Advent calendar filler ideas for children

Take a look at our ideas for home-made advent calendars:

• These reindeer boxes are super cute and festive and come with a number sticker for each day:

• If you are good at sewing, this sewing panel for advent stockings is a great idea:

• Alternatively, buy some ready-made stockings like these:

• Get some paper bags and print off these free tags for a DIY advent calendar:

• Make an advent calendar out of some old jars – simply decorate them to look festive and put a number on each one
• Create a treasure hunt – simply wrap the gift, hide it somewhere in your house and hand them a new clue each morning

All children love to play – so we have put together a great selection of toys and games for their advent calendar:

• Challenge them with this panda jigsaw puzzle:

• Print off this free ocean matching game:

• This Olaf lego is the perfect advent calendar filler:

• Put their favourite book in their advent calendar and take them for a walk to act out the story – ‘We’re Going on a Bear Hunt’ is perfect for this

• Get them ready for Christmas with this Santa’s Sleigh playmobil:

• Print off this free unicorn board game:

• Cute, squishy and lovable – this sparkly squishy buddy is the perfect little gift for just £1.80:

• Take them to Build-a-Bear Workshop to make and dress their own teddy

If your children are little scientists and discoverers, these could be the perfect gifts for them:

• The world is their oyster with this jigsaw puzzle:

• Find a new way to drink with these DIY straws:

• A magnifying glass can be a lot of fun and is the perfect size to fit in an advent calendar
• Teach them about their favourite animals with this dinosaur book:

• Buy some seed packets from your local supermarket or garden centre and plant something and watch it grow together
• Treat your scientist to this rainbow lab kit:

• Print off some free science experiments to do with them, such as this baking soda volcano experiment:

• Get them a mini microscope
• This light up terrarium kit would make a perfect Christmas day gift:

Here are a selection of books and printable stories to go in an advent calendar:

• Print off this free elf on the shelf poem:

• ‘Enid Blyton’s Christmas Tales’ book:

• ‘A Christmas Carol’ by Charles Dickens:

• ‘The Gruffalo’ book:

• ‘The Snail and the Whale’ book:

• ‘Little Piccola’ by Nora A. Smith
• Take them to a storytelling event at a local library or bookstore

Here are our advent calendar filler suggestions for your young artist:

• Download and print off our free Christmas colouring pages and dot paintings
• Mould and paint glow-in-the-dark space kit:

• Kids characters washi tape:

• Colouring pencils
• Some coloured paper
• Sewing llama:

• Treat them to this LOL Surprise activity set (this is especially great for taking on long journeys to visit family over Christmas):

• Fun stickers
• Stamps
• Some big chalks for drawing on the pavement
• Build your own robot stickers:

• Spirograph design set:

We have some great ideas for keen bakers:

• Check out our roasted chestnuts recipe which is free to download and print off
• Keep the mess of their clothes with these children’s cooking apron and hat:

• Christmas cookie cutters
• Christmas cupcake cases
• A rainbow cake kit:

• A recipe for mince pies:

• A recipe for gingerbread men:

• A recipe for a chocolate Yule log:

• Treat them to this ‘Christmas Baking for Children’ book:

• Rolling pin
• A gingerbread house kit:

• This Spiderman egg cup and toast cutter:

Sweet treats to put in their advent calendar:

• Fill a Kinder Surprise Egg with a small gift of your own – check out our DIY instructions
• Take a look at our DIY hot chocolate page for free instructions
• Treat them to something unique with this personalised milk chocolate bear:

• Have some fun with these Bean boozled jelly beans:

• Chocolate pizza:

• Cadbury selection box
• M&Ms
• Microwave popcorn
• Christmas jelly pops:

• Mini Christmas Nutella set:

• Chocolate coins
• Chocolate santa

Here are some vouchers for you to print off:

• Zoo voucher
• Circus voucher
• Storytime voucher
• Favourite game voucher
• Tidy room voucher
• Carousel voucher
• Sweet treat at the Christmas markets voucher
• Baking cookies voucher
• Milkshake voucher
• Homemade popcorn voucher
• Favourite sweet voucher
• Favourite cake voucher
• Baking gingerbread men voucher
• Hot chocolate voucher
• Roasted chestnuts voucher
• Go to bed without brushing teeth voucher
• Fudge voucher
• Movie night voucher
• Favourite food voucher
• Ice skating voucher
• Mince pie voucher
• Crêpe at the Christmas markets voucher
• Baking a cake voucher
• Decision maker voucher

Put something useful in their advent calendar! Here are our suggestions:

• Seahorse tape dispenser:

• Stationary essentials, such as a ruler, rubber or pencil sharpener
• Bell for their bike or scooter
• Llamacorn notebook:

• Mini rabbit water bottle:

• Coloured pencils for travelling
• Snack box for school lunches or picnics
• Children’s toothbrush or travel toothbrush for overnight trips
• Snowmen safety reflectors:

• Animal face cloths:

• Christmas socks

Here are our advent calendar filler suggestions for boys:

• Dinosaur egg:

• Print off a free pirate flag:

• Dinosaur balloon ball:

• A card game, such as Top Trumps 
• Shark hand puppet:

• Make a cardboard sword:

• Water pistols
• Robotic hand:

• Dinosaur temporary tattoos

Here are our advent calendar filler suggestions for children who love Minecraft and Fortnite:

• Minecraft beanie:

• Minecraft torch water bottle:

• Game credit
• Minecraft TNT mug:

• A voucher for an evening playing video games
• ‘The Fortnite Guide to Staying Alive’ book:

• Fortnite mini figure:

• Fortnite battle star t-shirt:

• Minecraft art print:

• Minecraft pickaxe/sword keyring:

• Fortnite keyring:

• Minecraft printout:

We have selected a few perfect advent calendar gifts for girls:

• Hair scrunchies
• Lip balm
• Clam light:

• Christmas temporary tattoos:

• Mermaid headband:

• Bath bombs
• Barbie doll or accessories
• Disney bath bomb:

• Nail polish
• Bright pink pompom earrings:

Here are our ideas for children who love unicorns:

• Unicorn hoopla:

• Unicorn splat ball:

• Melting unicorn:

• Print off a free unicorn face mask:

• Unicorn mood necklace:

• Unicorn mug:

• Unicorn tangle teezer:

• Print off a free unicorn bookmark for colouring in:

• Unicorn soft toy:

• Unicorn squish magic poo keyring:

• Unicorn wall art:

Here are our suggestions for the final gift of the advent calendar.

Christmas jumpers:

• Polar bear knitted set:

• Reindeer Christmas jumper:

• Christmas tree jumper:

Christmas pyjamas:

• Flamingo Christmas pyjamas:

• Santa pyjamas:

Christmas t-shirts: 

• Gamer Christmas t-shirt:

• Santa Claus shirt:

Other festive clothing items:

• Hat and mittens set:

• Snowman dress:

• Festive mittens: