Ideas For An Engaging Advent...

Hi friends!  I can't believe it's the 2nd of December already!  The last several weeks, I have been pinning ideas on Pinterest to come up with a way to incorporate Advent in our family.  In the past we did sort of a countdown to Christmas, but this year our wee ones are old enough to really get involved.  I wanted the celebration to be Christ centered, and really focus on what this season means for our family!  I really wanted our Advent celebration to be about loving Jesus, serving others and having fun as a family.


I saw so many cute Advent ideas, but ultimately decided on a simple (and free!) paper chain printable from here.  

I decided against printing on both sides of the paper, and instead hand wrote our Advent activities on the unprinted side of each slip of paper.


I searched all over the internet for activity ideas, but really sort of struggled coming up with an exhaustive list. It took a while, but we finally came up with some activities that are a good combination of just plain fun, and some that are meaningful for our family!  We started yesterday with Day 1, and our kids are already having a great time!  I am happy to share how we are celebrating Advent, and maybe something will be a good fit for your family this season!

Day 1...Each child pick out a new toy to donate to another child     for Christmas.

Day 2...Make Christmas cards and send them to grandparents.

Day 3...Make gingerbread cookies.

Day 4...Watch a Christmas movie in our jammies.

Day 5...Learn about Christmas celebrations around the world and pray for the various countries.

Day 6...Have an indoor picnic dinner.

Day 7...Make a card and gift for teachers.

Day 8...Visit our friends at the nursing home.

Day 9...Watch a Christmas movie.

Day 10...Take a drive and look at Christmas lights with our international friends.

Day 11...Make an ornament for the tree.

Day 12...kids choose dinner!

Day 13...Play board games with mommy and daddy.

Day 14...Read the Christmas story from Luke 2 during bedtime devotions.

Day 15...Go to the library to check out Christmas books.

Day 16...Make cupcakes to celebrate Jesus and share them with friends.

Day 17...Go to an indoor play place to have some fun.

Day 18...Make a card and Christmas treats for daddy's work.

Day 19...See mom for a special treat after dinner.

Day 20...Act out the Christmas story.

Day 21...Drink hot chocolate.

Day 22...Pick out food to donate to the church food pantry.

Day 23...Make a nativity craft.

Day 24...Listen to Christmas music and have a dance party.

Day 25...It's Christmas!  Spend the day praising God for our Redeemer!  

Happy Friday friends!