Last year was the first year I ever got an advent calendar for my boys. I just happened to find a half-price Lego one a few days into December. They were too excited to even notice it wasn’t on the first day since they got to open more than one day. I started thinking about how to make my own for the next year, and here is what I came up with for a DIY advent calendar:
Supplies Needed:
- 2 – 12 count Egg Carton
- 24 items to fill each spot
- Poster board or cardboard
- Glue or tape
- Marker
Here are a few other ideas the LMC team found:
- Craft Bags Advent Calendar
- Get 24 white or light brown craft bags
- Stamp or draw the numbers 1-24 on each
- Fill them with candies, personalized notes, etc.
- Seal each with a holiday-themed sticker
- Hang them on strings from a hanger
- Ornament Advent Calendar
- Get a board and cover it with red or green felt
- Secure 5 strings evenly across from top to bottom
- Use safety pins or clothes line clips to put 5 ornaments across each string
- Every day in December, including Christmas day, the kids remove an ornament from the board and hang it on the tree!
- Pets Advent Calendar
- For the Pet Parents out there, this one is for you!
- Cut poster board or cardboard into the shape of a long dog bone, and use markers or paint to write “Merry Christmas” across it, then secure it on a hanger
- Tie 3 strings across the bottom of the hanger
- Secure 8 dog treats or small bones down each of the strings and attach notes with numbers 1-24 as you go
- Solo Cup Advent Calendar
- Get 24 red solo cups and red and green tissue paper
- Fill each with toys, treats, or notes
- Cover 8 of the cups with layers of red tissue paper and the rest in green
- Use rubber bands or string to secure the tissue paper to the top of each cup
- Arrange them in the shape of a Christmas tree (make 6 rows from the top with 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 cups each and then you’ll have 3 left for the base of the tree)
- Cut a yellow star out and place it at the top
- Use a black Sharpie marker to write the numbers 1-24 on the top of each (be careful not to rip the tissue paper!), starting at the bottom
- Each day in December, let the kids take a cup and punch out the top to see their daily surprise!
- Looking for a locally-focused idea?
- Get little things – or make/draw things – that are all about Louisville and Southern Indiana to use in your DIY advent calendar this year!
Feel free to send us your homemade advent calendars as well by tagging us on Instagram and using #MomsAroundLouisville
