Printable Advent Calendar for Kids: 72 Free Activities

The year we tried a chocolate advent calendar, doors 1 and 14 were both open by lunchtime on 1 December. I still don’t know who did 14.

So we switched to this. It’s a printable advent calendar for kids where each day is something to do, not something to eat. There are 24 activities for ages 3 to 5, 24 for ages 6 to 8 and 24 for ages 9 to 12, so pick the list that fits your kid (or mix them if you’ve got a few). Everything uses stuff you’ve already got at home.

How Our Printable Advent Calendar Works

Print the calendar page and stick it on the fridge. Each morning, your child colors in that day’s picture and reads (or hears) the activity.

The activities aren’t random. 1 December 2026 is a Tuesday, so school nights get the quick ones, 10 or 15 minutes at most. The bigger, messier ones land on the three weekends: 5 to 6, 12 to 13 and 19 to 20 December. By the last few days a lot of kids are off school, so those have a bit more room too.

And if Tuesday goes sideways? Swap it with Saturday. Nobody’s checking.

What’s in the Free PDF

• A cross-off calendar for 1 to 24 December 2026, with a small picture to color for each day
• 72 activity cards, 24 for each age group, color-coded so they don’t get mixed up
• A countdown chain: 24 paper strips, each with one activity printed on it
• A page of blank cards and strips for your own ideas
• Number tags 1 to 24 for envelopes, paper bags or a string of pegs

It prints on US Letter or A4.

24 Advent Activities for Ages 3 to 5

Keep these short. Little kids care much more about doing a thing every day than about how big the thing is.

1. Tue 1: Color in day 1 on the calendar and choose where to hang it.
2. Wed 2: Make a paper snowflake. You fold, they snip (with safety scissors).
3. Thu 3: Read a Christmas book under a blanket with a flashlight.
4. Fri 4: Dance party to three Christmas songs.
5. Sat 5: Make salt dough ornaments. Flour, salt and water, that’s it.
6. Sun 6: Build a blanket fort and eat a snack inside it.
7. Mon 7: Make a Christmas tree shape out of buttons, blocks or crayons on the floor.
8. Tue 8: Draw a picture to send to a grandparent.
9. Wed 9: Count the lights you can see from the window after dark.
10. Thu 10: Wrap a favorite toy in newspaper, then unwrap it again.
11. Fri 11: A special drink in a special mug. Warm milk in the north, a frozen fruit smoothie in Australia.
12. Sat 12: Go on a Christmas lights walk or drive.
13. Sun 13: Make a paper plate wreath out of handprints.
14. Mon 14: Play musical statues to Christmas music.
15. Tue 15: Stick cotton balls on a paper Santa to give him a beard.
16. Wed 16: Cut sandwiches into stars with a cookie cutter.
17. Thu 17: Make a thank-you card for the mail carrier or the bin crew.
18. Fri 18: Pajama movie night.
19. Sat 19: Decorate cookies. Store-bought ones count.
20. Sun 20: Make a paper chain for their bedroom door.
21. Mon 21: Pick one toy to give to a child who needs one.
22. Tue 22: Color the Christmas tree page in the pack.
23. Wed 23: Write (or draw) a note for Santa.
24. Thu 24: Set out a snack for Santa and read one last story.

Keep salt dough, buttons and cotton balls away from under-3s. They all look a lot like food to a toddler.

24 Advent Activities for Ages 6 to 8

This is the age where the calendar itself becomes the exciting bit. Let them be the one who reads the card out.

1. Tue 1: Write a Christmas wish list.
2. Wed 2: Fold a 3D paper star.
3. Thu 3: Christmas joke night. Everyone tells one at dinner.
4. Fri 4: Board game after dinner.
5. Sat 5: Build a paper gingerbread house from a template.
6. Sun 6: Make salt dough ornaments, then paint them once they’re dry.
7. Mon 7: Write a letter to a grandparent and post it.
8. Tue 8: Do the Christmas word search in the pack.
9. Wed 9: Make a paper snowflake with a harder fold.
10. Thu 10: Learn to say Merry Christmas in three languages.
11. Fri 11: Indoor picnic dinner on the living room floor.
12. Sat 12: Lights walk or drive. Vote for the best house.
13. Sun 13: Make wrapping paper by stamping brown paper with potato stamps.
14. Mon 14: Do something kind for a neighbor, like a card through the door.
15. Tue 15: Make a popsicle stick snowflake.
16. Wed 16: Read a chapter of a Christmas book out loud together.
17. Thu 17: Christmas charades.
18. Fri 18: Movie night with homemade popcorn.
19. Sat 19: Bake cookies and take a plate to a neighbor.
20. Sun 20: Make gift tags for the family presents.
21. Mon 21: Sort out toys they’ve outgrown to donate.
22. Tue 22: Make place cards for Christmas dinner.
23. Wed 23: Plan the Christmas Eve breakfast and draw the menu.
24. Thu 24: Read a Christmas story in pajamas, then leave a snack out.

