The tradition of having an advent calendar for children to make the wait for Christmas a little easier is something I remember fondly from my childhood — and here are many super easy DIY advent calendar ideas you can still make last minute.
When I was a child, my mother would fill an advent calendar house that had 24 little boxes — we open our gifts on the 24th in Germany — and my brother and I would take turns to open the little doors and gifts until Christmas.
It made waiting for the “Weihnachtsman” (Santa) a little easier, and we woke up excited about finding a tiny treasure every day in December.
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I love the advent calendar tradition, and last year we had a LEGO advent calendar for Landon, but this year I wanted to make one for him.
If you are in the mood to make your own advent calendar, here are many super cute ones.
DIY Advent Calendar Ideas That Are Super Easy
The first thing you’ll need is a set of number stickers unless you want to use Sharpie to write them yourself. There are so many cute numbers stickers available!
Advent Calendar Made With Baby Socks
So all those orphaned socks will finally come in handy! Or you could buy some new pairs at the dollar store or on Amazon for this adorable advent calendar idea.
Here is a set of baby socks with the perfect color combination for an advent calendar:
DIY Tiny Pail DIY Advent Calendar
How cute is this idea with tiny metal pails?
Here is a set of 24 small pails from Amazon:
If you don’t want to find 24 tiny gifts, make things easier on yourself and buy a set of pails that’s a big larger.
DIY Shoe Organizer Advent Calendar
I already have several of these shoe organizers, so this would be easy to make. Don’t have 24 clothes pins? Get them for cheap at the dollar store or find all kinds of wood an plastic clothes pins on Amazon.
Or simply just add advent calendar number stickers to every pouch – easy!
Advent Calendar With Glass Jars
Seeing all the goodies would mean L would want to eat them all on the first day :)
Toilet Paper Rolls Advent Calendar
My recycling heart loves this one. And it doesn’t get more frugal or easy than this! But you need to finish 24 toilet paper rolls first, ha! I wouldn’t sow the bottom — I’d just use a stapler.
Advent Calendar Made Out Of Paper Tags And Ribbon
Another easy, DIY advent calendar. I have many small Christmas ornaments I could use for this one.
DIY Advent Calendar For Scrapbooking Lovers
If you are anything like me, you have a ton of paper goods and scrapbooking materials lying around. Why not use them for a calendar?
This advent calendar certainly takes more time but makes such an impact. Maybe the kids can help you make it.
Super-Easy Advent Calendar For Your Little Book Lover
This is genius — just wrap the children’s books your child already owns and read him or her one a day! I’d sneak in a few new Christmas books for L.
Advent Calendar In A Frame
I’d use the little picture from those free address stickers we get sent in the mail for this calendar.
Clothes Pins Wreath Advent Calendar
Well, L doesn’t drink tea, but this would also work with little notes or envelopes.
Advent Calendar Made Out Of Envelopes
I would make this with all the mismatched envelopes that have accumulated over the years. I bet you have a ton as well! You could include stickers or little notes of coupons in the envelopes.
Paper Cone Advent Calendar
I could repurpose the extra birthday hats I have for this. You can also easily make DIY paper cones.
Here is a set of paper bags and numbers you can buy that let you create several of the ideas mentioned above very easily:
I really love the book advent calendar because it’s so easy, plus it fosters a love for reading with your children.
Which one of these DIY advent calendar ideas do you like best?
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Jamie says
What great ideas!! I love the tea wreath. Thank you for sharing with us at the #HomeMattersParty
Tori Cole says
Love these ideas! I will be getting one of these done tomorrow! So glad I found you on Hit Me with your best shot!
Dagmar Bleasdale says
Hi Tori, same here – I’m so glad you found my little blog :) Let me know which calendar you ended up making!
sandra says
ich suche immer ideen zum kalender selber zu machen.
Krista Swan says
They are all so adorable!
The sock one is certainly cute, and could be re-used year to year without taking up a whole lot of storage. I think if I had been saving up TP rolls, that might be my first choice because the kids would enjoy making it, and I like the neat appearance of it.
I have a ton of jars as well, but I agree with you – kids would be obsessing over getting at what’s inside!
If I can find a place to string the cones, we might try that. I certainly have a lot of paper & ribbons around already…
Now to come up with the little presents!! :)
Thanks for the inspiration, Dagmar!
Clorissa says
All of the ideas are so cute…I would probably choose the baby sock one or the shoe organizer is neat.
Whatever you choose will for sure be a wonderful memory maker for Landon.
Clorissa
Colleen - @amadisonmom says
I love the idea of the book advent. It would be especially fun if you could find all winter and holiday themed books. (We have quite a few of those already!)
Vanessa Jubis says
Hi!
I love all these advent calendars, so very creative! The mini clothes pin one and the one with baby socks are my favs. Thanks for this adorable inspiration. I made a mitten banner (I sewed letters on each one and it reads: ‘Let it Snow’) with $1 mittens and bakers twine. It came out cute. I really enjoy all these creative ways of expressing oneself.
Cheers,
Vanessa
Helen says
Hi Dagmar,
I love those ideas you mentioned!
I actually one made the teabag wreath, but not as an adventscalender, but as a decorative item for my kitchen, for myself :)
Do you know the cupcaketin adventscalenders? That´s an idea I also love. They cover the moulds of a cupcaketin with decorative scrapbookpaper, add numbers, and put the gifts in the cupcake moulds. They look adorable!
Cara R. says
LOVE all the ideas! I can see myself in the scrap paper aisle looking at papers forever in an effort to plan for the paper cone calendar. LOL!
The toilet paper one is totally frugal, but I’ll have to save up some rolls. When I look at that picture, though, it makes me think of the “library book” pockets that are so common (even though we don’t see them in our library these days).