Advent calendar filler ideas for children
Ideas for gifts to fill a DIY advent calendar for children
Here are our best suggestions for advent calendar fillers for children.
Advent calendar packaging
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
Toys and games
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

Science and discovery
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:

Books and stories
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
Arts and crafts
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:


- 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:


Christmas baking
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 a chocolate Yule log:

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

- Rolling pin
- A gingerbread house kit:


Sweets
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:


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


- Chocolate coins
- Chocolate santa
Vouchers
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
Useful things
Put something useful in their advent calendar! Here are our suggestions:

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


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


- Christmas socks
Boys
Here are our advent calendar filler suggestions for boys:

- Print off a free pirate flag:


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

- Make a cardboard sword:

- Water pistols
- Robotic hand:

- Dinosaur temporary tattoos
Minecraft and Fortnite
Here are our advent calendar filler suggestions for children who love Minecraft and Fortnite:


- Game credit
- Minecraft TNT mug:

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







Girls
We have selected a few perfect advent calendar gifts for girls:
- Hair scrunchies
- Lip balm
- Clam light:


- Mermaid headband:

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

- Nail polish
- Bright pink pompom earrings:

Unicorns
Here are our ideas for children who love unicorns:



- Print off a free unicorn face mask:




- Print off a free unicorn bookmark for colouring in:




25th December
Here are our suggestions for the final gift of the advent calendar.
Christmas jumpers:



Christmas pyjamas:


Christmas t-shirts:


Other festive clothing items:


