13 Advent Calendars for Kids

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The 2025 advent season is upon us. If you’re looking for advent ideas, look no further. We found the best advent calendars for kids that will help get you in the holiday spirit. More than that, they get your little ones more involved in the Christmas countdown!

There’s an advent idea for every kid, no matter their age or interests.

We’d love to hear more about the advent activities you already use, too! Add your favorite advent calendars to the comments on this post. In the Eat Play Say community, we love hearing about your tried and true favorites!

01. Chocolate Advent Calendar

Lindt Chocolate Advent Calendar

Perfect for: kids with a sweet tooth, Lindt lovers

For a sweet treat, this Lindt Holiday Chocolate Advent Calendar is perfect. There are 24 pieces of chocolate to savor. Countdown to Christmas with these delicious candies.

Each chocolate is wrapped in festive foil. Little ones will love the chocolate teddy bears, chocolate balls, and milk chocolate neapolitans.

This advent calendar is simple and affordable. Read a winter-themed book each day, and pair it with the chocolate treats!

Note: The Lindt chocolates in this calendar contain soy lecithin. Therefore, if you’re looking for an advent calendar with sweets and no additives, Walker’s Shortbread Advent Calendar is a good option. These shortbread cookies are delicious! They’re made with only 4 ingredients – flour, butter, sugar, and salt.

02. Micro MAGNA-TILES Advent Calendar

MAGNA-TILES Advent Calendar

Perfect for: toddlers 3 and up, avid builders, MAGNA-TILES lovers

My kids are really into MAGNA-TILES, especially the little micro tiles. This is a fun advent calendar for kids who love to build.

In this advent calendar, you get 34 holiday-themed micro MAGNA-TILES. It includes pieces to build a Santa and a conductor for the train. The set also has a chassis (read: vehicle base). Each day your child can open a window on the calendar to find the next piece.

Once they’re finished opening every window, they’ll have a festive train to drive around the track. I love this because you can use what you’re building in pretend play throughout the day.

You can combine these holiday micro tiles with your classic MAGNA-TILES around the house. Bring them out year after year for holiday-themed play!

03. Bluey Advent Calendar

Bluey Advent Calendar

Perfect for: toddlers, Bluey’s biggest fans

Calling all Bluey fans. This advent calendar is filled with surprises! It’s a great toy advent calendar for kids who love Bluey.

Count down to Christmas with 24 surprises, one behind each window. Your child will receive a mini Bluey, Bingo, and Bartlebee toy figure. In addition, it comes with small Christmas accessory figurines like a Christmas tree and gifts.

Each day as you open a window together, add to your holiday scene. Play pretend. Talk about what you’re thankful for. Ask your child what they think Bluey wants for Christmas. Or, ask your little one what they’re excited about leading up to Christmas.

You can store these figurines away and bring them out each year for more holiday play!

04. Hot Wheels Advent Calendar

Hot Wheels Advent Calendar

Perfect for: toddlers, Hot Wheels lovers, the tiny car fanatics

If you have a child who loves Hot Wheels and cars, this advent calendar is perfect.

Open each window of the calendar and find 10 mini cars and 14 accessories. Accessories include a sleigh, a reindeer, and other holiday-themed figures. This advent calendar is bound to be the best kind of surprise!

Better yet, it comes with 10 ornament clips. Get your child a mini Christmas tree. Then, let them hang each mini car on the tree for decoration. Start the tradition of having a Hot Wheels mini tree in your child’s bedroom!

05. Play-Doh Advent Calendar

Play-Doh Advent Calendar

Perfect for: preschoolers, sensory lovers, crafty kids

Start the Christmas countdown with your kids by playing with Play-Doh! This advent calendar offers sensory play each day.

Each window on this calendar holds a 1 ounce can of Play-Doh and a tool. The Play-Doh colors are holiday-themed like red, green, blue, and white.

This is a great advent calendar for your child to use their imagination. It’s also perfect for fine motor play! The first 12 days of the calendar come with everything you need to make a snowman scene. The last half of the calendar has everything you need to create the gingerbread scene.

I love this advent activity because it’s incorporating fine motor skills in play. You can keep the Play-Doh and add it to your collection as well. It’s a good value for the money.

06. Advent Wooden Animal Train

Advent Calendar Wooden Animal Train

Perfect for: babies, toddlers, preschoolers, train enthusiasts

The cutest advent calendar for kids who love trains. Each window on this calendar has either a train car or a festive passenger.

Each day your little one opens a window, they will get to build onto their train. The cars connect magnetically. Your child can freely move the animal passengers and Christmas decorations into different train cars.

