advent activities
Today is the first day of advent! Did you make your advent calendar yet? We are still using the string of lights advent calendar I made a few years ago. I put activities in each of the little bulbs and I love it. I write up the activity the night before (surprise your kids, not yourself!) and all the projects keep me on task for christmas. If cookies need to be made, or christmas cards written, or gifts wrapped it's going to happen if it is in the advent calendar--the 4 and 6 year olds will demand it!
A friend of mine (hi Ellen!) asked me to write up a little list of activities she could use, so here they are! I divided them into effort needed, because sometimes you really need to drink some (spiked) eggnog while the kids watch a movie.
big projects
- make christmas cards
- pipe cleaner ornaments
- meringue snowmen
- bake cookies, cookies, cookies, and candy
- make a gingerbread house
- string cranberries and popcorn (or just cranberries, or dried cranberries and golden raisins, or whatever else is in your cupboard)
- borax snowflakes
- giant cardboard christmas trees
- make pine cone + peanut butter +bird seed feeders and watch the birds eat
- egg carton jingle bells
little projects
- make paper snowflakes (use coffee filters for easy cutting)
- write a letter to santa
- make gift tags
- make dried orange slices ornaments
- wrap presents
- deliver cookies to neighbors
- make jars of love
- make a gingerbread mobile (this is a quick project only if the cookies are already made, of course)
- make pomanders
- woven ornaments (these were a hit with my kids last year)
if it's cold and snowy projects
- make snow angels
- go sledding (or have a whole sledding party!)
- make ice wreathes
- build a snow fort or a snowman
- have a picnic outside (with a thermos of hot chocolate and some cookies)
- go ice skating
- blow ice bubbles
phoning it in projects
- hot chocolate with marshmallows
- call grandma and grandpa
- dress up like an elf/santa/wise man/christmas tree
- dance to christmas music
- camp out under the tree (this may or may not be an easy one)
- color christmasy pictures--oh look I have a bunch right here
- look at pictures from christmases past
- I think one year I actually wrote down "eat christmas cookies" for an activity
for the whole family
- drive around looking at chrismtas lights
- dress up in your fanciest for dinner
- make popcorn and watch a christmas movie
- go see the nutcracker/christmas carol/holiday concert
- cut down a christmas tree/ put up your christmas tree
- decorate the tree!
- put up lights outside
- go for a evening walk
This list is my no means exhaustive. Some of these we do every year, some are new ones I'd like to try. Do you have any christmas activities or projects for advent? I'm always on the look out for good ones.
