How exciting to be creating an advent calendar for this age group – Christmas is filled with wonder and magic and the anticipation is high.  There’s so many fabulous goodies just perfect for adding to a homemade kids’ advent calendar – you’re sure to run out of days before you run out of inspiration! 

As well as sharing our favourite advent calendar filler ideas for children, we have lots of ideas for fabulous activities to enjoy together.  It can be great fun to link a treat to an activity and inspire an advent countdown full of magical memories. e.g. a cookie cutter for bake cookies day, or a glow sticks for a night-time winter walk in search of Christmas lights.

Scroll down for all the details and links.  Happy Browsing!

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Fun Advent Calendar Filler Ideas For Kids

Here’s 85 simple advent calendar gift ideas for children that are not rubbish! Which ones will you add to your child’s countdown? Plus, scroll down for my top tips on how to manage the cost when filling a kid’s advent calendar.

Toy Filler Ideas

Keep them occupied over the Christmas countdown with a few little toy treats.

• Cuddly toy. Who doesn’t want a cuddly Christmas bear or other snuggly festive cutey in their lives?!
• Toy pull-back or metal diecast car. Great for any young motoring enthusiasts and a perfect advent calendar size.
• Christmas puzzle. This is a cute one to play with over and again during the Christmas season.
• Doll’s accessories. You may not want to stretch to a new doll itself but an accessory or new outfit could make an ideal advent calendar filler.
• Ball. Again another easy win. Bouncy, squishy or brightly coloured. Perfect for lots of fun game play.
• Festive wind-up toys. The kind you get in crackers – they can provide no end of entertainment!
• Christmas Game.  What about a fun festive game to enjoy together over the Christmas countdown?
• Pack of cards. You can never have too many.
• Fingerboards. Always a popular fidget toy option. My boys love the Tech Deck ones.
• LEGO sets. Perfect for keeping little hands busy.
• Mini tabletop games. Great advent calendar size and a lot of fun too!
• Yo-yo. Another classic.  Up it to a light-up yo-yo if you want to make the most of the December nights.
• Wooden Jacob Ladder. One from my childhood but still a winner in our house.
• Nerf gun bullets. A great opportunity to rebuild supplies!
• Slinky. Yet another classic.
• Whoopie cushion. Do I need to explain why?!
• Spy pen. Ideal for any budding James Bonds.
• Bike spoke lights. Brilliant for motivating young cyclists outside on darker days.
• Fact Measuring Tape. Such a great gift for any inquisitive young mind.
• Thinking putty. A great fidget toy and sensory activity. Plus the little tins are an ideal advent calendar size.
• Plus-Plus tubes. Great for creative play and construction, and you can get seasonal designs.
• Toy animals or dinosaurs. Perfect for imaginative play.
• Collectibles. Add to your child’s collection.
• Trading cards or stickers. And if your child is collecting trading cards or stickers, these make perfect advent calendar filler ideas too.
• Memory Maze Challenge Game. Very addictive and great for keeping little ones entertained.
• Schylling Crunchy Snow Ball stress ball.  Surprisingly satisfying!

Hobby & Craft Filler Ideas

Enjoy some festive crafting with a few simple additions to the advent calendar.

• Cookie cutter or sprinkles. Perfect for a let’s bake Christmas cookies activity!
• Stickers. An easy winner, whether Christmassy or just any stickers you fancy!
• Christmas stationery (incl rubbers). A great chance to lean into the season with a few festive specific items.
• Colouring pencils. Keep it simple and add a few crayons to the advent calendar one day.  Print out some free Christmas colouring sheets for them to enjoy.
• Christmas colouring book. Or add a colouring book for another day’s treat.
• Christmas Doodle Dents. A mindful alternative to a colouring book – we rather love these.
• Christmas puzzle book. Full of brainteasers and seasonal activities to keep them busy.
• LEGO DOTS Adhesive Patch. A mini creative LEGO tile to decorate.
• Christmas craft kits. Ideal for keeping little hands busy. Personally I love the selection at Baker Ross.
• Washi tape. Restock supplies ready for decorating, wrapping and journalling.
• Beads. Great for making friendship bracelets and other craft projects.

Clothing Filler Ideas

A perfect way to gift your child Christmas and winter themed clothes and accessories to enjoy during the countdown.

• Woolly hat. Keep heads toasty warm on winter walks!
• Christmas socks. A classic!
• Hair clips. What about a cute little Christmas hair clip?
• Scrunchies. You can never have too many!
• Slippers. A Christmas season staple – giving them during advent will keep feet warm on cold December days.
• Slipper socks. The more festive the better!
• Gloves. Ideal if you’re expecting snow or have a magical winter adventure planned.
• Light up gloves. Why not go one step further and lean into the dark nights.
• Christmas pyjamas. Yes this is quite a big one for the advent calendar. But giving Christmas PJs early in the season will ensure they get the most out of them. It could be a fun larger gift for December 1st.
• Christmas jumper. Following along the same lines, what about gifting a Christmas Jumper in your child’s advent calendar ahead of Christmas Jumper Day.
• Earmuffs. Always a super cute and practical gift!
• Festive underpants. Why not?!
• Charms. Charm bracelets and necklaces are bang on trend right now so how about adding another charm or two to your young one’s collection?
• Christmas Lights necklace. Brilliant for a giggle and bit of festive cheer!
• Christmas pin badges. Perfect advent calendar size and great for collecting.

