a homemade advent calendar

How to Build a Christmas Advent Calendar for Kids: A DIY Project Guide

Nov 11,2022read

A Christmas advent calendar is the perfect way to count down the final days until Santa arrives. It’s fun and interactive, which means your child will look forward to it every day. An advent calendar also ensures your little one doesn’t forget about Santa this time around! This DIY Christmas Advent Calendar for Kids project is a terrific way to keep kids excited about December 25th. You might think an advent calendar only has chocolate but there are so many different versions of this that you can use it as a countdown to Santa coming! This is something that will get your little ones excited about Christmas from the very first of December.

Photo by Elena Mozhvilo on Unsplash

What You’ll Need:

This list covers everything you need to create 12 Christmas advent calendars for kids. If you want to make one for each member of your family, you’ll need a few more supplies. - 12 cardboard boxes - We used a mix of gift boxes, cereal boxes, and shoe boxes. - 12 sheets of wrapping paper - You can use any pattern or design you want. - Paper cutter - This makes cutting out the wrapping paper and the box tops quick and easy. - 12 pieces of ribbon - You want ribbon that’s thick enough to tie around the box tops but thin enough that it isn’t too bulky. - Stickers - You can use stickers to decorate the box fronts and make the calendar even more personalized. - Fine-point marker - This makes writing on the paper squares easier. - Gift tags - Fill these with a personalized note for your child. - 12 small gifts - You can use small toys, candy, or homemade gifts. - Craft glue - This makes sure everything on the calendar stays attached to the box.

How to Build a Christmas Advent Calendar for Kids

Now that you've gathered your supplies, it's time to create your advent calendar! First, start by cutting out the squares of wrapping paper. You'll want to use the same pattern for each box so that it looks like one big advent calendar. Then, start decorating each box. You can use stickers, paint, or markers to personalize each box. Depending on the age of your child, you can make the boxes different themes. Older kids might enjoy sports-themed calendars, while younger kids might enjoy toys. Next, glue the wrapping paper to the boxes. Make sure to fold it around the edges so it's secure! Finally, fill each box with a present and tie each one shut with ribbon. You can either put a present in each box or make it a fun act like opening a present daily. Make sure to keep track of the date so you know when to expect Santa!

Step 1: Gather your supplies

First, gather all of the supplies you'll need to make your advent calendar. This includes your boxes, paper, wrapping paper, ribbon, and any other decorations or gifts you want to put inside.

Step 2: Print and cut the 24 squares

Next, you'll want to print out 24 squares of wrapping paper and cut them out. You can use the same wrapping paper for all of the squares or you can use multiple different patterns. Use a paper cutter to make the job easier. Now you've got your wrapping paper squares ready to go.

crafting materials for advent calendar

Image Source: FreeImages‍

Step 3: Create the door fronts and bottoms

Now that all of your wrapping papers squares are cut out, it's time to create the door fronts and bottoms. Grab your boxes and decide how big you want the doors to be. We decided to make our doors 1/3 of the width of the box. Then, draw rectangles to fit on the bottom of the box. Make sure they're big enough to be able to fit your wrapping paper squares inside. If you want, you can add decorations to the doors or the bottom of the boxes.

Step 4: Add the calendars to the boxes

Now that you've got your doors and bottoms, you can add your calendars to the boxes. Just line up your wrapping paper squares and tuck them inside. Make sure you tuck them in all the way around so that nothing is sticking out. Once they're all tucked in, you can secure them with a little bit of craft glue. You can use a fine tip marker to write the date on the wrapping paper.

a homemade advent calendar

Photo by Elena Mozhvilo on Unsplash

Bonus step! Paint or stain your boxes

If you want a little extra something on your Advent Calendar, you can paint or stain your boxes. This will make the boxes look even more festive and fun and put more time into your child's Christmas gift. If you decide to go with painting, you can either paint the boxes one colour or paint a Christmas scene on the front. If you go with the latter, you can use the wrapping paper you cut out as a guide for the colours you want to use. You can also try stencils or freehand painting. If you decide to stain your boxes, you can use a stain marker or a regular old paintbrush. Stain markers are easy to use and don't require a lot of skill or practice to get good results. Just make sure to follow the instructions on the packaging.

What to Put Inside

Now that your Advent Calendar is almost done, it's time to decide what you want to put inside each box. This depends on the age of your child, but you can always mix and match things to make it more interesting. - Small toys - Pick out small toys that are easy for your child to play with. Pick a different toy for each day or put a few toys in one box. - Candy - Make sure the candy you put in the boxes is age appropriate. This can also be done with other treats like cookies or mini chocolate bars. - Homemade gifts - If you have kids who are a little too young to make their own gifts, you can always make small crafts for them to open each day. - Colouring books - These are great for younger kids who might not be ready for big toys or candy yet. - Small gift cards - You can put gift cards for kid-friendly places like a play place or a restaurant in each box.

a child plays with small toys

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

The Advent Calendar is Finished!

Now that you've filled your calendars and decorated them, it's time to put them away until December 1st. You can either store them in a box or hang them up somewhere. Now you've got a fun Christmas countdown for your kids that they'll love. You can use this advent calendar to countdown to anything, not just Christmas. You can use it to countdown to a birthday or a vacation. This is a great way to get kids excited about the holidays. And it's a great way to teach them how to count down to something special!

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