Advent calendars are an exciting way to count down to Christmas - and you might be surprised to learn that there are a lot more options out there for kids, other than the chocolate advent calendars that are so popular. Here are some of our favorite fun advent calendars for kids:
Lego Advent Calendars
Lego calendars are available in Lego Star Wars, Lego City and Lego Friends. The calendars are filled with mini figures and are available for $39.99 (Star wars $49.99). Lego City can also be found at Costco if you shop early enough in the season, where you can find it for $29.99.
Barbie Advent Calendar
This fashion advent calendar is filled with fashion accessories for barbies, and has everything from shoes and purses to cosmetics. Fashion and barbie lovers will be excited to open the tiny doors of the advent calendar everyday - counting down to one of the most exciting days of the year when you’re a kid.
Minion Mega Bloks Advent Calendar
How fun are these little yellow guys? You can add these to your Mega Bloks or Lego collection and have fun opening 24 different little surprises through the whole 24 days before Christmas. If you’ve got a kid that loves Minions, you’re going to have to get this calendar. You can find the Minions Despicable Me advent calendar on Amazon.
Playmobil Calendars
Similar to Lego, where you can get awesome figures, accessories and other fun things in the calendars, there are different themes for kids like the Santa’s Workshop Playmobil Advent Calendar, the Dragon’s Treasure Battle Playmobil Advent Calendar, Unicorn Fairyland Playmobil Advent Calendar and Christmas in the Forest Playmobil Advent Calendar. Affordably priced at around $30/each, it’s a great way to add something new to the collection.
Kinder Surprise Advent Calendar
If chocolate is the route you want to go, there’s only one way to do it. The Kinder Surprise Advent Calendar has a combination of mini eggs, fun treats and a traditional Kinder Surprise toy at the very end. It’s a fun (small) treat to count down until Christmas and one of the best chocolate advent calendars for kids that we’ve opened.
Melissa and Doug Wooden Advent Calendar
This is a great option for toddlers (and for parents that want to teach about numbers). The wooden Christmas tree allows the kids to hang an ornament for every day of the advent, getting a nice visual reminder of how many days Christmas is away. For parents that want to skip the treats, and have a calendar that can be used year after year, this wooden toy advent calendar is a great option. You can buy the Melissa and Doug Advent Calendar at Chapters Indigo.
Sephora Advent Calendar (For Teen Girls)
Closer to the holidays, Sephora releases an advent calendar filled with sample size beauty products to give you the chance to try something new, counting down the days until Christmas. Priced between $70-80, these calendars are a fun way for older girls (or Moms) to count down until the holidays.
Olive the Other Reindeer Pop-up Advent Calendar
I love the idea of building something together throughout the entire 24 days of Christmas. Adding to it daily with the use of this fun pop-up calendar, for under twenty bucks, is a value that’s more than the price, it’s creating a tradition with the kids. You can get the Other Reindeer Pop-up Calendar at Amazon.ca.
Grey House Advent Calendar
How adorable is this advent calendar from Pottery Barn Kids? You could fill the pockets with tiny notes, or Christmas fun activities to do together every single day as you count down to the holidays. You could even substitute small treats or toys in the pockets. The options are endless with this calendar that you can buy one time, creating traditions that are going to last for a lifetime.
Alex Toys Craft Calendar
Usually you can find this one at Toy Stores like Mastermind Toys, a little closer to the Christmas season. It’s filled with 24 small activities that you can complete over the season, to count down to Christmas with fun little crafts. The first year you can assemble the calendar, counting down the days, and the next you can fill it up with treats. You can also find the Alex Toys Crafty Advent Calendar on Amazon.