50 advent calendar activities

Easy activities for when you are busy

• Eat at a restaurant
• Wear an ugly Christmas sweater all day.
• Write a wish list and send it to Santa.
• Give them playdoh, a jewelry making kit (or any other crafty kits) pencils or markers, or marzipan, and get them to make something Christmassy. This does not need to be bought stuff - just wrap up their own things into a kit. They will never know :D

For cosy nights

• Read a Christmas story
• Sing Christmas carols together
• Movie night with popcorn.
• Roast marshmallows over a fire (or make smores in the microwave)
• Have a pajamas party
• Have a spa at home
• Have a fun bubble bath with special soap, glow sticks, candles and/or toys. Play festive Christmas music.

Games

• Play chubby bunny
• Hot and cold. Hide a small gift. Ask the kids to find it by saying hot when the child is moving towards the hiding place and cold when they move away from it.
•  Coin collector. Hide lot of chocolate coins in the child’s bedroom. Give them a basket and see how many they can find. 
• Play a board game 
• Do a treasure hunt. Give the kids clues and riddles and get them to find the treasure. 
• Play singstar or Just dance on a game console. 

Food related

• Bake gingerbread cookies
• Decorate gingerbread cookies
• Make marzipan Christmas figurines
• Have cheese fondue or something fun and delicious for dinner.
• Have cocoa with whipped cream and marshmallows.
• Decorate a ginger bread house
• Bake cinnamon buns
• Make eton mess with meringue, strawberry jam and whipped cream.

Just fun

• Dedicate a day to a person. That person gets to decide what's for dinner, which activities to do at night and so on.
• Have a backwards day. Start with candy and snacks, watch a movie, and work your way towards breakfast in the evening.
• Build a blanket fort
• Invite some friends over for a Christmas party

Crafts

• Have a Christmas workshop. Make decorations or gifts and you can invite friends and family too.
• Make your own gift-wrapping paper
• Make bird food ornaments.
• Wrap presents
• Make Christmas crackers – not the edible kind.
• Make paper snow flakes
• Make a gift for someone you love
• Make gift tags

Going out…

• Go to the cinema
• Visit a Christmas market
• See a Christmas play at the theatre
• Build a snowman
• Go on a Christmas light safari. Drive your car around and find houses with cool decorations.
• Have a winter picnic. Light a fire and bring marshmallows or hot dogs.
• Go to the swimming pool
• Go sledding
• Go ice skating
• Go Christmas gift shopping
• Go on a flashlight hike in the dark. If you hide a chocolate it will be extra fun. You could put a reflex where the chocolate is so the kids will find it.

Decorate

• Decorate the Christmas tree
• Decorate your own window
• Decorate your own bedroom