Advent Ideas: Fun Activities

If you have already decided on the devotional that you will do with your family this year, you may find that these Advent ideas are a fun way to celebrate the season with a twist.  Just as a disclaimer, they are not all centered on the birth of Jesus like the other ideas have been, but they are ideas to show love to others this season in addition to the devotions you read with your family.

Peppermint Plum created this list of symbols to show the meaning of Christmas in the different ways that we decorate and celebrate.  There is a printable version of the chart above on the blog.  You could go through all of the symbols in one sitting or spread them out to discuss one every 3-4 days.




For those of you with future actors in your family, I found this adorable Christmas skit at Christianity Cove that doesn't require very much preparation or practice at all.  Your children can perform for your families on Christmas morning.





Thirty Handmade Days decided to do an Advent Blessings Jar one year.  Instead of doing activities, you write down 25 blessings that are often overlooked and that are countable.  For example, the author has ceiling fans, ways to cook food, bathrooms, etc. and she wrote them onto popsicle sticks.  Each day, you choose a stick and count how many of that item you have in your home and then collect pennies, nickels or dimes in that amount.  At the end of Advent, you donate the money collected to the charity of your choice.  Check out the blog post for a more detailed explanation.



Another way to love others is to follow an Acts of Kindness Advent calendar.  Coffee, Cups and Crayons has created two printable calendars for 2017.  You could also turn your Elf on the Shelf into a Kindness Elf like Anna did from The Imagination Tree.  She has the Kindness Elves deliver an idea for a random act of kindness each day.



All of these ideas should not replace the devotionals and scripture that teach us about the coming of Jesus.  They are other ways to prepare for his arrival that help us to think of others during the Advent season.  I pray that you and your family are able to find the traditions that fit your lifestyle and best suit your family to celebrate this year.