Even with all the busy-ness of the Christmas season, it’s worthwhile to spend time doing family activities for Advent that are fun and meaningful. You may be thinking, “Sure – how am I going to fit that into my busy schedule?” Read the list below and see if you can find a few things that both you AND your children will enjoy, and that will fit into your busy life!
One tip my kids enjoyed was to cut out Christmas shapes from construction paper. We traced shapes using cookie cutters but using a
Put the paper shapes in a bowl or jar. Each morning, have one child draw a paper shape from the bowl or jar and that can be the activity that your family does on that day.
*Watch a Christmas movie together. Here are some classics
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
A Charlie Brown Christmas
The Little Drummer Boy
Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town
Polar Express
Santa Clause (Santa Clause 2 is my favorite!)
Home Alone
Elf
It’s a Wonderful Life
You could also check out ABC’s 25 Days of Christmas schedule for other ideas.
*Drive around and look at Christmas lights.
*Fill up bird feeders if you have them, or make a treat for birds in a park near you. If your kids are not allergic to peanut butter, here are directions for a simple and fun activity!
*Buy canned or boxed food to donate to your local food pantry. Take your children with you to drop off the food.
*Go to the library and check out some Christmas books.
*Make Christmas cards for people in your family, neighborhood or church.
*Make Christmas decorations for a local nursing home or for a local hospital.
*Sing Christmas songs together.
*Ask your child about their favorite Christmas activities or traditions. You might be surprised to learn what they consider to be “meaningful.”
*Recycle some toys and donate to your local children’s hospital or to a thrift shop.
*Decorate the Christmas tree together! So what if it isn’t perfect? Having your child feel a part of the tradition and pride in the decorated tree will be worth it.
*Have your child help you set up the nativity scene or creche.
*Consider using your nativity scene to tell the Christmas story throughout the month. On the first Sunday of Advent, put out only the stable itself. On the second Sunday of Advent, add the cattle and donkeys to the manger scene. On the third Sunday of Advent, add shepherds and sheep, but put them somewhere across the room. Add Mary and Joseph to the scene, but place them near the stable (closer than the shepherds, but not quite in the stable itself). On the fourth Sunday of Advent, move Mary and Joseph closer to the stable. Place the Wise Men in some adjacent room or area. On Christmas Eve, move Mary and Joseph to the stable and add the angels to the scene. Later in the evening (maybe after a Christmas Eve church service), place baby Jesus in the manger and move the shepherds to the stable. Then, throughout the “Twelve Days of Christmas” (between Christmas and Epiphany on January 6), remove the shepherds and move the Wise Men closer to the scene every day.
*Make other Christmas decorations, like orange & clove pomander balls, a handprint Christmas tree, a reindeer footprint, coffee filter snowflakes, cinnamon ornaments, and gingerbread houses.
*A fun idea is to do some handprint or footprint Christmas craft every year and keep them as decorations. Besides being the cutest decorations ever, they are a special record of your child’s growth from year to year. This site has some great ideas. Another tip is to purchase canvas panels and create the craft on the canvas. These are great Christmas displays along a wall!
*Make fudge, buck eyes or some other kind of Christmas candy. This site has some great ideas for simple, no-bake recipes!
*Adopt or child or family in need and go shopping for gifts.
*Make and decorate sugar cookies.
*Make and decorate gingerbread men.
*Read a Christmas book daily. Some of our favorites:
*Write (or dictate) a letter to your teacher, telling them what you really love and appreciate about them. (See my Ultimate List of Gifts that Teachers Actually Want for tips on this idea!)
*Create a Happy Jar for your family. Buy or use any inexpensive glass jar with a lid. You can find these on Amazon of course, but also at crafts stores, Hobby Lobby or World Market. Keep a stash of colorful strips of paper in a container close by. (I cut up strips of construction paper or index cards.) Each evening, list one thing that makes your family happy. It could be something simple like seeing birds on an outdoor bird feeder or something more meaningful like snuggling together on the couch to watch a movie. It’s fun to review the Happy Jar notes at the end of a year!
*Make hot chocolate. Enjoy sipping it beside your Christmas tree.
*Bundle up and take a walk around your neighborhood at night.
*Talk about and make a list of kind things we can do for others (at school, in the neighborhood, at home). Share one random act of kindness each night at dinner.
*Deliver treats to your local fire and police stations.
*Have a family game night. This actually turned into a regular Friday night event at our house.
*Deliver a surprise treat to a neighbor or friend.
*Act out the Christmas story or create a reader’s theater script from a favorite Christmas book! Email me if you would like tips on creating a reader’s theater script!
I hope that you will find some fun and meaningful ideas for family activities during Advent! Have a blessed and happy holiday.