Some families like to use a reusable advent calendar rather than buy new each year. This can add to the excitement of Christmas by building a family tradition. If you use wooden, fabric or felt calendars, then you need to get ideas each year on how to fill them. What kinds of small gifts, toys and fillers are good to put into an advent calendar?
Themed Advent Calendar Fillers
Some parents like to pick a theme each year for their advent calendar fillers. You could, for example, stick with the season and make each day's gift Christmas related. Good ideas here include chocolate Santas, snowmen and gold coins. Look in pound or dollar stores to pick out seasonal toys and gifts like Father Christmas stickers, mini snowglobes, key chains, small tree decorations and toys/characters (i.e. reindeers, elves, Santas and penguins). If your child has a particular hobby or likes a specific TV show or film character, then that kind of theme may also work well.
DIY Lego or Playmobil Advent Calendars
Younger kids may pester for a Lego or Playmobil advent calendar but, if you don't want to buy one, you could use reusable calendars to make your own versions. Lego mini figures and accessories are an option, or you could buy a small Lego or Playmobil kit and put one or two pieces in each day that kids can construct during December. You could buy general or Christmas themed kits for this.
IOU and Homemade Gift Vouchers to Fill Advent Calendars
If you decide not to stick with a specific theme for your advent calendar gifts, then you need to find different types of fillers to spread throughout the month. Older kids may like a couple of homemade gift vouchers or IOUs that they can "redeem" after Christmas. You could, for example, make a small IOU certificate saying that you'll stand them a trip to the cinema. Or, you could make a homemade gift voucher that they can use to skip a chore in the New Year. These will look extra special if you roll them up and tie them with ribbon.
Ideas for General Advent Calendar Toys, Gifts and Fillers
You can pick up cheap but fun fillers for advent calendars in pound shops/dollar stores. It may also be worth browsing through pocket money/allowance areas in toy stores. Small items of stationery like pencil toppers, erasers and small sheets of stickers or temporary tattoos may go down well with some kids. Remember to buy to fit the space you have here. Wooden, fabric and felt calendars come with varying shapes of boxes and pockets so the fillers you buy need to hide snugly inside.
Advent Calendar Ideas: Sweets, Chocolates and Candy
Kids will love finding a few of their favourite sweets or pieces of candy in a few of the boxes or pockets in their advent calendars. Chocolate Santas, snowmen or coins may get them into the Christmas spirit. Mini candy canes may also be appreciated, if you can get hold of ones that will fit.
Parents looking for other Christmas advent calendar ideas and seasonal money saving tips may find the following articles useful:
- Christmas Advent Calendar Ideas: Choosing Xmas Calendars for Kids
- Use Printables & Templates to Get a Free Letter From Santa Claus
- Low Cost Christmas: Ideas for Homemade Gifts, Decorations & Cards
- Money Saving Tips for Christmas
- Cheap & Fun Christmas Stocking Stuffers: Ideas for Kids
Carol Finch - Carol Finch is the Topic Editor for Retirement Planning, Budgeting, E-Commerce & Technical/Business Writing on Suite101.
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