25+ Advent Calendar Ideas You Can Make

When I was a little kid advent calendars were something you bought at the drug store. They had little chocolate candies hidden behind each door. They were fun for sure! But nowadays the number of creative advent calendar ideas out there is astounding!

 

Advent Calendar Ideas

I wasn’t kidding when I said the number of advent calendar ideas out there was astonishing. To help you decide on what type of advent calendar you would like to make, I’ve narrowed down the choices quite a bit.

Cardboard Tube Advent Calendars

You can turn ordinary cardboard tubes into advent calendars too! Some of these advent calendar ideas use toilet paper tubes. But if that bothers you, simple substitute paper towel tubes instead!

• Advent Calander Countdown – I love how they made a box shape with this idea and the tissue paper they used!
• Pretty Snowflake Advent Calendar – These silver snowflakes make this advent calendar a little more fancy, don’t you agree?!
• Christmas Tree Advent Calendar – Wow what a creative use of the cardboard tubes… Turning it into a tree shape!!
• Easy Scrapbook Paper Covered Advent Calendar –  Giving this advent calendar a fun and festive look with some holiday scrapbook paper.

Advent Calendars from Cups

Here are some super cute ideas for turning foam or paper cups into advent calendars. You can find colorful paper cups at the dollar store or party supply store.

• Pretty & Colorful Advent Calendar –  I just LOVE the bright colors from these cups for this advent calendar!
• Reindeer Cup Advent Calendar – What a clever idea making these cups look like reindeer! The kids will get a kick out of this idea.
• Super Simple Advent Calendar – This is a perfect advent calendar you can have the kids make all by themselves, they will love it for sure!

Festive Adult Advent Calendars

Now just so you know, the advent calendar ideas that can be found are not just for kids! Here’s some beautiful advent calendar the adults will love too.

• Old Door Advent Calendar –  What a creative idea using the door for this advent calendar, it will really make a statement piece for Chritmas.
• Wooden Tree Advent Calendar – This advent calendar was built into a tree shape.  Wow, now that’s a fun idea.
• Holiday Activities Advent Calendar – This advent calendar has some pretty great activities you can do with the kids.
• Christmas Countdown – This is a cool take on an advent calendar, but counting down to see how many days are left until Christmas.
• Luminary Advent Calendar – If you have 25 glass jars laying around then this is a perfect advent calendar for you! It will really brighten up your Christmas.
• Clay Tag Advent Calendar – This clay tag advent calendar is astonishingly beautiful, I want one for my house.
• Big Box Advent Calendar – This is another fun advent calendar you can put little treats in for the kids.

Advent Calendars Kids Can Help With

If you are looking for advent calendar ideas that the kids can actually help make, here are some that we found that are very kid-friendly.

• Recycled K-Cup Advent Calendar – I’m all about using recycled materials for crafts.  This advent calendar uses empty k-cups!! Now that’s clever.
• Christmas Tree Advent Calendar – These Christmas Tree cones are so darling and look pretty simple to do.
• Santa’s Beard Advent Calendar – This idea is a great one to work on with the kids and the use of paper makes so much sense.
• Envelope Advent Calendar – You can probably find all the items you need for this one around your house!
• Advent Calendar Boxes – This idea is great, especially if you already found the perfect mini boxes to use.
• Party Bag Advent – turn little organza bags into a festive advent calendar

Printable Advent Calendars

If you prefer printables, these advent calendar ideas are all set up so you just have to print (and maybe cut them out).

• Printable Stocking Advent Calendar – If you have a Silhouette cutting machine then this is a perfect idea for you! It really is darling!
• Advent Calendar Wall Chart – If you want a little more of a grown-up look for your advent calendar then this one is for you.
• Printable Christmas Countdown – This advent calendar is perfect, all you have to do is print it out and put it in a frame!
• Clothespin Advent Calendar – Here’s a great one if you want to get a little crafty with your advent calendar.
• Christmas Book Tag Countdown – This one is probably one of my favorites, making tags for a book advent calendar.
• Vintage Ladder Advent Calendar – Here’s another sophisticated look with an advent calendar.  Love the use of the ladder.
• Beautiful Watercolor Deer Advent Calendar – Now this is a really unique take on an advent calendar.  She actually painted this and turned it into a free printable!

I hope you enjoyed these advent calendar ideas! Have you seen an advent calendar craft that you thought was amazing? Share a link in the comments and let me know!

I love to create and share my projects with you! I know it’s hard to remember to come back and search, so I’ve made it easy for you with my weekly newsletter! You can subscribe for free and I’ll send you fun crafts every week right to your email.