Christmas Countdown Ideas for Kids That Aren’t Just Candy
I don’t know about you, but once December rolls around, my kids are READY for Christmas.
And by ready, I mean asking how many days are left until Christmas approximately 500 times a day.
I love how excited kids get during the holidays, and I think having a little Christmas countdown makes the whole month even more fun.
But have you seen how many advent calendars there are now? Chocolate calendars, candy calendars, toy calendars, and pretty much a calendar for everything you can imagine.
Don’t get me wrong, those are fun! But sometimes I want something a little different than handing my kids another piece of candy or adding more tiny toys to the house.
Especially when Christmas morning is right around the corner.
That’s why I love the idea of Christmas countdowns that involve actual activities, little family traditions, and fun things we can do together.
And the best part? A lot of these ideas are super easy to put together using things you probably already have at home.
So if you’re looking for Christmas countdown ideas for kids that aren’t just candy, I’ve rounded up 15 fun ways to make the days leading up to Christmas feel extra special.
And don’t worry, you won’t need to plan some elaborate Pinterest-worthy activity every single day.
Because honestly, December is already busy enough.
Make a Paper Chain Christmas Countdown
This is probably one of the easiest Christmas countdown ideas for kids, and it’s perfect for younger children who are still learning how time works.
All you need is construction paper, scissors, and tape or glue.
Cut strips of red and green paper, connect them into a chain, and hang it somewhere your kids can reach.
Starting December 1, let them remove one loop each day until Christmas.
It’s such a simple thing, but little kids LOVE getting to take one off every morning.
And if your kids are anything like mine, they’ll probably remind you before you’ve even had your coffee.
You can make the chain as colorful as you want, let the kids decorate it with stickers, or write little Christmas messages on the paper strips.
The best part is that you’re not buying anything new for them to open.
They’re just getting excited about Christmas getting closer.
Create a Christmas Activity Advent Calendar
If you love the idea of an advent calendar but don’t want it filled with candy or toys, fill it with activities instead.
Write 24 little Christmas activities on pieces of paper and put them inside envelopes, a jar, or whatever you already have at home.
Each day, your kids get to pull out an activity to do together.
Some easy ideas include:
- Watch a Christmas movie
- Make hot chocolate
- Read a Christmas book
- Have a Christmas dance party
- Make paper snowflakes
- Decorate homemade cookies
- Look at Christmas lights
- Write a letter to Santa
- Have a Christmas game night
- Make a homemade ornament
And here’s my biggest tip.
Don’t make every single activity something that requires a trip to the store or an hour of preparation.
Some days, the activity can literally be listening to Christmas music while you make dinner.
You can also peek at the activities ahead of time and swap them around depending on how busy your day is.
Nobody says your Christmas countdown has to be complicated.
Have a Christmas Game Countdown
If your kids love games, you could turn part of your Christmas countdown into little family game nights.
Instead of giving them candy every day, surprise them with a Christmas game to play together.
You could do Christmas charades one night, a scavenger hunt another night, and a silly guessing game the next.
You don’t even have to do this every day. You could save game nights for Fridays or weekends throughout December.
And if you want some games that are already made and ready to print, I have a Christmas Game Bundle with 10 different printable Christmas games.
It includes things like Christmas Trivia, Emoji Pictionary, Riddles, and Scattergories.
Some of the games work best for older kids or with an adult helping younger children, but they’re a fun option for family game nights and Christmas parties.
I love the idea of printing the games once and keeping them with your Christmas decorations so you can pull them out again next year.
Grab My Christmas Game Bundle Here!
Wrap 24 Christmas Books for a Book Countdown
I think the Christmas book countdown idea is adorable.
The idea is to wrap 24 Christmas books and let your kids open one each night leading up to Christmas.
But before you start calculating how much 24 new books would cost, please know that you do NOT have to buy 24 books.
You can use Christmas books you already own, borrow some from the library, or mix Christmas books with regular bedtime favorites.
And you don’t even have to wrap them.
You could put the books in a basket and let your kids pick one each night.
If you do want the excitement of unwrapping something, use wrapping paper scraps or reusable fabric bags.
The whole point is having a cozy little reading tradition together.
Not buying an entire bookstore.
Make a Cotton Ball Santa Beard Countdown
This is such a cute Christmas countdown for toddlers and preschoolers.
Draw or print a picture of Santa with a big empty beard.
Then let your child glue one cotton ball onto his beard each day until Christmas.
By Christmas Eve, Santa will have a big fluffy beard!
You can write numbers on the beard if your child is learning to count, or just let them fill it in one day at a time.
It’s simple, inexpensive, and doesn’t require you to prepare a new activity every morning.
Plus, younger kids usually love anything involving glue and cotton balls.
Although there’s a pretty good chance you’ll find cotton balls in random places around your house afterward.
Make a Christmas Sticker Countdown
If you have a toddler or preschooler who loves stickers, this might be one of the easiest options.
Draw a Christmas tree on a piece of paper and let your child add one sticker each day.
You could use star stickers, colorful dots, or whatever you already have in your craft supplies.
By Christmas, they’ll have a fully decorated tree.
If you don’t have stickers, let them color in one ornament each day instead.
This is also a great option if you want a Christmas countdown that takes about 30 seconds in the morning.
Because not every holiday activity needs to be a whole production.
Create a Christmas Kindness Countdown
I love the idea of including a few little acts of kindness in a Christmas countdown.
Instead of opening a treat, your kids get a simple kindness challenge.
And no, these don’t need to involve spending money.
