" The DIY Christmas countdown for children "

The most wonderful time of the year is just around the corner: the Advent season and with it the days full of festivities, delicious treats and, of course, the countdown to Christmas. We love to shorten the 24 days until Christmas with an Advent calendar. Every day there is a little door to open and every day a little surprise for the children.

More individual and more beautiful

New parents naturally look forward to their first Christmas as a family. But parents of toddlers and schoolchildren are also full of expectations and usually make a beautiful Christmas calendar together with their offspring. However, mom and dad naturally leave the filling to Santa's elves and helpers.

For children (and adults), the Advent calendar is part of Christmas

Making your own Advent calendar for children is quite a challenge. Here are a few helpful tips and craft ideas to inspire you.

Make your own Advent calendar - three great ideas

The good thing about a homemade Christmas calendar is the fact that you can fill it anew every year. Of course, it is all the more important that the calendar is not only pretty to look at, but also has enough space to store the sweet presents inside.

Here are three craft ideas that you can use to make your own Advent calendar:

Breathe new life into socks

An everyday object that has often proved its worth in handicrafts. This time you need 24 socks. Take a larger size, then you will be more flexible when it comes to filling them later. But of course the socks can't just be hung up blank. First of all, they need to be decorated in a Christmassy style so that they can serve their new purpose.

Socks make good bags for advent calendars

craft materials:

• 24 bright stockings
• Wooden beads in red, green and white for the decoration
• Small wooden beads in black for the numbers
• 24 little bells
• threading cords
• scissors
• Sewing needle and thread

1. The numbers 1 - 24

Start by applying the numbers to the socks using the embroidery technique. Use the black wooden beads for this. Use them to place the numbers on the sock. Now attach the beads using the embroidery technique so that you end up with the desired number.

Continue until you have attached all 24 digits.

2. Decorations on the top edge

Now use the colored wooden beads to decorate the stockings a little. Use the same technique to attach them to the top edge of the stockings.

3. The little bell

Last but not least, attach a small bell to the bottom edge of each stocking. The finished and filled stockings are then attached to a line or rope using classic clothespins - preferably made of wood. Depending on the situation, you can hang them in one row or in several rows.

Small clay pots to put up

The second idea for making your own Advent calendar for children involves clay pots. These are normally used for planting. Today we are making them festive so that they can accompany the children until Christmas.

Clay pots are not only suitable for plants, but can also be used for storage

craft materials:

• 24 small clay pots
• green mumblebeads
• red and white lentil beads
• string
• absorbent cotton
• scissors
• craft glue
• Black fiber pen

1. Cover clay pots with fabric

Start by wrapping the clay pots with the green fabric. To do this, cut the green fabric into strips corresponding to the width of the pot. Fix the first layer in place with a little craft glue. Now wrap the vessel as often as you like.

2. Applying the numbers

To assign the number to each "door", simply write the numbers on it with a fiber-tip pen.

3. Thread a small chain as jewelry

To make the clay pot look even more like Christmas, string the lentil beads into a small necklace, which you then place around the pot. You can also make several chains. Just as you like.

4. Fill with absorbent cotton

Now fill the inside with some absorbent cotton. If you are making this advent calendar to use for a baby, please make sure you leave out the absorbent cotton. You can simply use some fabric instead of the absorbent cotton.

You have now made another beautiful Christmas calendar. You can now simply put these pretty containers up. Of course, you can also add some Christmas decorations, such as fir greenery, artificial snow or Christmas angels.

Advent calendar for those in a hurry - making fabric bags

Last but not least, we make 24 small fabric bags to create an Advent calendar for children. You have plenty of scope here in terms of size. Compared to the other two versions, this Advent calendar for children is quite quick to make and is something for the spontaneous.

The quickest and most common version: a homemade Advent calendar with small bags

You will need the following craft materials to make this Advent calendar:

• red nuts
• string
• number beads from 1- 24
• small wooden beads as desired
• Rubber band/ elastic
• 24 clothespins

1. Cut the bag to size

First, of course, you decide how big you want the bag to be. You can cut the bag accordingly. The important thing is that you end up with a square in front of you. Now bring all the corners together in the middle and secure them temporarily with a staple. Continue until you have a total of 24 of these little bags in front of you.

2. Making the chain for the clasp

This time the number is not written on it. It will be integrated into a chain in the form of a number bead. Thread alternately a small wooden bead and the number 1 for the first bead. Continue until the chain has reached the desired length. Make sure that the chain is as small as possible, otherwise it could slip off at the end.

3. Fill and then close

Unlike the previous calendars, you now have to fill the bags before you can close them. Remove the clothespin and place the little surprise in the middle. Secure the whole thing with a rubber band until it is well closed. Now place the chain with the number on top for decoration.

The bags can then be hung up or put up. You have several options.

Fill 24 little doors - the age of the children is decisive

Making your own Advent calendar for children is one thing. The real challenge is finding the right surprises. Here, less really is more. Above all, it is important to consider the age of the child. Therefore, we have listed a few nice ideas according to age:

Depending on the age of the child, different contents are suitable for the Advent calendar

Baby

The first Christmas is just around the corner and even the very youngest children enjoy the tradition of opening a little door every day. There are lots of things to discover:

• grasping toy
• Bracelet with the child's name
• Teething spoon
• crackling book
• a small cuddly toy
• guardian angel

toddler

Now the child is old enough and can already eat a lot more than a baby. That's why the little door can now also contain things like:

• Nuts
• Honey sweets
• Toy cars for boys
• Doll jewelry for girls
• Glow sticks
• Kaleidoscope
• Stuffed animals
• Mini book

Schoolchild

The little angel may be a little older now, but he still loves his Christmas calendar. Here are a few tips:

• Sweets that your child loves are always welcome
• bracelet
• Key ring
• Puzzle (disassemble and divide into individual 24 bags)
• Finger lights

We wish you lots of fun and creativity when making your Advent calendar!