- shiny pound coin pound coin to go to local shop to choose treat
really simple - hot chocolate, watch Christmas film, make paper snowflakes, play board game, read Christmas story

We have some little triangular boxes we tie to tree branches but you can just string envelopes from a piece of string. you may need to swap activities because of the weather or you can't be bothered!

Thank you for the ideas, the activities sound fab and I think I could get some card and string then number the cards 1-25 and get dd to help decorate them, I was going to try and do some home made cards so could do that on some of the days, thank you again for ideas

I have a beautiful advent calendar with pockets that comes out every year. My aunt made it for my DC and it is stunning...I love it. I put the occasional chocolate in the pockets for them, but sometimes I'll put an activity in it like make and decorate Christmas cookies, make paper snowflakes or some other Christmas craft. And sometimes there will be a small toy like a ball or a little car or something. I like pp's idea of just putting a coin in for them to go and choose something.