What to Put into Your Advent Calendar
Starting on December 1st, counting down the days until Christmas is a tradition many families enjoy. Checking an Advent Calendar is a fun way to get kids involved in the festivities, plus a great way for kids of all ages to learn and practice the art of patience.
The Step2 My First Advent Calendar™ is a great choice to customize year after year and grow with your child. The large bins give you the flexibility to incorporate your little one’s ever-changing interests each year to keep the countdown tradition relevant and fun.
If you find yourself asking “What should I put in my Advent Calendar?”, we’ve got you covered! Here are some of our favorite ideas to help your little ones count down to Christmas with the My First Advent Calendar™ toy.
Kid-Friendly Advent Calendar Ideas
Puzzle Play
As a visualization of what being patient means, fill each bin with a few puzzle pieces. Every day, your child can put a puzzle together to reveal a bigger picture! This works great with a custom photo puzzle of your family, holiday-themed puzzle, or a scene from their favorite movie or tv show.
Guessing Game
Leave clues in each bin to reveal a gift your child will be receiving. As Christmas gets closer, discusd with your child what their guesses are each day until the big reveal. Challenge their problem-solving skills by writing clues on slips of paper. Is the gift a Step2 Shootin’ Hoops Junior Basketball Set? Word clues like basketball player names, game positions, and characteristics of the set will inform their guesses!
Big Announcement
Taking a family vacation to a special place soon? Reveal the destination with word clues or images leading up to Christmas.
Introduce A New Toy
All month long, work toward building a zoo playset full of animal figures, create a fleet of mini cars to race, complete a building block set, compile new art supplies, and so much more. Break out a larger gift into small pieces so your little one can start to play before Christmas Day, and renew their interest in the items day after day!
Storytelling
Practice reading and memory skills with your child throughout the month. Take a new or favorite story and type out a sentence or more, split out into 25 segments. Print and cut into slips of paper and put them into each bin. As your child reveals the story during the month, have them read it out loud to you as they go. Together, discuss characters, what today’s addition means to the overall story being told, and explore how you and your child think the story will end!
Sweets & Treats
Treat your little one to something sweet without going overboard all season long. Fill the Advent Calendar with individually wrapped candies, mini cookies, or even savory snacks like mini pretzels. Small portions of these treats can be dessert after dinner or a special snack once per day.
Don’t have a Step2 My First Advent Calendar™ yet? Get yours today! Plus, check out our selection of adorable seasonal toys too! SHOP NOW >>
