HOMEMADE ADVENT CALENDARS! FREE OR CHEAP!

We love to do crafts at our home! We have a household of creative kiddos (not mommy – that is what the internet is for!) Anyway, one of our favorite traditions is to make our own advent Christmas countdown calendars! We have done many different things, we tried a new one this year as well.  Here are some ideas for making a cheap (or FREE if you already have everything), yet memorable Christmas countdown calendars!

1. Paper Advent Chain. Easy, quick, and simple – but yet really fun! This also can become a decoration as it “shrinks”! This has been the one we did for the last 2 years!

• Just start with 25 strips of colored construction paper. We have used red and green, alternating between the 2. The kids can even color or decorate the strips! You can also put fun little notes on each strip to read each day!
• Make the first loop by attaching with staples, tape or glue.
• Loop each additional strip around the previous one to create a “chain.”
• Once you have 25 loops chained together, you’re done!
• Cut a strip off each day in December and when they are all gone, Christmas is here!

2. Cut & Treat Strip: each day a strip is cut off and a special treat is found! You can use suckers, candy, trinkets or any other kinds of treat. This is the one we did this year!

• Start with a FREE Christmas printable page for the kids to color. Go HERE for some choices!

• Cut out the picture from the coloring page

• Cut a strip of wrapping paper that is about 4″ wide and the length of the roll of wrapping paper.
• Count out and place 25 suckers in a row on the backside of the wrapping paper strip.

• Use tape to secure the suckers to the wrapping paper by sticking one long strand down the center of the wrapping paper.
• Tape the ends and side of the wrapping paper.
• Tape the cut out picture at the top for a personalized touch for each child.

• Each day, cut off a strip holding a sucker and enjoy!
• When each sucker is cut off – Christmas is here!

* A similar advent calendar, using trinkets, can be found HERE on the Family Fun site. Also, go HERE to The Crafty Crow blog for even more advent craft ideas!