Help families at your church remember the true reason for Christmas. Lead one (or all!) of these 12 amazing advent ideas!

You’re probably familiar with the classic Christmas carol “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” In the spirit of that song, we’re giving you 12 amazing advent ideas you can use or share with families to help them prepare their hearts for Christmas.

Advent Idea #1: Picture Frame Praise

You’ll Need:

• Christmas decorations
• digital camera
• frame template
• cardstock
• scissors
• markers
• stickers
• tape
• clear vinyl adhesive
• adhesive-backed magnets (available at craft stores)
• dry-erase markers

Create Your Frame

This idea is easy to pull off if your church decorates for Christmas. Set up a photo booth in front of your Christmas decorations and have families pose for a photo. If possible, set up a printing station so families can get their pictures right away.

Then direct families to a craft station where they’ll follow these steps.

1. Create an 8×10-inch frame out of the card stock. (You can use the frame template!)
2. Decorate the frame with a Christmas theme using markers and stickers. At the top write, “Glory to God.”
3. Attach your family photo in the center of the frame using tape.
4. Cover the frame in clear vinyl adhesive, turning the frame into a dry-erase surface with the picture in the center.
5. Attach an adhesive-backed magnet to the back of the frame.
6. Write praises to God with dry-erase markers and keep adding to and changing the praises at home.

Advent Idea #2: Matching Items

You’ll Need:

• Bible (check out this kid-friendly version!)
• multiple sets of pictures of things that go together, such as a pencil and an eraser, a coffee pot and mug, a checkerboard and checkers, or a baseball bat and ball

How to Play

Play this game to kick off your Christmas celebrations with families. Hand a picture to each family. Then have them hunt for the family with the corresponding item. When families have found their match, have partnering families sit together and discuss why their items complement one another.

Then read the following pairs of Scripture: Isaiah 7:14 and Luke 1:26-38; Micah 5:2 and Matthew 2:1. Have families discuss how the pairs of Scripture complement one another—and why it’s significant that God knew the details of Jesus’ birth long before it happened.

Advent Idea #3: Gifts for Jesus

You’ll Need:

• Christmas tree
• costume jewelry
• scented candle
• tube of lotion

Easy Prep:

Set up a small Christmas tree in your children’s ministry area, and arrange some costume jewelry, a scented candle, and a tube of lotion underneath the tree.

Give Gifts to Jesus

Offer gifts to Jesus with your family to remember the gifts of the wise men.

First, read Matthew 2:2. Say: The wise men gave baby Jesus gold to show that he is a king.

Find something fancy like a gold-colored picture frame or a fashionable piece of costume jewelry, and place it under your Christmas tree as you take turns naming things you love about Jesus.

Next, read Revelation 5:8. Say: The wise men presented baby Jesus with frankincense, a spice used when people worshipped God.

Set an unlit candle or another fragrant item under your tree, and take turns offering prayers as a gift to Jesus.

Last, read John 19:39-40. Say: The wise men brought myrrh, an ointment people put on bodies that were going to be buried.

Set out lotion or perfume as you thank Jesus for dying for your sins.

Advent Idea #4: Weekly Mailings

You’ll Need:

• email or mailing addresses for families

Send Advent Reminders

Help families mark the four weeks of Advent by sending mailings that focus on the traditional theme associated with each candle on the Advent wreath. These mailings, brief enough to fit on a postcard, will remind families that Jesus, the Light of the world, is coming soon. Find customizable content for these weekly mailings here.

Advent Idea #5: Golden Stars Devotion

You’ll Need:

For each family, make a “Five Golden Stars” devotional kit that includes…

• 4 small star stickers
• 1 large star sticker
• “Five Golden Stars” directions (described below or at this link)

“Five Golden Stars” Directions

Give each family a “Five Golden Stars” devotional kit to lead their family in this experience at home.

Here’s what families will do:

• For the small stars: Gather four pieces of clean trash, such as crumpled, unused tissues. Hide them in somewhat obvious locations. Then place a small star sticker in plain view just above the hiding place of each item.
• For the large star: Hide a good item (like a plate of cookies or small present) very well. Place the large star sticker above it, but make sure the sticker isn’t easy to see.

Tell your family you’re sending them on a treasure hunt for this devotion. Explain that they let the stars guide them to look for hidden treasure. Walk with your family as they search, and let them know when they’ve found all the stars.

Advent Idea #6: Ways to Serve

You’ll Need:

• a list of homebound church members (optional)
• paper bags
• Christmas goodies (see ideas below)

Deliver Christmas Goodies

Challenge your families to spread Christmas cheer around your community by delivering traditional Christmas goodies. Provide a list of homebound church members, or challenge families to select six people in their neighborhood. Have families deliver each household a paper bag of hard candies, oranges, and apples, and linger to chat for a couple minutes or sing to the residents.

If possible, schedule deliveries for December 6, known in many countries as St. Nicholas Day. Tell kids in your ministry about the true St. Nicholas, and read James 1:17-18 to emphasize that Jesus is the source of all good gifts.

Advent Idea #7: Kinds of Snacks

You’ll Need:

For each family you’ll need a kit containing:

• 4 large pretzel rods
• 2 graham crackers
• 1 Hershey Treasure candy
• 1 Tootsie Roll candy
• 2 pretzel sticks
• 1 marshmallow
• 5 animal crackers
• “Nativity Snack” directions (described below or at this link)

“Nativity Snack” Directions

Create this recipe with your family to better understand why Jesus is the reason for the season.

