A “doing” advent calendar for toddler

[StargazyDrifter]

One of you lovely Christmas peeps mentioned this on another thread, albeit for older DC. I like the idea very much and would like to introduce it this year and carry on for as long as we can.

My DD will be 18 months over the festive period. With so little on, I’d welcome your ideas for fun activities. They don’t all have to be overtly festive.

Oh I love this idea

I'm in the process of making an advent calendar - big felt xmas tree with pockets for each day.

The intention is to put an 'activity' for each day in each pocket...

But I need to think of 24 things! Which are inexpensive and can be done in a day. Any ideas?

You want ideas of things the toddler could do, rather than things to give him/her? How about: make a Christmas tree out of play dough; draw a Christmas picture; make a paper chain with Christmas wrapping paper (adult would need to do most of this, obviously, but toddler could help), make Christmas cookies (adult makes dough first, toddler just cuts cookies out with cookie cutters).

Go for a walk to spot Christmas lights

Have a ‘snowball’ fight (scrunch up scrap paper and try to throw it in a basket or at each other

Read a Christmas story

Watch a Christmas episode of eg octonauts

Go on a walk somewhere you can spot Holly, a Robin, a fir tree that looks like a christmas tree (you could stick pictures of these on a little card to carry and tick them off)

Make a handprint decoration - paint or salt dough

Put on some Christmas music and have a little mini disco in the house

Video call family to sing Christmas carols with them

Collect pine cones (for a seasonal decoration?)

Go and look at some pretty shop windows

How about:
*making gingerbread men or mince pies together (use ready-made pastry)
*make bird feeders to hang up in your garden - the cbeebies has three different ones to try
*ice bunting for outside. Line up about five empty, washed yogurt pots. Put several pretty, natural things in each one - pine cones, autumn leaves, frozen edible berries eg blueberries (in case your little one tries to eat them!). Fill with water, place in the freezer. Drape a length of ribbon over with some of the ribbon dipping well down into each yogurt pot. Allow to freeze. When you take it out of the freezer, remove the yogurt pots and the ice bunting hangs down from the ribbon. Hang it in your garden.
*bath icebergs. Place a plastic toy animal or similar into a plastic bowl of water. You could add a bit of food colouring too! Allow to freeze. At bathtime, pop the iceberg out of the bowl and put it in the bath of warm water and allow it to melt, revealing the surprise in the middle

*cbeebies web site

PlayHooray has an activity a day calendar on their website which I've ordered for my 2 and 4 year olds.

We do this. As well as activities I also have some things that come out every year such as a CD of Christmas carols and Christmas books . I put a note saying something like 'look under the tree for Christmas tunes' then we put them on. I usually save those for a school day where we don't have a lot of time and it's raining as low effort.

Once DD got older I started putting Christmas jokes in which she'd read out

This is what I’m doing for my 5yo:

Make paper chains
Make gingerbread men
Write Christmas cards
Go and choose a Christmas tree to buy
Decorate the Christmas tree
Read the nativity story
Send a letter to Father Christmas
Sleep next to the Christmas tree
Donate food to a food bank
Decorate a plate on which to leave a cookie for Father Christmas
Make reindeer food
Go on a Christmas light safari in the car with carols and popcorn
Watch ‘The Snowman’
Go to the library for Christmas books
Take old toys to the charity shop
Make paper snowflakes
Eat a mince pie
Watch a pantomime (this year we’re going to stream www.ents24.com/online-events/online-streaming-events/jack-and-the-beanstalk-panto-online/6131336)
Help wrap presents
Deliver presents to family
Bake cookies for Father Christmas
Collect pine cones
Go to a carol service

Make Christmas cookies

North Pole breakfast

Decorate the tree or their own tree

Watch a Christmas movie

Make a handprint Christmas tree

Go for a walk to see the neighbours lights

See a Christmas event in your town -eg. Lights switch on

Choose a Christmas book from Library/local bookshop

Make a marshmallow snowman

Make a window display

Make fake snow (lots of recipes on Pinterest)

Candy cane play dough

Christmas hide and seek... hide Christmas items around

Make Christmas cards, again loads of toddler friendly ideas on Pinterest

Stick glitter on fir cones and make simple decorations

Cut pizza into Christmas shapes with cookie cutters for a Christmas themed meal or use Christmas tree crumpets from Asda

Sing Christmas songs and play kids musical instruments

Get the wrapping paper out, kids love wrapping up their toys

Sorry if any repeats

• go for a walk/ drive after dark to see the lights
• make paper snowflakes (parent to use scissors, but toddler can add glitter)
• salt dough tree decs. (We have as presents to grandparents)
• decorate a stocking/Santa hat
• celebrate St Nicolas- you leave your shoes out on the fifth and Ig you've been good you get sweets (or sticks if you were bad)
• watch one of the CBeebies pantos (not sure if there will be a new one this year)
• Snowman and snowman 2)
• dance to Christmas music
• decorate the tree
• decorate a gingerbreads house

Wow! Those are all fantastic suggestions! Thank you so much, lovely peeps.

I’ve just ordered my first PlayHooray pack, good to know they also have daily activity ones.

Even I’m excited about Christmas now! 😝

Things that we do that could work for a toddler with help/modifications are:
Make a Christmas tree pizza
Make/decorate paper snowflakes for bedroom windows.
Salt dough decorations
Make/decorate bird feeders/fat balls
Have snowman soup while watching a film
Handprint decorations/cards/wrapping paper
Wear a Christmas jumper all day

Some lovely ideas here.
I know not strictly advent, but you could do something Hanukkah related? A nice way to learn about a different religion? (Sorry for assuming that you aren't Jewish)- read the story, make a menorah with tealights/candles, eat donuts or even make them?

I'm trying to do stuff with DS from other cultures so I love the St Nicholas shoe idea.

Maybe make or decorate a buche de Noel? I can't bake so it'd be DS and I decorating a shop bought Swiss roll!

I am doing this for my toddlers 🙂 so far we have-
Baking cupcakes
Making gingetbreads
Making snowmen out of shaving foam and decorating with foam accessories
Paperchain making
Salt dough decorations
Cinema afternoon
Garden Centre and choosing bauble
Picking out Christmas tree
Homemade snow globe
Snow scene tuff tray small world
Christmas yule log baking and decorating
Elf hunt (will hide cardboard elves throughout garden to find)
Christmas card making
Christmas land on train table (will set up with fake snow etc)
Peppermint creams for gifts (so easy to make)

For a younger one (lots of messy play themed around Christmas and sensory bottles etc)