You could write things like:
- Give someone a compliment
- Help clean up without being asked
- Make a Christmas card for someone
- Let a sibling choose the movie
- Call a grandparent to say hello
- Help set the dinner table
- Donate a toy you no longer play with
- Draw a picture for someone you love
For younger kids, keep the activities really simple.
You can also do them together so it feels like a family activity rather than another chore.
I think it’s such a sweet way to remind kids that Christmas isn’t only about getting presents.
Build a Christmas Tree Countdown With Paper Ornaments
This is another easy DIY Christmas countdown that doubles as a decoration.
Cut a big Christmas tree shape out of green construction paper and tape it to a wall or door.
Then cut out 24 little paper ornaments.
Every day, let your kids decorate one ornament and add it to the tree.
They can color them, write their names, draw pictures, or add stickers.
By Christmas, you’ll have a tree covered in decorations they made themselves.
And honestly, I think those kinds of decorations are the cutest anyway.
Especially when you have little kids who are very serious about their artwork.
Make a Christmas Countdown Jar
If you want something that takes almost no effort to set up, make a Christmas countdown jar.
Write 24 simple activities, questions, or Christmas prompts on little pieces of paper.
Fold them up and put them in a jar.
Each morning or evening, let your kids pick one.
You could include prompts like:
- What’s your favorite Christmas movie?
- Sing your favorite Christmas song
- Tell someone what you love about them
- Pick a Christmas book to read
- Draw your dream Christmas tree
- Tell us your favorite Christmas memory
I especially like this idea because you can make it work for whatever ages your kids are.
And if you’re having a particularly busy day, you can choose a question instead of an activity.
It’s still a fun little Christmas moment without adding more work to your plate.
Make a Christmas Puzzle Countdown
If your family enjoys puzzles, this is a fun way to count down to Christmas without buying little treats.
Pick a Christmas puzzle you already own or one you can use again in future years.
Then work on a little bit of it each day.
You can keep the puzzle on a table where it won’t get disturbed, or put the pieces away between sessions.
For younger kids, use a simple puzzle with bigger pieces and finish a small section together.
For older kids, choose something more challenging.
By the time Christmas arrives, you’ll have completed a puzzle as a family.
And you might even discover that someone has been hiding a missing piece under the couch the entire time.
Make a Christmas Lights Countdown
If your kids get excited about Christmas lights, you can turn that into a fun countdown tradition.
Make a paper Christmas tree with 24 light bulb shapes drawn on it.
Each day, let your child color in one light.
By Christmas, the whole tree will be lit up with colorful paper lights.
You could also make a countdown chart shaped like a strand of Christmas lights.
This is a really cute option for kids who love coloring, and it’s easy to hang on the fridge or bedroom door.
No candy, no little toys, and no daily cleanup.
That’s a win in my book.
Have a Christmas Memory Countdown
This one is especially sweet if you’re looking for a more meaningful Christmas countdown.
Each day, spend a few minutes talking about a favorite Christmas memory or something your family loves about the holiday season.
You can look at pictures from previous Christmases, tell funny stories, or ask your kids what they’re most excited about this year.
You could even write down their answers and keep them in a little Christmas memory jar.
Imagine pulling those notes out a few years from now and reading what your kids said when they were little.
I feel like those are the things that end up being so special later on.
And it costs absolutely nothing.
Make a Christmas Coloring Countdown
If your kids love coloring, turn it into a December countdown.
You can make a simple calendar with 24 Christmas pictures or find printable Christmas coloring pages.
Let your child color one small picture each day.
You could also draw one big Christmas scene and divide it into 24 sections.
Every day, they color another section until the whole picture is finished.
For younger kids, this can be as simple as coloring one ornament or star each morning.
And if you already have crayons and paper at home, there’s no reason to buy anything extra.
Create a Christmas Countdown With Family Traditions
Instead of filling your advent calendar with random activities, fill it with little traditions your family already enjoys.
Maybe every December you bake cookies, drive around looking at Christmas lights, watch a certain movie, or make homemade ornaments.
Write those traditions on little cards and spread them throughout the month.
Then fill the remaining days with simple things like reading a book or listening to Christmas music.
This is a great way to make the countdown feel personal to your family.
And it keeps you from feeling like you have to invent 24 brand new Christmas activities every year.
If you’re looking for more ideas to add, I also put together a post with 25 Christmas Traditions for Families With Young Kids that you can use for inspiration.
Make a Christmas Eve Countdown Surprise
If the thought of keeping up with 24 daily activities sounds exhausting, you can still make the countdown exciting with one special surprise at the end.
Make a simple paper countdown or calendar that your kids mark off each day.
Then on Christmas Eve, have a little family activity waiting for them.
It could be a Christmas movie night, a living room campout, hot chocolate, or a basket filled with things you already have at home.
You could even let the kids open a Christmas book that you bring out every year.
This gives them something special to look forward to without needing a daily gift or treat.
And sometimes keeping things simple is exactly what makes the holidays more enjoyable.
Christmas Countdowns Don’t Have to Be Expensive to Be Magical
I think it’s so easy to feel like we need to do more during the holidays.
More activities, more surprises, more decorations, more everything.
But when it comes to Christmas countdowns for kids, simple can be just as exciting.
You don’t need 24 little gifts.
You don’t need an expensive advent calendar.
And you definitely don’t need to spend every evening planning the next day’s activity.
A paper chain, a Christmas book, or a few minutes playing a game together can be enough to make your kids excited about the countdown.
Pick one or two ideas that actually work for your family and have fun with them.
And if you’re looking for even more affordable ways to make the season special, check out my post How to Make Christmas Magical for Kids Without Spending a Fortune.
Because the best part of counting down to Christmas isn’t what your kids get to open every day.
It’s having little moments together that make the wait feel exciting.
