Advent Activities for Teens & Under

35 Advent Activities for Teenagers (& under) FREE Printable

December 1st always marks our annual countdown to Christmas. For 24 days my kids, 17, 14, and 6 all look forward to it.

When my oldest was little, 3 to be exact, I started doing one small activity a day with him. They were not anything over the top. They just were simple things that He and I could do together, as I had just had a baby and a newborn baby sister was in tow.

So each day I had a little count down in our dining room made of paper and pinned up with clothes pins. We would open them every day as soon as he woke up, because for a 3 year old it was suspenseful and exciting to see what the next day would hold.

What were these activities?

I had planned simple easy to show him the meaning of Christmas. We would read one story from the Jesus Story Book Bible since it correlated well, ending with the Nativity Story on Christmas day.

Along with a ready of the Bible we would do things like, mail a Christmas card of a coloring sheet he had finished to his grand parents, make a bird feeder from a pine cone from the back yard, make a countdown paper chain. They were small things that took at out 45 minutes of the day.

He loved them. And over the years his sister and brother was added in and they loved them as well.

Why I still do Christmas Advent Activities with my teenagers.

Teenagers, from what I have found with mine and working in Youth ministry for 20 years, actually love being kids again. The things they have left for more mature things get to be revisited for just a little while and they enjoy the experience for a few minutes.

Teens also love someone thinking about them and wanting to spend time with them. As a parent my goal was to never make my kids feel like I didn’t want them around me. I always wanted them to know that their parents like them, not just love them. Which has served me and my husband well, as we are blessed to have tow teenagers that actively part of our family…as I know that some teens will distance themselves from parents.

My Christmas Advent Calendar

I found my current advent calendar on clearance about 10 years ago at Target. I love it and knew it would be a timeless calendar for my family to have for a long time. BUT don’t think you have to have something pretty. I have used paper envelopes before! Just a quick Pinterest search and you can find lots of fun and creative ideas for creating your own Advent calendar.

I want to share my advent activities with you. My 17 year old son, 14 year daughter AND 6 year old son can participate, and not just tolerate, these Advent activities.

I listed out 35 activities because having options is good. Not every activity works for each season. AND if an activity has to shift or get canceled beach of sickness or unforeseen interruptions, then there are extras to slip into an advent calendar quickly.

How I do my Christmas Advent Activities for my teenagers and younger child.

I get out our family calendar and look at days that are full and busy. As I plan what activity we will do when, I try to make busy days some of the easier activities and days when we are home, more of the labor or time intensive activities. I highly suggest putting these activities on a google calendar or ical so you know what is happening each day incase you need to purchase anything like gingerbread house kits, or candy canes, or stamps. So I write it in our family calendar first.
Then I print the activity sheet PDF, which I will share below and link to a copy you can print at home.
I then cut the activities into strips that I can fold and stuff into my countdown calendar.
I stuff the strips I just cut into the calendar boxes. I make sure I stuff the corresponding activity that I have on our family calendar into the right day in the countdown calendar. I for sure have messed that up before and had to scramble to make an activity work. It was fine, but a wee bit stressful.

Just a reminder...

Just a reminder…this activity list is not to be a burden. There are some things that will cost money. I have budgeted for that in our Christmas Budget. I also track the spending in my Christmas Spending Tracker that I shared here, so I know I am not getting carried away to much.

The cost can certainly be altered. If something on the list doesn’t work for you, sub in something different. For example, we will take each child on a dinner date during the season because we have built in baby sitters for our youngest, and we have budgeted for dinner out. BUT, we certainly have just done an at home dinner where we make their favorite meal at home. They really love both options. Just make it work for your kids and your families needs.

CHRISTMAS IS NOT MEANT TO BE A BURDEN.

Keep it simple and stress free and only add what you know you can do, and WANT to do. Your teenagers, really any age kids just want time with you!