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Fun Keepsake DIY Advent Calendar Ideas

October 11, 2021

We love making DIY Advent Calendar Ideas – whether you are making them WITH the kids or FOR the kids, a homemade advent calendar makes a great family keepsake! This is part of our extensive list of fabulous Christmas Crafts for Kids.

Advent Calendar Ideas and Activities - If you like making your own Advent Calendar, now is a good time to start browsing and planning, so you have plenty of time to get it down in a nice and fun (and not stressful way!!). So many great ideas here to suit all interests!
First shared in November 2013, updated and republished for your covenience!

DIY Advent Calendar Ideas

We are hurtling towards the most magical season of the year: Christmas.

Explore these Advent Calendar Ideas to see how you can make the big “count down” to Christmas special. Remember, advent calendars do NOT have to be about chocolate and toys and gifts… but I love some of the ideas discussed in this video (below) – from decorating windows and branches to filling your advent with activity ideas.

In the advent calendar ideas video we of course also discuss how to make your own calendars – from knitted, to newspaper, to loo rolls… lots of ideas – something for everyone!

Also, we have a post from a couple of years ago, where 24 bloggers each share an activity for every day of the advent season. Let yourself be inspired by their Advent Activity Ideas and pop notes into your calendar! Also, we share our own Family Advent Traditions (that go beyond “just” the calendar). Have you got traditions typically to YOUR family?

Advent Calendar Ideas

Many of these ideas are shared in the video linked below.. but in the meantime..

Super Simple Advent Calendar

Paper cup Advent Calendar – this one is super easy to set up and there is plenty of space for small gifts!

Simple advent

Similarly Little Bags in a Basket can be used in different ways – hang on some twigs, hang as a garland etc. One simple “craft”, with 4 ways to display!

photo-advent-calendar

Best memory maker – the Photo Advent Calendar! I love this advent calendar ideas, as it is all about making memories with the kids. A wonderful way to “force” yourself to print off some photos from the year gone by and also remember the best bits! The kids adore this one!

Adorable set of crochet ornaments - make these as individual crochet stocking ornaments or as a stocking advent calendar! So cute and easy!

How cute is this Stocking Crochet Pattern? Make 24, either in different colours or all in red.. and you have the most adorable little advent calendar to keep!

Printable Countdown Snowman – one printable, lots of ways to use it – from Bookmark to greeting card!

advent calendar ideas

Another photo based advent calendar idea, is this Artwork Advent combining photos from the year with your children’s artwork. We gave this one to Granny as a gift and she LOVED it!

advent calendar

These Felt Stars (video 3min 40sec) are from my Red Ted Art, Cute and Easy Crafts for Kids book! Hope you like them!

TP Roll fairy house

Toilet Paper Fairy Houses – these are a great craft to involve the kids. Make 24.. add numbers and you have yourself an Advent Calendar display!

Here are more Advent Calendar Ideas from around the web!

Book Bairn has a lovely book advent calender idea.. this is a great one for little ones when still building a picture book library. Go to a school fair and stock up on second hand books!

Christmas-Advent-Calendar

Here is a handy Free Printable Calendar from Living Locurto. Nice and easy and looks great!

advent calendar idea

Tinkerlab has some simple homemade envelopes (+activity ideas) that the kids helped make.

advent calendar

Check out this super sweet paper doll advent calendar (+ activity list) from The Artful Parent.

advent calendar ideas for kids

The Artful Parent also has a wonderfully arty Christmas Tree Calendar.

peg advent calendar

Kirsty Wiseman shares this wonderful Peg Calendar on http://limegreenbogiegirl.blogspot.com/ (Update: unfortunately this post is no longer available – they have stopped blogging!)

advent calendar with no toys

I have always adored this Advent Calendar from se7en , as it reminds it isn’t about “things”, but about just looking forward to the day and seeing the decorations being revealed.

Advent Booties

The Madhouse shares adorable little Advent Calendar Boots (+activity ideas).

advent calendar tree

I love the simplicity and yet festiveness of this Advent Calendar Tree from The Imagination Tree.

felt advent calendar idea

Similarly, The Imagination Tree’s simple but effective felt pocket calendar.

advent calendar ideas

And just one more…. this gorgeous TP Roll Advent Calendar via Fun Crafts Kids!