First, without using the frosting or any other supplies, encourage your family to try to build a barn using the four pretzel rods as posts and the two graham crackers as a roof.

After your family has struggled building for a bit, reveal that you have frosting. Then…

• Lay out wax paper and spread the frosting on it.
• Stick the pretzel rods in vertically, making sure there’s enough frosting around them to secure them in place.
• Use frosting to glue the graham cracker roof on the pretzel rods.
• Set up a nativity scene inside the barn, using the Hershey Treasure as a manger.
• Use frosting to secure the Tootsie Roll on the manger as baby Jesus.
• Place the two pretzel sticks (Mary and Joseph), the marshmallow sheep, and the other animals (animal crackers) in the frosting base, using extra frosting as needed.

Ask:

• Why was the frosting so important to this snack?
• Why is Jesus important to our lives?

Say: Just as we needed the frosting for our snack, we need Jesus to hold our lives together. He came at Christmas to be born for us and live for us. At Easter, he died on the cross because he wants to have a forever friendship with us in heaven. Now that’s a reason to celebrate!

Enjoy your nativity snack together.

Advent Idea #8: Supernatural Stories

You’ll Need:

• Bibles (check out this kid-friendly version!)
• blank pieces of paper
• pencils
• markers
• colored pencils

Create Comic Strips

When families are together for a Christmas event at your church, assign each family one of the following eight supernatural dreams or angelic visits. Then have each family work together to create a comic strip of the event. Have families share their work with everyone after they finish.

The supernatural stories: Matthew 1:18-21, Matthew 2:7-12, Matthew 2:13-14, Matthew 2:19-21, Matthew 2:22-23, Luke 1:5-7, Luke 1:11-19, Luke 1:26-38, and Luke 2:8-11.

Advent Idea #9: Christmas Traditions

You’ll Need:

• green paint
• blue paint
• paintbrushes
• round ornaments (1 per family)
• “Christmas Around the World” handouts (1 per family)

Learn About Christmas Around the World

Read the traditions (on the downloadable handout) to learn what people in other areas of the world do. Ask:

• What are ways these traditions help people focus on Jesus?
• What are ways these traditions distract people from Jesus?

Then have your family name any Christmas traditions you practice each year. Ask:

• What are ways your Christmas traditions help you focus on Jesus?
• What are ways your traditions distract you from Jesus?

Paint your ornament to look like a globe. After it dries, hang it on your tree. Every time you see it, pray for people in countries around the world AND for people in  your family to remember that Christmas is about Jesus.

Advent Idea #10: Listed Items

You’ll Need:

• Bible (check out this kid-friendly version!)
• paper
• pencils
• a list of top-10 baby names

Talk About Names

At your Christmas celebration with families, share the list of baby names. Have families discuss what names they considered for their children when they were born. Then lead families in making a top-10 list of names for Jesus, having families search in these verses: Isaiah 9:6, Luke 2:11, John 1:14, John 1:29, John 6:35, John 10:11. Encourage families to call out additional names they’ve heard for Jesus.

Say: Jesus has so many names. One thing we know is that he is our Savior, and he was born at Christmas to be Immanuel, God with us.

BONUS! Turn your game into a service project. Brainstorm 10 items newborns need. Then encourage families to bring those items in for a ministry donation to a women’s shelter or pregnancy care center.

Advent Idea #11: Census Questions

You’ll Need:

• census questions (described below or at this link)

Take a Family Census

Families can talk through the census questions together. This is a great way to help families think through what they’re doing to nurture their faith. At the end of the survey, tell families to discuss how the “census” they just took compares to the census Mary and Joseph traveled for in Luke 2:1-5.

Census Questions

Read aloud Luke 2:1-5 to see how Mary and Joseph had to travel for the census.

Then answer the following questions as a family.

1. How many people live in our house?
2. What’s the age of the youngest person in our house?
3. What’s the age of the oldest child in our house?
4. Why do we have Bibles in our house?
5. What’s the best thing about our family?
6. What do we like about our family praying together?
7. What’s our favorite thing about Christmas?
8. How does our family’s faith help us at school or work?
9. What’s each person’s favorite Christmas decoration?
10. When are the best times for our family to talk about God?
11. What’s something you’re thankful to God for today?

Advent Idea #12: Random Objects

You’ll Need:

• For each family, a kit with:
  • a penny
  • paper clip
  • used staple
  • pebble
  • cotton ball
  • crumpled paper
  • heart sticker
  • thumbtack
  • aluminum foil
  • tissue
  • rubber band
  • string
  • the “12 Days of Christmas” handout
•  In addition to the items provided, you’ll need:
  • an empty egg carton
  • wrapping paper
  • tape
  • scissors
  • permanent markers
  • a flashlight
  • a pen
  • a soup can

Use Objects to Talk About God

Place each item provided in the kit in its own slot of your empty egg carton. Cut a small circle of wrapping paper and tape it over each hole as a cover.

Tell your child the egg carton is full of items that’ll help your family get to know Jesus, your Savior. Beginning 12 days before Christmas, have your child choose one of the egg carton slots to open each day. Your child may remove the paper and discover the item.

Read the Scriptures from the handout and follow the directions for the item your child chooses.

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