15 DIY advent calendar ideas

Want a homemade alternative to the supermarket advent calendar. Perhaps you’d like to have chocolate free ones, encourage creativity or get the family enjoying some activities together. Whatever you’d like this Christmas, I’ve got the perfect advent calendar for you with these amazing 15 DIY Advent calendar ideas.

15 DIY advent calendar ideas

Get cracking

1. Create a cracking advent with DIY filled crackers. You can get kits, that you can fill yourself. So no more plastic toys.

Get a cracker kit here

Upcycle

2. Get the kids involved and reuse and recycle old wrapping paper and envelopes to make a rustic advent calendar. Choose lightweight items to go inside.

Create a gallery

3. Go one step further with the envelop idea and arrange them on the wall. Use command strips to hang them, so them don’t damage your paint work.

Wrap it up

4. If you love wrapping and want to give larger items than could be placed in a pocket. Perhaps this is the DIY advent calendar idea for you!

Fantastic felt

5. These sweet little drawstring bags could be filled with all sorts.

Buy a set of drawstring bags here and add the dates,

or choose red felt and stitch your own.

Box clever

6 There are plenty of these box drawer style advent calendars available. The good thing about these are you can reuse them year after year.

Buy the plain advent calendar and decorate it however you like. You could use paints, chalk markers, glitter or wrapping paper.

Make an installation

7. Combine origami boxes, twine and craft pegs for a wonderful advent display.

Chic display

8. Go minimalist with a chalk board and chalk pens. Use your best handwriting and then simply cross off the days as you go.

Stitch it up

9. If you are a quick stitcher. You’ve still got time to download my advent calendar cross stitch pattern and sew it up before December.

Sticker heaven

10. If your children love stickers, why not print out this advent calendar and use stickers to cross off each day and decorate the tree!

Pile on the presents

11 Use this advent calendar for colouring but also print with the gifts sheet below and cut them out and stick the presents under the tree as the days pass. A great way for a 5 minute quiet time activity each morning.

Hide and seek

12 Alternatively you can use this advent calendar as the starting point for a scavenger hunt each day (which could be linked to your elf on a shelf if you do that) or a prompt for an activity each day. Simply print out and get creative.

Colour me crazy

13. Love colouring? Whether you are big or small, find the object and colour it in each day until the picture is complete.

Stylish printables

14. Printables aren’t just for kids, why not print out this stylish sheet and cross off the days as you go.

Get active

15. Finally feel like doing something to get you in the Christmas spirt each day in December? Print out these activities and pop them in any of the ideas above, like the crackers or the boxes and then be inspired each day to do something different. It even comes with some blanks for your to write your own ideas.