Advent calendar ideas for kids: 8 that are not chocolate

An Advent calendar has 24 doors, and what sits behind them is up to you. Chocolate is the usual answer. These eight ideas put a small thing to do behind each door instead, so the calendar fills December rather than 24 mouthfuls.

Ideas that need nothing printed

1. Activity cards. Write one small family activity on each of 24 cards: bake biscuits, a walk with a torch, hot chocolate by the window. Put each card in an envelope with a number.

2. A story in 24 pieces. Take a picture book or a chapter book and read one part each evening. The door holds a bookmark for that day.

3. Kind acts. One small kind thing a day: a drawing for a neighbour, a message for a grandparent, tidying a shelf together.

4. A countdown of wishes. Each door holds a question to answer, such as "What was the best part of today?", and you write the answers in a notebook. After Christmas you have a family record of December.

Ideas that use paper you print

5. A visitor who writes notes. Pip's Advent Visit: 24 notes and activities for the Advent season, a printable Advent tradition for kids is a printable tradition for children aged 3 to 9 with a grown-up. Pip, a little ghost who is afraid of the dark, comes to stay until Christmas. Each morning the children find a note from Pip and a small thing to do for Pip. It has 24 daily notes, one for each day from 1 to 24 December, an arrival letter, a "Sorry I'm late" letter and a goodbye letter, a Pip stand-up figure, a door sign and a calendar sheet with 24 lanterns to colour in. The story ends on 21 December, the longest night, when the nights start getting shorter.

6. A puzzle for each day. For children who like puzzles, Christmas activity pack for kids aged 6 to 9: 25 activities and a picture bingo gives 25 Christmas puzzles for ages 6 to 9, with word searches, mazes, sudoku and spot the difference, and a picture bingo for the family. You can hand out one a day or save them for rainy afternoons.

7. A sudoku calendar. For an older child or an adult, the Advent family bundle: sudoku calendar, games for two and kids Christmas puzzles holds three packs: a sudoku Advent calendar with a December planner, a pen-and-paper duel for two for every day from 1 to 24 December, and a Christmas activity book with 100 puzzles for ages 6 to 8.

8. Pairs of activities. Mix the ideas. Do a puzzle on even days and a kind act on odd days, so each day has something different.

How to run a calendar that lasts

• Start on 1 December. Starting late is fine, and you can begin with a day 5 card on the 5th.
• Put the doors where children can see them, and let them open one a day.
• Keep it short: ten minutes a day is enough.
• Prepare the cards in November so December is only opening.

What the PDFs are

Each pack is a PDF you download after paying and print at home. Nothing is posted. The files are A4 or US Letter, as each product page says; on a printer that takes the other size, choose "fit to page". They are for your own household, so please do not share or resell them.

Frequently asked questions

What can I put in an Advent calendar instead of chocolate?

A card with something to do, a part of a story, a puzzle, a kind act or a question to answer. The ideas above need no sweets at all.

What age is an Advent calendar with activities for?

Ideas 1 to 4 work from toddlers up with a grown-up. Pip's Advent Visit is written for ages 3 to 9, and the puzzle pack for ages 6 to 9.

When should I start preparing?

In November. Printing and cutting take an evening, and then the calendar runs itself.

Can I start late?

Yes. Start with the card for the day and carry on to 24 December.