Christmas is a time for gratitude and giving. The Advent season opens up opportunities to think about others and reflect on the importance of Christ’s Incarnation with joy and wonder.
As your family enters the Christmas season, invite your kids into the celebration with fun and meaningful activities to participate in the joy of this time. Here are some easy and enjoyable family Advent ideas to prepare for Christmas and share the blessing of Christ with others.
1. Buy a Gift for a Child in Need
You can help your kids celebrate the Christmas season by focusing on others and finding ways to give back to your community. One easy way to help a child in need is by participating in a gift drive through your church or another community organization. Purchasing a gift for someone in need can brighten their holidays and remind us about the true meaning of Christmas: giving.
2. Make a DIY Advent Wreath
Advent wreaths are a meaningful way to track the weeks until Christmas and remind your family about the coming of Christ. You can create your own DIY Advent wreath by assembling a simple wreath with four colored candles and decorating it with your family. Not only do your kids get to participate in creating the wreath, but you can use a Catholic Advent devotional to guide your reflections as you light each candle in the weeks leading up to Christmas.
3. Write Christmas Cards
You can share the joy of Christmas with anyone by creating handmade Christmas cards with your family. Assemble the crafting supplies and your kids of any age can add a personal touch to cards for family or friends. Take your cards to the community by sending them to a local nursing home, community shelter, police or fire station.
Create an Advent Calendar
Count down the days until Christmas with a DIY Advent calendar tailored to your family. You can customize each day for your kids’ interests and age level by adding treats, activities, and crafts to prepare for Christ’s coming. One easy way to integrate daily acts of kindness into your Advent preparations is by including activities focused on service for each day of your calendar.
4. Decorate a Christmas Tree
Decorating a Christmas tree is one of the most common family activities for Advent. Putting up a Christmas tree is an age-old tradition that kids and parents can enjoy together. No matter how you decorate your tree, you can spend time together talking about the real celebration of Christmas. The bright lights and colorful decorations can point your children to the true Light of Christmas while having fun as a family!
5. Gather Old or Unused Toys to Donate
Giving is at the heart of the Christian tradition, and the Advent season is a truly special time to share with others. By donating toys, kids can learn the excitement of giving back to others rather than becoming focused on receiving gifts. Gather old or unused toys to donate to a charity so kids of any age can actively participate and share the joy of Christmas.
6. Visit a Live Nativity
Live nativity setups are a tangible way to make the Advent season real for your kids. You can draw your family into the story of the Nativity, complete with real animals and the sights, sounds, and smells of that holy night. You can use it as an opportunity to reflect on the birth of Christ with your family or make it a teaching moment by the Gospel or doing a nativity-related craft.
7. Volunteer at a Food Bank
Remind your children of what Jesus taught us to do by serving others through volunteering. Food banks and other charities often need extra help to support those in need during the holidays. By turning volunteering into a family tradition, you can give back to your community and show your kids the sacrificial love of Christ displays to us.
8. Preparing for Christmas with an Advent Devotional
The Advent season is full of opportunities to reflect on the Incarnation, prepare for the birth of our Savior, and serve your community with the joy of Christmas. You can use these Advent activities for kids as fun, simple ways to involve your entire family in Advent preparations.
Simple Christ-oriented resources like our family-friendly Advent Prayer Devotional can further connect your celebrations to the meaning and simplicity of Advent. This prayer resource is designed for all ages with families in mind to be used alongside an Advent wreath in preparing your hearts for Christmas.
