Advent Calendar Provides Hands-on Opportunity to Learn About Christmas

Advent Calendar Can Make Christmas Come Alive ©Katrena

Advent calendars can be a great way to prepare for Christmas, especially for visual and kinesthetic learners. Reading and talking about Advent can be informative, but adding suspense, action, and excitement to the season can make it come alive!

Find a Surprise Behind Each Drawer of Advent Calendar ©Katrena

Advent calendars traditionally contain 24 windows, drawers, pockets, sections, items, etc. One window or drawer is opened for each day of the Advent season, except for the four Sundays during the season in which the Advent wreath is lit, culminating with opening the final section on Christmas Eve. Cloth Advent calendars typically are hung on a wall and have an item that is moved from one pocket to the next. The Advent season begins four Sundays before Christmas.

Add Suspense With Advent Calendar ©Katrena

Advent calendars can be as simple as a coloring page or as elaborate as a 3-D Advent calendar in which a surprise is placed in each drawer or behind each door. The surprises might be a piece of candy, Bible verse, personal note, figure from a nativity set, an ornament, toy, or other items.

Scriptures Often Read During Advent - Photo by Trounce at Wikimedia Commons

Scriptures, stories, or devotions may be read for each day of the Advent calendar. These might be the focus in the morning, before bedtime, or at another time when everyone can be together for a few moments.

Advent Calendar Adds Excitement to Christmas Season - Photo by Marianne Schneegans at Wikimedia Commons

Some people may also call an Advent calender a countdown calendar or Christmas calendar. Those who like to do crafts may enjoy making an Advent calendar with one's own personal touch. Some Christmas or Advent-themed books contain an Advent calendar.

Advent Calendars Offer Great Diversity - Photo by Tim 'Avatar' Bartel at Wikimedia Commons

Below are a few examples of different types of Advent calendars:

• Sermons4Kids offers a very simple free coloring page with an Advent theme. Stickers may be placed on the stars instead of coloring if preferred.
• DLTK has 24 free Advent-related coloring pages with scriptures at the bottom of each.
• Gardener's Supply has a Woodland Cabin Advent calendar with small wooden animals.
• Bas Bleu has an elaborate Venice themed Advent calendar.