I love this advent activity for modeling functional language. Use words and phrases like, “ready, set, go!, stop, go, fast, slow, in, out.” There are so many opportunities for play with this!

Pro Parent Tip: Lightly score the edges of each window before your child opens this gift. This way, the windows don’t tear. You’ll be able to use this advent calendar again year after year!

07. Nativity Advent Calendar

Nativity Advent Calendar 2025 for Kids

Perfect for: babies, toddlers, learning more about baby Jesus

This is an awesome advent calendar for kids to teach them more about the meaning of Christmas.

You can alter how you talk about the Christmas story depending on your child’s age and understanding. For 1 year olds, label each piece of the set. Take it a step further with 2 year olds and model phrases and animal sounds. For 3 year olds, you can make pretend play scenes and talk about the night of Jesus’ birth.

There are 25 different-sized boxes in this set. Each day, open a box to find a part of the nativity scene. Use this set for years!

08. Advent Calendar with Books

Usbourne Advent Calendar Book Collection

Perfect for: kids of all ages, bookworms-in-training

An advent calendar with books instead of toys! You know I love books. Reading to our kids is so important…and simple, too.

This advent calendar comes with a set of 24 miniature books to be enjoyed. The titles range. Some books are holiday-themed, and some are classic stories. For example, Beauty and the Beast is included as well as The Christmas Carol. There are stories that appeal to little boys and little girls.

Read, sing songs from the books together, and enjoy the countdown to Christmas!

09. Advent Christmas Countdown

Melissa & Doug Advent Christmas Countdown

Perfect for: jolly little decorators, counting down to Christmas

I love this Melissa & Doug wooden advent calendar as a countdown to Christmas with kids. We have it and it’s so cute.

Each day, you put a magnetic ornament on the tree. By Christmas Day, the tree will be completely decorated!

You can make this advent tree a special part of your day. For example, when your little one adds an ornament, talk about the colors on the ornament or what’s on it. Pair “hanging” the ornament with reading a favorite book with your child. Get cozy with a blanket and let them choose a book every day.

This advent calendar can be used every year. As a bonus, it functions as some classic Christmas decor in your home.

10. DIY Advent Calendar

Wooden Advent Calendar with Drawers

Perfect for: all ages, customizing to your child’s interests, DIY divas

This advent calendar allows you to create your own advent activities with kids. You get to choose what goes in every drawer for your child.

While this calendar functions as holiday decor, it also provides a fun surprise. Your little one will get so excited to open a drawer every day.

Consider adding healthy snacks, toys, and activities to the drawers for advent surprises. Fold up a holiday coloring page in one drawer. Add stickers to another drawer. Sneak a mini candy cane or small treat into the smaller drawers. You can really customize this to your little one and their interests.

11. LEGO Advent Calendar

LEGO City Advent Calendar 2025

Perfect for: preschoolers and older, LEGO lovers, mini architects

The ultimate advent calendar for kids who love LEGOS, boys and girls alike. After 24 days of this LEGO City calendar, your child will have a full holiday scene.

On each day there are mini builds and figures to find. Each window features easy-to-understand instructions on how to build the figures as well. Once you have all your figures, you can use an included play mat to set the scene for Christmas parties. The pretend play is endless!

LEGOs are for 3 year olds and older due to having small pieces. This set is likely best for 4 year olds and older. We want to encourage imagination, creativity, and develop fine motor skills. If your child starts getting frustrated, come beside them and help them work through it.

12. Sesame Street Advent Calendar

Sesame Street Advent Storybook Collection

Perfect for: babies & toddlers, Sesame sweethearts

This advent calendar is highly-rated by parents and caregivers. It’s a holiday-themed set of storybooks for children. Of course, all the books feature the colorful characters from Sesame Street!

When you open this up, each mini book is tucked into a pocket. The titles are hidden, so each one is a surprise! Each day has one picture book that’s short and sweet.

I love this set because it’s affordable – under $20! It encourages reading together and getting in the holiday spirit! Because of the thoughtful design, you can use this advent calendar in the years to come.

13. Family Advent Calendar Activity

Interactive Family Celebration of Advent

Perfect for: families, focusing on the Biblical reason for the season

If you’re looking for an advent activity the whole family can take part in, this is a good option. This is a biblically-based family celebration of advent.

The set comes with a large book that transforms into a 13 inch pop-up tree. In addition, you get a booklet of 25 devotionals written by Ann Voskamp to read as a family. Each day has an ornament to unbox and hang on the tree.

All in all, this is a beautiful way to celebrate the coming of Jesus with the whole family.

Looking for more?

For more winter activities, download our FREE Winter Crafts PDF for simple crafts for babies & toddlers. And, leading up to the holidays, don’t forget to add to your holiday list, moms!