24 Advent Activities for Ages 9 to 12

Older kids roll their eyes at “activities”. They don’t roll their eyes at being put in charge of something, so a lot of these are exactly that.

1. Tue 1: Write the family’s December bucket list.
2. Wed 2: Fold an origami star or crane for the tree.
3. Thu 3: Learn one card trick to perform on Christmas Day.
4. Fri 4: Run a family quiz night with questions they wrote.
5. Sat 5: Cook dinner with a grown-up. They pick the recipe.
6. Sun 6: Make a stop-motion video with toys and a phone.
7. Mon 7: Write a letter to someone who lives far away.
8. Tue 8: Design this year’s family Christmas card.
9. Wed 9: Solve the crossword and the maze in the pack.
10. Thu 10: Find out how Christmas is celebrated in another country and explain it at dinner.
11. Fri 11: Game night. They choose the game and teach it.
12. Sat 12: Make a set of bookmarks as gifts, one for each family member.
13. Sun 13: Lights walk with a scorecard they design.
14. Mon 14: Hide a kind note for a brother, sister or parent to find.
15. Tue 15: Make a woven paper star.
16. Wed 16: Read a story to a younger kid.
17. Thu 17: Learn to wrap a present with neat corners, then wrap the family’s gifts.
18. Fri 18: Movie night. They’re in charge of snacks.
19. Sat 19: Bake something mostly on their own.
20. Sun 20: Pick toys, books or clothes to donate and drop them off together.
21. Mon 21: Write a list of the best moments of the year.
22. Tue 22: Make place cards and a seating plan for Christmas dinner.
23. Wed 23: Write a short Christmas story and read it out.
24. Thu 24: Help set up for tomorrow, and make something for a younger kid to find in the morning.

Some of these mean a hot oven or a sharp knife. Stay close for those, however grown-up they’re acting.

How to Make the Countdown Chain

The chain is the same 24 activities, just in a form little hands can tear.

1. Print the chain pages and cut along the dotted lines into 24 strips.
2. Fold each strip into a loop with the activity on the inside, and tape or glue it shut.
3. Thread the next strip through the loop before you close it. Start with 24 and finish with 1, so day 1 hangs at the bottom.
4. Hang it somewhere they can reach.
5. Each morning, tear off the bottom loop, open it and read the activity.

You’ll need about 15 minutes for the whole thing. I’ll be honest, I’ve built one upside down at least once.

Tips for a Countdown That Actually Lasts 24 Days

Print it in the last week of November. If Advent matters to your family, it starts on Sunday 29 November this year, so you can hang the calendar that day and start on the 1st.

Don’t do all of it. If a day gets skipped, color the square anyway and move on. A calendar with three missed days still gets to Christmas.

Use the blank cards. Your kids will have ideas, and they’re often better than mine.

In Australia, December is summer, so the lights walk is at 9pm, the drinks are cold and none of these need snow.

Families who want a faith calendar can write a short Bible reading on the back of each card. The front works on its own either way.

Download the Free Advent Calendar

The free printable advent calendar has the cross-off calendar, all 72 activity cards, the countdown chain, blank cards and number tags. US Letter and A4.

More Christmas Printables

• Christmas crafts for kids
• Christmas ornaments for kids to make
• 25 Christmas gifts for kids who love crafts
• Christmas printables for kids

FAQs

When should I start a printable advent calendar?

On 1 December. If you follow the church calendar, Advent itself begins on Sunday 29 November 2026, four Sundays before Christmas.

What can you put in an advent calendar instead of chocolate?

Small activities work well: a craft, a story, a lights walk, a kind thing for a neighbor. Every day in this calendar is one of those.

Are these activities free?

 Yes. They use things most homes already have, like paper, flour, books and old boxes.

Will it print on A4?

Yes. The PDF is set up for both US Letter and A4.

What if we miss a day?

 Color the square and carry on. Or swap the missed activity onto the next weekend.