24 Super Low-Prep Advent Activities For a Fun (and Low Stress) December

I am always super gung-ho about doing an activity Advent… before December actually starts.

By December 5th, I am regretting all of the super involved crafts I had planned, like building a gingerbread house from scratch, and wishing for a simple activity like singing Christmas carols instead. Then I feel like a failure because I can’t do everything I had planned.

December just gets too busy too fast. Advent activities are supposed to be fun, not stressful. They should help you connect with your kids, spend quality time as a family, and build lasting memories.

If you are running around like crazy trying to gather supplies for yet another day of baking or another craft, you likely aren’t spending quality time together.

So we have come up with a list of 24 super low-prep Advent activities. Everything on this list is easy to do, and takes almost no prep time.

Perfect for the busiest of parents.

Many of the activities are even things you are going to do anyway (like decorate the Christmas tree) but by adding them to an Advent calendar, the kids think they are doing something super fun. Win!

You can print out special Advent activity cards, or keep it nice and simple and write each activity on a small piece of paper and tuck it inside a mason jar.

(Want to know my secret? I usually don’t write the activity until the night before, so I can choose an activity that works with our schedule for the day.)

24 Super Low-Prep Advent Activities

Decorate the Christmas tree
Set up the nativity scene (if you have one)
Read a classic Christmas book together
Make paper snowflakes
Write a letter to Santa and put it in the mail
Drink hot apple cider or hot cocoa
Wear something red or green
Sing Christmas carols
Eat breakfast for dinner
Make a Christmas card for a teacher or friend
Eat a candy cane
Watch A Charlie Brown Christmas (or another Christmas movie)
Wrap presents together
Take cookies (or a candy cane) to the neighbors
Look at photos from last Christmas
Have a cozy PJ’s day
Make snow angels (or leaf angels if there is no snow)
Call a family member or friend who lives far away
Color Christmas pictures for Santa or the elf
Do a random act of kindness for someone
Have a simple picnic next to the Christmas tree
Take a walk (or drive) to look at Christmas lights
Have a dance party to Christmas music
Set out cookies and milk for Santa

Have fun with this and don’t stress!

Event the lowest prep activities may be too much sometimes. If you get super busy, it is totally ok to skip a day or two, or to have “Eat a candy cane” as your activity multiple times!