Me and My Shadow shows the “classic” matchbox calendar – decorate and “throw” into a vase and done! (10min 34sec)

Me and My Shadow also has some super cute upcycled “mittens” hanging from a stick. I love that they make looking for the stick an annual tradition.

Kids Chaos shares sweety paper bags and simply decorated pegs (including free printable!!) which is great for older boys!

30. And finally.. we have a fab Count Down Printable for you to check out!

More lovely Christmas Craft Ideas here:

You can watch our interactive Advent Calendar Hangout on YouTube too:

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Filed Under: Christmas, vlogs 17 Comments

Comments

  1. Ali says

    November 7, 2013 at 1:39 pm

    fabulous collection…!!

    Reply
    • Red Ted Art says

      November 7, 2013 at 1:40 pm

      Indeed! We had SO many!!!

      Reply
  2. se7en says

    November 7, 2013 at 2:37 pm

    Thank you so much for popping our banner calendar up!!! So appreciate your work and all the shout outs!!! Have a fabulous week…

    Reply
    • Red Ted Art says

      November 7, 2013 at 2:47 pm

      Always a pleasure!!

      Reply
  3. Pinkoddy says

    November 7, 2013 at 5:41 pm

    What fantastic ideas. Peg one would be great for helping develop my son’s fine motor skills too

    Reply
  4. Rachelle says

    November 8, 2013 at 8:55 am

    What a fantastic collection of ideas, Maggy!

    Reply
  5. Jeanette Nyberg says

    November 8, 2013 at 5:35 pm

    It’s so nice to have these all in one place to peruse through! Great roundup!

    Reply
  6. Alex says

    November 14, 2013 at 4:40 pm

    What a fantastic ideas…We will definitely try one of those this Christmas.

    Reply
  7. jenny paulin says

    November 22, 2013 at 9:51 am

    wow so many great ideas – i really need to crack on and get my thinking cap on tby next weekend, have pinned and tweeted x

    Reply
  8. lavinia says

    January 27, 2014 at 9:03 pm

    Maggy thought you might be flattered to know that your art book was the first art reference book to be stolen from our craft cafรฉ!! I on the other hand am gutted ๐Ÿ™

    Reply
    • Red Ted Art says

      January 28, 2014 at 8:22 am

      Oh no!! That is so mean! Where do you live?

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Homemade Advent Calendar - Here Come the Girls says:
    November 8, 2013 at 11:30 am

    […] This year we were also sent a Playmobil Advent Calendar to review. ย For more amazing homemadeย advent calendar ideas watch the Hangout I took part in with Red Ted Art and […]

    Reply
  2. Favorites on Friday | Cattail Chronicles says:
    November 22, 2013 at 4:03 pm

    […] every yearโ€ฆor are you looking for something new this year? Check out this link to Red Ted Art for DIY Advent Calendar […]

    Reply
  3. Advent Calendar FREE printable | Kids Chaos says:
    December 4, 2013 at 8:16 pm

    […] more advent calendar ideas, check out the round up over onย redtedart.comย and for a bit of fun, watch us in a google+ hangout where we showcase LOADS of ideas on your […]

    Reply
  4. New Year’s Eve traditional craft ideas | Kids Chaos says:
    December 10, 2013 at 9:56 pm

    […] tips for New Year’s Eve ideas, from Maggy, Anthea and Kelly check out the round up over onย redtedart.comย and for a bit of fun, watch us in a google+ hangout where we showcase LOADS of ideas on your […]

    Reply
  5. Mason Jar Advent Calendar - * THE COUNTRY CHIC COTTAGE (DIY, Home Decor, Crafts, Farmhouse) says:
    November 6, 2015 at 11:20 am

    […] can also get 25 ideas for advent calendars over at Red Ted Art.  You are sure to find an idea that will work for you and your family […]

    Reply
  6. The Best Family Christmas Traditions to Make Your Holiday Meaningful says:
    October 22, 2018 at 5:15 am

    […] Red Ted Art has some of my FAVORITE crafts, and she has a post that includes tons of Advent calendar ideas! […]

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