2011 Advent Calendar

I made a super easy advent calendar this week. There's a countdown at the top of my decorated clipboard and on the back of each number is something to do for that day related to the Christmas holiday.

Days Until Christmas Activities: 

24: Color Christmas pictures and make a Christmas placemat. (Talk about who we celebrate at Christmas.) (decorated house, nativity characters, sponge painted Christmas lights)

23: Decorate outside for Christmas and go look at Christmas lights. (Jesus is the light of the world.)

22: Mail Christmas cards. (Make a treat for our mail lady.)

21: Pray for our Christmas season, for those who might feel alone, and that we would shine Jesus to our family over the holidays.

20: Get Christmas tree and decorate our house for Christmas. Talk about our Christmas traditions and why we have an angel on the top of our tree. (kids decorating idea here)

19: Make an ornament to hang on our tree (stain glass tree, button ornament, handprint heart, handprint ball, cookie cutter model clay).

18: Color Christmas symbols minibook, paint with pine branches, Christmas tree counting.

17: Shortest to longest Christmas tree and make a felt Christmas tree/ornaments (could make shortest to longest into an ornament like here).

16: Talk about Christmas with our friends (HGO) and do special Christmas projects together (story books, candy cane minibook, nativity gingerbread house).

15: Make a footprint Christmas tree art (as a gift for someone). (candy cane dot to dot)

14: Read Christmas books together as a family.

13: Pick out a Christmas gift for brothers (Christmas pancakes).

12: Christmas tree shapes worksheet, fine motor skills wreath, and make poinsettias to give as a gift.

11: Make fingerprint reindeer and playdough Christmas cookies (thumbprint Christmas lights).

10: Talk about Santa (read stories, sing songs, …). Make Santa grahams. (elf making toys coloring page)

9: Talk about reindeer, sing reindeer songs, watch a reindeer/Santa movie, and make special reindeer food (reindeer hat).

8: Make Christmas cookies and bring to our neighbors.

7: Go look at Christmas lights, (invite a friend or neighbor?).

6: Go to the snow and make a snowman. Make a snowman doughnut breakfast, snowman sandwich lunch and snowman pizza for dinner. (another fun snow activity here)

5: Make popsicle ornaments to give to someone as a gift.

4: Special Christmas movie night. Make a special Christmas treat.

3: Sing Christmas songs together (jam session, dance party).

2: Read and act out the Christmas story (good resource here for talking about the nativity).

1: HAPPY birthday Jesus (minibook, cake, celebration!) Talk about how Jesus got three gifts.