My annual, printable Activity Advent Countdown is back!
It includes ideas, printables, and resources from around the web to make counting down to Christmas with your toddlers and preschoolers fun and educational!
- Decorate a Handprint Christmas Tree OR Cardboard Christmas Tree
- Reindeer Play Dough Game
- Pipe Cleaner Garland
- Christmas Light Matching
- Christmas I-Spy Printable
- Make and Eat Ice Cream Cone Trees
- Christmas Dice Games
- Christmas Size Sequencing (printable)
- Paint with Pom Poms Christmas Tree
- Noodle Christmas Tree Craft
- Elf on a Shelf Tracing
- Candy Cane Science Experiment
- Paper Plate Reindeer Craft
- Silver Bells Matching Game
- Christmas Q tip Painting (printable)
- Plastic Lid Ornament
- Snowy Window Scene
- Fine Motor Christmas Tree
- Painting Snow OR 3 Ingredient Snow Dough
- Sing and Dance with DIY Jingle Bell Streamers
- Eat and Stick Marshmallow Trees
- Play Snowman Slam
- Paper Cup Jingle Bell Craft
- Shaving Cream Snow Paint
- Merry Christmas!
Where to Start:
- Print the 2014 Activity Advent Calendar Cards and Materials List. This includes the countdown cards, a list of the activities, and a materials list.
- Set up the 25 countdown cards to get your child excited about the Countdown to Christmas Activities
Set Up Ideas:
- Put each card in a small box and wrap them. Let your child unwrap a box each morning and that is the activity of the day (regardless of the number)
- Put the cards in a jar and have your child pick a random one out.
- Attach them to a piece of garland with clothes pins and take one down each day in order.
- Make a pocket chart with library pockets from the dollar store or by sewing felt into a grid and put the cards in the pockets in order. Pull one out each day.
- Make a chart with the numbers 1-25 on it. Have your child pick and cross off a number each day. That number would be the activity of the day.
- Hang the cards from the lower branches of your Christmas tree and let your child pick the activity for the day by picking one to take off of the tree.
Quick Tip:
I print all of the activities and gather my materials ahead of time so that I can just grab what I need for that day. That way the work is done and I can enjoy the countdown with my kids!
For more countdown activities and printables, visit my:
Resources:
The Activity Mom, Pre-K Pages, Powerful Mothering, Reuse Crafts, The Pleasantest Thing, A Moment in Our World, The Blue Basket, Fantastic Fun and Learning, Crafty Morning, 3 Boys and a Dog, Inspiration Laboratories, Huppie Mama, Frogs and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails, Sugar Aunts, Teach Preschool, 1+1+1=1, Frogs and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails, Fantastic Fun and Learning, Growing a Jeweled Rose, Education.com, No Time for Flashcards, Kiwi Crate
Victoria
Tuesday 17th of February 2015
Great ideas for my group.Thank you for featuring our cardboard Christmas Trees, we hope you enjoy making them! http://reusecrafts.blogspot.com/
Tammy Boyce
Saturday 29th of November 2014
Another great list of activities to help countdown to Christmas! Thank you so much for putting it all together so that scatter brained moms like me don't have to scour the internet for awesome ideas:) This is the 4th year I'm using your Advent Calendar activities and my kids now expect to find the cards each day in the stockings we use to countdown.
Victoria
Sunday 23rd of November 2014
Thank you Activity Mom for honoring us using our Cardboard Christmas Tree craft in your countdown. We hope you have as much fun as we did using and recycling things we had around!
Nicole
Tuesday 25th of November 2014
Thank YOU for being so creative and sharing your ideas with us!
Jen
Friday 14th of November 2014
Love these ideas, Nicole! Great how simple they are and I like your suggestion about getting everything ready ahead of time. Hope your family is doing well.
Nicole
Friday 14th of November 2014
Hi JEN!!!! SO happy to hear from you!!
Shonda
Monday 10th of November 2014
I love all the different and fun ideas you share every year!
Nicole
Tuesday 11th of November 2014
Thank You! We always have fun with the countdown!