Advent Activities for Toddlers?

[PoetryLover]

I know we're 2 days into December, but I really want to do Advent with DS and maybe make our own calendar.

So far I've thought of making Christmas colored play dough or baking sugar cookies. Maybe coloring or painting a tree? Homemade ornaments, although I lack specific ideas for them?

What activities are you doing or would you do with your toddler? DS is 22 months.

Thanks!

[creddy]

Just yesterday I learned how to make 'cinnamon ornaments' - basically a homemade rolled/cut simple dough recipe that smells good and hardens after air-drying.  If that interests you, there's multiple recipes online - some for edible ornaments, some non-edible so they can be used for next year. 

Other easier/last minute ideas are: 

Laced Ornaments: Cut-out Xmas shapes (one each day from stockpaper or cardboard) that are 'Laced' with yarn to be hung as ornaments when they're all done.

Xmas Colored Paper chains: Help 3-4yr olds visually  'count down' the days til Christmas, but you could also do it as counting *up* to Xmas for your 22mths old (adding chains each day), then displaying the paperchain on a wreath or the tree...

Hope that helps!

[newmamalizzy]

DD (20 months) and I did a paper chain and she LOVED it.  But definitely get the strips of paper all cut up ahead of time. I was thinking we'd do a posterboard tree, too, with velcro dots for her to stick the ornaments on. 

[creddy]

Oh, another thought: No problem that it's past the 1st. You could start your advent on the 14th, like the "Twelve Days of Christmas" does, at least for this year!  And some people even continue it to Jan 1st, so there isn't an 'anti-climax' feeling after the big gift-giving and all. 

[crunchy_mommy]

Some of the things on our calendar:

Take a nighttime walk to see the lights
Visit local lights festival
Read the Christmas story (did this yesterday, and acted it out with his toy nativity, that was a BIG success!)
Make popcorn
Make hot cocoa
Have a picnic by the tree
Listen to Christmas carols (sing along/dance/play instruments)
Wrap presents
Make a Christmas card for someone
Go to the store and buy a toy to donate to Toys for Tots
Have a snowball fight (if there's no snow, we'll make snowballs out of socks or crumpled up paper)
Make snowflakes from coffee filters
Random acts of kindness (collect all the shopping carts in a parking lot, tape quarters to vending machines, secretly leave someone a small gift)
Bake/decorate gingerbread cookies
Make an ornament (gluing glitter & sequins onto a cut-out cardstock shape is good for this age)
Make a gift for grandparents

[pranava]

Originally Posted by creddy 

Oh, another thought: No problem that it's past the 1st. You could start your advent on the 14th, like the "Twelve Days of Christmas" does, at least for this year!  And some people even continue it to Jan 1st, so there isn't an 'anti-climax' feeling after the big gift-giving and all. 

Thank you so much for making me feel better about not having my advent calendar done yet!! I started it last November, and well, it's still a work in progress.  I will finish it this weekend :)

Originally Posted by crunchy_mommy 

Some of the things on our calendar:
Take a nighttime walk to see the lights
Visit local lights festival
Read the Christmas story (did this yesterday, and acted it out with his toy nativity, that was a BIG success!)
Make popcorn
Make hot cocoa
Have a picnic by the tree
Listen to Christmas carols (sing along/dance/play instruments)
Wrap presents
Make a Christmas card for someone
Go to the store and buy a toy to donate to Toys for Tots
Have a snowball fight (if there's no snow, we'll make snowballs out of socks or crumpled up paper)
Make snowflakes from coffee filters
Random acts of kindness (collect all the shopping carts in a parking lot, tape quarters to vending machines, secretly leave someone a small gift)
Bake/decorate gingerbread cookies
Make an ornament (gluing glitter & sequins onto a cut-out cardstock shape is good for this age)
Make a gift for grandparents

Those are awesome ideas! Thanks!

[PoetryLover]

Originally Posted by creddy 

Just yesterday I learned how to make 'cinnamon ornaments' - basically a homemade rolled/cut simple dough recipe that smells good and hardens after air-drying.  If that interests you, there's multiple recipes online - some for edible ornaments, some non-edible so they can be used for next year. 

Other easier/last minute ideas are: 

Laced Ornaments: Cut-out Xmas shapes (one each day from stockpaper or cardboard) that are 'Laced' with yarn to be hung as ornaments when they're all done.

Xmas Colored Paper chains: Help 3-4yr olds visually  'count down' the days til Christmas, but you could also do it as counting *up* to Xmas for your 22mths old (adding chains each day), then displaying the paperchain on a wreath or the tree...

Hope that helps!

I love the idea of the cinnamon ornaments! Would you post a link to the recipe you used? I found several online, including one that uses a lot of cinnamon. I also like your laced ornaments and chain idea! Thanks!

Originally Posted by newmamalizzy 

DD (20 months) and I did a paper chain and she LOVED it.  But definitely get the strips of paper all cut up ahead of time. I was thinking we'd do a posterboard tree, too, with velcro dots for her to stick the ornaments on. 

I love the idea of the poster board tree! How creative! Thanks!

Originally Posted by creddy 

Oh, another thought: No problem that it's past the 1st. You could start your advent on the 14th, like the "Twelve Days of Christmas" does, at least for this year!  And some people even continue it to Jan 1st, so there isn't an 'anti-climax' feeling after the big gift-giving and all. 

I love, love, love the idea of going past the 25th. I hate the anti-climax feeling. We don't open our presents first thing Christmas morning just to avoid that feeling. We open our stockings and have a leisurely, enjoyable day, opening gifts in the afternoon.It will be perfect to continue advent activities beyond the 25th!

Originally Posted by crunchy_mommy 

Some of the things on our calendar:
Take a nighttime walk to see the lights
Visit local lights festival
Read the Christmas story (did this yesterday, and acted it out with his toy nativity, that was a BIG success!)
Make popcorn
Make hot cocoa
Have a picnic by the tree
Listen to Christmas carols (sing along/dance/play instruments)
Wrap presents
Make a Christmas card for someone
Go to the store and buy a toy to donate to Toys for Tots
Have a snowball fight (if there's no snow, we'll make snowballs out of socks or crumpled up paper)
Make snowflakes from coffee filters
Random acts of kindness (collect all the shopping carts in a parking lot, tape quarters to vending machines, secretly leave someone a small gift)
Bake/decorate gingerbread cookies
Make an ornament (gluing glitter & sequins onto a cut-out cardstock shape is good for this age)
Make a gift for grandparents

Thank you so much for all of these ideas! They are so very creative, too! I love the having a picnic by the tree idea!

Of course, folks are still welcome to keep the ideas rolling in. You ladies rock!