Easy DIY Christmas Tree Advent Calendar

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy. Adult supervision is required for all activities found on HappyToddlerPlaytime.com.

INSIDE: This DIY Christmas Tree Advent Calendar is one you can easily put together this Christmas for your child with just a few simple supplies. Make Christmas memorable this year without adorable Christmas advent calendar!

Easy DIY Christmas Tree Advent Calendar

DIY Christmas Advent Calendars

I was able to put this Christmas tree advent calendar together using items from my recycling bin, bathroom and craft drawer! This DIY Christmas advent calendar is also one that you can reuse every year. Simply replace the tissue paper by placing one large piece over the cups in subsequent years.

Easy DIY Christmas Tree Advent Calendar

Looking for more Fun Christmas Crafts & Activities? Check out these fun ideas:

DIY Christmas Tree Advent Calendar For Kids

Grab a large piece of cardboard and paint it green with acrylic paint. The cardboard needs to be large enough to hold 24 paper or Dixie cups. Set it aside to dry.

Easy DIY Christmas Tree Advent Calendar

Grab 24 paper cup or dixie paper cups. I used Dixie cups. They are smaller and easier to work with on the cardboard. But they are also big enough to hold candies or small toys!

Easy DIY Christmas Tree Advent Calendar

Paint the cups green on the bottom part. Set them aside to dry.

Once every thing is dry, grab your little toys and candies (see below for ideas of what to put inside your advent calendar), green and brown tissue paper and small elastic bands.

Easy DIY Christmas Tree Advent Calendar

Place a small toy or candy inside each cup and cover with the green tissue paper square. Secure the tissue paper with the elastic band. I saved three cups for the trunk of the tree and used brown tissue paper on these cups.

Easy DIY Christmas Tree Advent Calendar

Next, grab your green painted cardboard and start to glue your cups down in the shape of a Christmas tree. I used a hot glue gun for this part to help secure them.

Once you have glued your tree down, take your black sharpie and write a date (1-24) on the top of each cup. Careful not to press too hard so that you don’t punch your cups before your kids do!

Next, take your scissors or box cutters and remove of the extra cardboard around the tree. Cut out a star from yellow construction paper or foam sheet and glue to the top of the calendar.

Easy DIY Christmas Tree Advent Calendar
Easy DIY Christmas Tree Advent Calendar

Advent Calendar

Pull out your advent calendar starting December and let your little one enjoy it everyday. The great thing about this calendar is that you can customize it to your little ones tastes! Does your child love trains? Add a new little train everyday? Love Shopkins add those.

Here is a list of ideas to add into your advent calendar:

  1. Temporary tattoos
  2. Nail polish
  3. Eraser
  4. Crayons or mini markers
  5. Fun socks
  6. Stickers
  7. Glow sticks
  8. Money
  9. Mini candy canes
  10. Mini bath bombs
  11. Cars
  12. Mini balls
  13. Mittens
  14. Mini Cookies
  15. Lego pieces (place a few pieces from a kit into each cup)
  16. Mini flashlight
  17. Finger puppers
  18. slime
  19. Writing pad
  20. Necklace
  21. Mini play doh
  22. Balloons to blow up
  23. Window clings
  24. Post it notes (my kids love these for some reason)
  25. Puzzle pieces (give them a few pieces in each cup everyday)

Age Suitability

This activity is more of a parent activity to make for your kids. Advent calendars are great for all ages! My kids are 3.5, 3.5, and 7 year old.

Supplies

(This post and list contains affiliate links for your convenience. If you make a purchase using one of these links, I may earn a commission. Please visit my disclosure policy for more information.)

  • Paper cups or dice cups
  • Cardboard
  • Green and brown tissue paper
  • Green acrylic paint and brush
  • Small elastic bands
  • Hot glue gun
  • Box cutters or scissors
  • Small toys or candy (see above for list of more than 25 ideas)

Make quiet time their favourite time!

Play is at the core of learning during the early years and it can take many forms. One of the most important of these is sensory play because it engages all of a child’s senses (taste, touch, smell, sight and hearing) and has a enoumous positive impact on brain development.

My Sensory Play Kits are a fun and easy way to keep your child engaged while at the same time capitalizing on the benefits of sensory play to nurture their mind!

Shop my ready made sensory play kits here.

Fall Tree Letter Match

Exciting Sensory Bins for Curious Kids

Did you know I wrote a book of sensory bins? Click here for more information Exciting Sensory Bin for Curious Kids. Or grab your copy at Amazon.

Scrunched Paper Black Cat Halloween Craft

Boring afternoons are made exciting with awesome animal-based bins, like Salty Shark Bay or Yarn Farm. Pretend play bins like Birthday Cake Sensory Play or Bubble Tea Party encourage creativity and imagination. And your kids will have so much fun they won’t even know they’re getting smarter with STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) activities like Sink or Float Soup, Magnetic Letter Hunt or Ice Cream Scoop and Count.

STEAM Activity Book

Looking for a fun activity book for your preschooler this summer? Check out my new book Super STEAM Activity Book: Launch Learning with Fun Mazes, Dot-to-Dots, Search-the-Page Puzzles, and More! ! Click here to learn more or order it now!

Scrunched Paper Black Cat Halloween Craft

WILL YOU MAKE THIS DIY CHRISTMAS TREE ADVENT CALENDAR WITH YOUR KID? PIN IT FOR LATER!

Filed Under:

Review and rate this post!

I love hearing from you! Submit your question or review here. Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked*.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.