Kids Craft Advent Calendar Printable

Today we share with part of our extensive advent ideas. We love advent calendars and well advent calendars that focus on activities vs “just” gifts or chocolates, candy or treats (though, if I am being honest, those are great too!). So today, we have a set of 24 Kids Crafts to make during the advent period – your very own Kids Crafts Advent Calendar Ideas! These come with a handy printable, that you can tick off as you go through the December month!

Please note… this is part of a series of homemade advent calendars. We also have for you:

Preschool Christmas Countdown Crafts
Toddler Creative Countdown (a collaboration with 24 Kids Activity Bloggers)
Paper Crafts Advent Calendar (requires the least prep and only basic supplies) (coming soon)
Ornament Advent Calendar (fill the tree with keepsake ornaments)
Your DIY Handmade Filler Advent Calendar (you would need to work on this during the month of November)
Living Advent Calendars (a neighbourhood collaboration, which needs to be organised in November)
Photo Advent Calendar (this makes a great gift to relatives)

To get started with this creative Christmas Advent ideas calender, grab the simple pdf here. You can either print it off as a reference and cross out each day – refering to this blog post each day. Or keep a copy of the PDF version – which has clickable links.

Some thoughts have gone into the order of these crafts. For example, the first half is “Christmas Card heavy”, so you can make and post your cards in time. You will also find some cute decorations to get into the Christmas spirit. Whilst the second half of the calendar, as some gift box ideas for you, as well as more ornaments that you can gift as we approach the end of the school term as well as Christmas itself!

If you would like printable copies of the craft images – you can download this Advent Calendar Coupon resource – print, cut out each day, and pop them into your advent calendar at home! Do continue to use this page or your clickable PDF for daily updates!

Supplies list to complete this Christmas Craft Advent Calendar for Kids

I have tried to keep the supplies as craft basics as possible, however there are a handful of extras… but I try and offer alternative suggestions so you can still keep crafting, if you don’t have all the materials!

Craft basics:

Colorful paper – especially Christmas colors such as green, red, white (printer paper) and brown
Some cardstock so you can make greeting cards
Pens and markers
Scissors
Glue stick
A printer is handy, as some crafts come with (mostly free) printables

Recycled or every day basics

Cardboard tubes (kitchen paper towel tubes cut in half or toilet paper rolls if you feel comfortable with using those)
Paper plates
Colorful buttons (though not essential)
Cookie cutter shapes (we used hearts and Christmas trees, but it is up to you!)
Ribbon cut offs
String like bakers twine for hanging/ puppets or thaumatropes

Extras

Wine corks (though you can make these “larger” with toilet paper roll tubes)
Oranges + a little white acrylic paint
Pipe cleaner and scraps of felt
Felt for ornaments (we used white, pink, brown and and a little red)
Wooden beads for angel heads (not essential, you can make paper heads too)
Yarn for pom poms to make penguins and snowballs – white, blue, black
Brads/ split pins for dancing puppets
Ingredients for white clay (cornflour and bicarbonate of soda) and salt dough

Creative christmas advent calendar – our kids’ crafts

Now to your collection of Kids Christmas Crafts in your advent calendar this month!

1. Snowman Cork Ornaments

Creative christmas advent decorations are always a super fun way to start things off. The snowmen corks are cute and easy to make and a great gift to for a teacher, grandparent or to add to a gift wrapped present. I recently spoke to my son’s teacher from 8years ago and she mentioned how her snowman cork ornaments still come out every year!

2. Paper Plate Yarn Wrapped Wreath

We love this paper plate wreath – it is super simple and yet quite effective. And a great way to have a go at making pom poms (without having to make a million pom poms to make a wreath!). You can make it with the penguin pom pom or you can create other Winter or Christmas related characters!

If you don’t want to make pom poms or don’t have any suitable wool. Have a go at this Holly Leaf Paper Plate Wreath. It is super cute too and only needs paper (and a little paint).

3. Pop Up Gingerbread Man Cards

You will notice that the Christmas Card DIYs are shared in the first half of the Christmas Advent Calendar. This is so you can make your cards and still have time to post them!

We adore this paper chain based pop up card. Kids love making paper chain men.. why not turn them into Gingerbread Men that “pop up” in your Christmas Card. A super simple design that looks lovely!

4. Elf Yourself with these Elf Puppets

Elf Yourself and the Kids! Grab the free element from these Elf Puppets and overlay a photo of your child! Then learn about some basic mechanics when assembling this fantastic elf puppet STEAM project!

5. Make adorable Reindeer Ornaments

This is a great opportunity to practice your sewing skills when making this circle based reindeer ornament, similarly we have a circle based penguin ornament if you want to mix things up! Fear not, you can adapt this project to suits your needs. Not ready to give sewing a go, hot glue gun the whole project. Don’t have any felt, make a paper or cardboard version of this cute craft.

Not your bag? Try this great Christmas Ornament using yarn left overs instead.

6. Pop Up Snowman Card

The pop up cards continue. We love making this type of pop up card, as once you have learned the basics, you can create these pop up mechanism with ANY design. In this instance we have a snowman and tree.. but any goes! Learn how to make this Christmas Pop Up Card today.

7. Santa Pencil Pots or Tin Can Bowling

Turn an old tin can into a Christmas Desk Tidy! Alternatively.. make a whole set and use these tin cans for a set of Tin Can Bowling. One craft, two options. Lots of fun! They are super quick and easy to make too!

8. Fun with classic salt dough

No Activities Advent Calendar worth it’s salt (see what I did there?!) is complete without some lovely salt dough ornaments. To me making your own salt dough recipe, is a classic childhood Christmas activity. Combined with fun cookie cutters and maybe some buttons, as we did here, you can make some adorable and super easy Salt Dough Heart Ornaments.

Feeling inspired? Check out the complete collection of Salt Dough Ornaments.

9. Pop Up Christmas Tree Card

The craft Advent Calendar for kids continues with along term favourite – these wonderful Pop Up Christmas Tree Cards! They use a clever accordion folding technique.

10. Adorable Gnome Paper Decorations

Now this Paper Gnome Christmas Decoration is one of my new all time favourites. We adore all Gnome Crafts. They are simply so cute.. but this paper version is particularly fun.. as it just needs paper! It includes a free printable to help you along your way. A great one your virtual advent calendar!

11. Pop Up Reindeer Card

I did say, we would “front load” all the homemade Christmas Cards in this kids craft advent calendar! This is mainly so you can make them, but also have time to send them to friends and family! So now we have our lovely Reindeer Card! Isn’t it fun? Once again, you can apply the technique to different designs. And you will see we also many a super cute snowman version! Templates are available, but you don’t need them to make the card, the instructions show you how to create your own.

12. Toilet Paper Roll Snowman Gift Boxes

As we head close to Christmas Eve on this advent calendar, it is time to turn our creative skills to gifting. First up we have some Toilet Rollw Snowman Gift Boxes – they are the perfect size for a homemade Christmas ornament or a fun way to gift voucher, theatre tickets or cash. If you don’t feel comfortable using toilet paper rolls, use kitchen towel rolls cut in half instead. Or you can create your own roll by rolling up paper or light card.

13. Christmas Bookmark – Cute Christmas Tree Corner Bookmark

If you are planning on gifting books this Christmas or the children are receiving books, then making some bookmarks to go with it, would be a really handy craft! We have LOTS of wonderful bookmark designs for you.. but we particularly enjoy this Christmas Tree Corner Bookmark. More Christmas Bookmarks here!

14. Felt Reindeer Brooch or Ornament

I know we had a felt reindeer (and penguin) before.. but I wanted to include this one, as this one can be worn as a little reindeer brooch too. So I thought it would be really cute inclusion for you. Also, the reindeer face can easily be turned into any felt animal.. we have a whole set of felt animal ornaments here. All can be worn as brooches, used as ornaments or as backpack charms or even keychains!

15. Easy Gnome Gift Boxes from Cardboard Tubes

A variation on the gift boxes shared earlier, are these pyramid gift boxes. This time they are cute Gnome Gift Boxes. Perfect preparation for your Crafty Christmas Countdown! Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are hurtling our way!

16. 3d Mickey Mouse Ornaments (alternatives available)

As Christmas approacheds in our advent calendar, we though some more Christmas Ornaments would be fun! Here we have a great take onthe 3d paper bauble – a Mickey Mouse version. Of course.. Mickey isn’t everyone’s bag, so you can use the same technique to make a 3d Paper Snowman Ornament, or even a 3d Unicorn Ornament (also very popular).

17. Accordion Paper Angels

We are into the last third of the great Christmas Countdown Crafts! I hope you have enjoyed your kids advent calendar so far and haven’t round out creative steam just yet! Next up the accordion angel. The first one I made of these, uses a wooden bead as a head, but you can also make them using just paper (see the blog post for info). I think they look equally nice!

18. Toilet Paper Roll Nutcracker Set

You may have guess that we love toilet roll crafts. Toilet rolls are plentiful and surprisingly versatile.. so I can’t resist them! One year, we made this Toilet Roll Nutcracker Set. You can make them as a decoration, a play set, or fill with tissue paper either end and use them as a small gift box!

19. Dried Orange Slices Foxes

We love making dried orange slices for Christmas and have been doing so for years. Then one year, we decided to switch things up and turn the traditional dried orange slice into a fun orange slice fox!! We also made some reindeer. So cute!

20. Make your own white clay ornaments with this great recipe

I know we said every activities advent calendar need salt dough.. well it does. BUT.. have you tried making your own white clay recipe? White clay is a little more fragile to work with but it is so so lovely. And you can combine it with cookie cutters and nature items for some stunning white clay ornaments. Have a go!

21. Classic Paper Snowflakes

As we head closer to Christmas, I like to focus on crafts that we can also “use” beyond Christmas Day itself (though of course with the 12 Days of Christmas, to me Christmas lasts until the 6th January and 3 King’s Day). But I digress. Today, let’s make some classic paper snowflakes. A lovely Christmas Advent Calendar activity that is quick and easy to set up.

22. Quirky Paper Tree Luminaries

Today, we have these wonderful Paper Tree Luminaries. You don’t HAVE to use an electric tea light for these, they look lovely as they are. The best bit? Yesterday you practice your paper snowflakes.. now you are using a very similar principle to make these Tree Luminaries! Again, hopefully making this a little “easier” for you has we hurtle towards Christmas Day.

23. Paper Thaumatrops

A couple of printables to help sort the last Christmas Countdown activities. Today, we are making a paper toy – bring a little science into your Kids’ Christmas Crafts – lets make these Christmas Thaumatropes. It also includes a snowglobe design, so you can use these beyond Christmas.

24. Printable 3d Nativity Luminary

And so our creative christmas advent calendar comes to an end. Let’s finish it off with a lovely little Nativity Coloring Page! This isn’t a free resource, but I DO have another printable nativity for free that you can use here!

And that brings us to the end of our christmas advent ideas! I really hope you have enjoyed this resource and that you have had lots of crafty fun this holiday season!

Wish you a very Merry Christmas indeed!

Now if you are after a creative Christmas Advent Calendar, that contains Handmade Advent Calendar Ideas – i.e. handmade gifts, why not check out this lovely set of homemade gift ideas: