On the first day of December all over the world, children will search their advent calendars for door number one, hoping for a chocolate treat or maybe a mini gift.
The Christian tradition of ‘Advent’ which comes from the Latin phrase ‘coming towards’, dates back to the 19th century and celebrates the coming of Jesus into the world. Some people claim the first ever advent calendar was made in Germany by a mother for her son, Gerhard Lang. However, it wasn’t until the late 1950s that the chocolate advent calendars we now know and love were put into production.
Although everyone loves a chocolate treat each day, here at PlanBee we wondered what other ways we could count down the days until Christmas.
Here are some fun alternative ways to celebrate advent this year:
For younger children, why not pick out their favourite picture books and label them 1-25. Pop them in a Christmas box and let children collect a book for each day to read! For older children, maybe pick a book with 25 chapters, reading one chapter per night - a good way to encourage children to read in their own time!
Why not brainstorm 25 acts of kindness - put the suggestions in a jar and pick out one each day. They could be as simple as smiling at a passer by or opening the door for someone. Challenge children to think about ways in which they could help someone else at this time of year. Here are some suggestions to help you!
Write down 25 different countries on separate pieces of paper, pop into a jar and challenge children to pick one each day. Children could find out how Christmas is celebrated in each country and think about Christmas traditions around the world.
When the world is a little unsettled at the moment, it is important to make sure we are looking after children’s mental health. Why not use these Positive Affirmations for Kids Cards and let children read one out each day in the lead up to Christmas.
Everyone enjoys a good game or festive activity at this time of year. Children could pick a Christmas-themed activity or craft to do each day, or even to complete as a family!
Why not use these Christmas Advent Activities for Kids instead of chocolates this year.
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