Toiletries Filler Ideas

Embrace the Christmas countdown with these season-specific advent gift ideas:

• Christmas flannel. Just before we leave bathtime, what about a festive flannel, especially if it’s one of those ones that magically unfolds as you place it in the water.
• Mini bath bombs. Ideal for making December bath time extra special!
• Lip salve. Perfect as the weather changes.
• Nail polish. Because who doesn’t want their nails looking great for the holidays!
• Bath Disco Light. This will really up the ante on bathtime – perfect for getting into the Christmas spirit!

Christmassy Filler Ideas

Embrace the Christmas countdown with these season-specific advent gift ideas:

• • Christmas book. You cannot go wrong with a snuggle and read! And there’s so many fabulous Christmas books for kids to discover and enjoy together. A favourite advent calendar gift idea for good reason!
  • Sleigh bell. How fabulous would a sleigh bell be in an advent calendar -just like in The Polar Express movie with the first gift of Christmas!
  • Christmas decoration. Whether there’s a special family ornament that can be kept aside to share in the advent calendar or you want to add a new one to the collection, a Christmas decoration is the ideal advent calendar filler!
  • Light-Up Christmas spinner. A great one for brightening up dark December mornings!
  • Temporary festive tattoos. Always popular and great for adding a little extra festive fun.
  • Snap glow-sticks. Brilliant on dark nights, if heading out to a Christmas light trail or simply on a walk to see the Christmas lights in your local area.
  • Indoor sparklers. Always a winner and guaranteed to light up the evening!
  • Christmas mug. Great for enjoying throughout the Christmas countdown.
  • Magic Fire. This stuff is pure Christmas magic! Throw it on the fire and it’ll turn all shades of rainbow.
  • Magic snow. Speaking of festive magic, there’s hours of fun to be had with a small tube of magic snow!
  • Christmas joke book. Keep everyone in good spirits with a whole load of seasonal sillies.
  • Elf Goodies. Help them look after their elf visitor with some accessories. I adore the outfits from Totally Elf.
  • Stretchy Father Christmas. Silly but fun!
  • 3D Christmas Lights Glasses. Like the ones from Holiday Specs that turn all the lights into festive icons. 
  • Christmas Mad Libs. My sons adored these Christmas-themed mad lib activity books.
  • Plantable Seed Paper Christmas Trees. Perfect for taking the fun into the new year as well.
  • Reindeer food. Ready for Christmas Eve!

Edible Filler Ideas

Of course you might want to include a few edible fillers in your child’s advent calendar.

• Chocolate coin. The classic!
• Chocolate Christmas decorations. One to enjoy and some to hang together on the tree.
• An orange (or clementine).
• A gingerbread cookie. Another classic festive flavour.
• Hot chocolate sachet. Perfect for an extra special Christmas breakfast.
• Marshmallow toppers. Or any other seasonal hot chocolate topping!
• Popcorn. Perfect for Christmas movie night!
• Christmas Tree Pancake Mix! One of our favourites for a festive breakfast.
• Candy cane. Another icon of the season.
• Individual condiment sachets. e.g. Nutella, peanut butter or even BBQ sauce.
• Their favourite treat snack.

Tips For Keeping The Cost Down

With 24 little treats to add, it’s all too easy for the costs to mount up.  Trust me, I know – I make advent calendars for every member of my family!

Here’s a few simple tips to keep the cost down:

• No need to do a gift every day. Intersperse gifts with handwritten jokes, riddles and simple chocolate treats.
• Spread things out. Advent gifts are designed to be small token gifts and can easily work together as pieces of a larger gift. So don’t be afraid to split treats out and gift over several days, e.g. LEGO sets, puzzles or anything that has come in a multiple set.
• Add homemade advent gifts.  Not everything needs to be purchased and whilst of course homemade items can have a cost too, often repurposing and bulk crafting can give a cost saving as well.
• Use pre-loved items. Go hunting for advent treats in your local second hand shops, car boot sales and online marketplaces.  It’s a great cost-effective and eco-friendly option anyway.  But works particularly well for advent calendars where the gifts often have to be unpackaged to fit inside anyway.
• Go sentimental. Why not have a few staples that you include in the advent calendar year after year such as a special Christmas ornament or the star for the top of the tree. The tradition will make it magical without the need to spend.
• Intersperse with activities. Rather than putting a gift in each day, add some promises of festive activities as well. From watching a Christmas movie to baking cookies or reading a Christmas story, there are countless options.  Check out our suggestions and free printable tags.

Do check out all our other tips and tricks on how to make and fill homemade advent calendars.  We cover everything including how to fit larger items into your advent calendar – a common question we receive!

Other Kids’ Advent Calendar Ideas

Perhaps you’d like to try a book advent calendar – 24 festive stories to enjoy each day of the countdown.

What about a colouring advent calendar? Super simple – each day a piece of the advent calendar is coloured in and by the end your child has created a Christmas masterpiece ready to display!

Or try a paper chain joke advent calendar where each day reveals a new festive joke to share with the family.

And if you’d like to sprinkle a little festive spirit over the Christmas countdown, a Reverse Advent Calendar makes a fabulous family project.

Looking For Ideas For Other Members Of The Family?

We’ve got advent calendar filler ideas for everyone!

• Fillers for Toddlers
• Fillers for Tweens & Teens
• Fillers for Women
• Fillers for Men
• Fillers for Foodies
• Fillers for The Home

What other advent calendar filler ideas for children have you got up your sleeve?  Do let us know in the comments below!

Starting to think gifts? Our Christmas Gift Guides are here to help – with inspiration for everyone, from Great Uncle Ted to Coco the Cat!