DIY POCKET ADVENT CALENDAR
I have always loved the practice of an advent calendar. Big or small, I think it’s such a lovely way to turn hearts to Christ. I’ve done a lot of informal advents with my kids (think grocery store chocolate box), but this year I finally have my ducks in a row enough to think bigger.
My main goals are to help my kids think of Jesus, serve other people & feel the magic of Christmas. It also needs to be SIMPLE because December as a mom is an Olympic event.
I’ve had my eye on this pocket advent calendar from Gathre for years, but I decided to go the DIY route. I ordered this one from amazon and added some numbers myself using my Cricut. (P.S. I’ll have a supply list at the bottom of the post, so don’t stress about making your own)
Next, I figured out what I wanted my advent cards to say. I decided to base them off of my favorite Christmas quote:
“This year, mend a quarrel. Seek out a forgotten friend. Dismiss suspicion and replace it with trust. Write a letter. Give a soft answer. Encourage youth. Manifest your loyalty in word and deed. Keep a promise, Forgo a grudge. Forgive an enemy. Apologize. Try to understand. Examine your demands on others. Think first of someone else. Be kind. Be gentle. Laugh a little more. Express your gratitude. Welcome a stranger. Gladden the heart of a child. Take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of the earth. Speak your love and then speak it again.” —Howard W. Hunter
Isn’t that lovely? This quote gave me just the right amount of prompts for the 24 days once I added a poem at the beginning & split the last task into two days. I made each prompt the size of a business card and printed them off at Staples, then cut them myself. You can download my prompt cards for free here.
Now that each day had a little theme, I went about finding items for the pockets. Some days are simple, some more elaborate. It keeps my kids on their toes! Here is the list with the prompts & what I put in each pocket:
Day 1: Poem about giving our hearts to Jesus, DIY felt/paper hearts or heart candy
Day 2: Mend a quarrel, bandaids
Day 3: Seek out a forgotten friend, red string or ribbon to tie around their little fingers
Day 4: Dismiss suspicion & replace it with trust, paper clips to build a little chain as a family & talk about trust
Day 5: Write a letter, crayons and paper we already have
Day 6: Give a soft answer, pom poms
Day 7: Encourage youth, the phone number of a cousin or friend to send a pep-talk to
Day 8: Manifest your loyalty in word & deed, paper crowns (crowns symbolize loyalty)
Day 9: Keep a promise, light-up rings (ring pops would work, too!)
Day 10: Forgo a grudge, faux olive branches
Day 11: Forgive an enemy, a little white dove
Day 12: Apologize, a bar of Dove soap
Day 13: Try to understand, a mini microscope (to see from another perspective)
Day 14: Examine your demands on others, a kid-friendly magnifying glass
Day 15: Think first of someone else, I didn’t want to make this too easy on them. I’m going to leave this day empty and have them help me come up with how they can do this.
Day 16: Be kind, pom pom bees
Day 17: Be gentle, toy sheep
Day 18: Laugh a little more, some handwritten silly jokes
Day 19: Express your gratitude, blank “thank you” notes
Day 20: Welcome a stranger, a small gift card to give to someone in need
Day 21: Gladden the heart of a child, punch balloons
Day 22: Take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of the earth, a ticket to play in the snow with Mom. If you know, you know.
Day 23: Speak your love, phone numbers of grandparents to call & some candy
Day 24: Speak it again, phone numbers of different grandparents to call & a clicker counter to help them count how many times they can say “I love you” throughout the day
Once I had all of my supplies, I tucked them in the little pockets. I wrapped a lot of them and kept some things like the dove and olive branch open for color and texture. I hung it up to one of my cabinets with a clear command hook and I can’t wait to use it with my kids! I’m hoping it’s a tradition that we can keep for years to come.
COST
I spent approx. $55 on this project. $25 for the pocket calendar and $30 for the items that go in it for two children. What’s great about this DIY is you could spend much more or much less depending on your goals for the tradition.
SUPPLY LIST
Felt numbers from a cricut or Etsy
Printed advent cards, cardstock, double-sided, flips on long edge
Felt/paper hearts
Red string or ribbon
Paper clips
Crayons & paper
Phone number of a cousin or friend to send a pep-talk video or voice message to
Ring pops
Dove soap bar
Handwritten or typed jokes
Blank “thank you” notes
A small gift card for someone in need
A “ticket” to play outside with a favorite grownup or another way to enjoy the outdoors
Phone numbers of various grandparents/loved ones they enjoy calling
And that’s it! It took me a few hours in total, but I’m hopeful it’s something we will use for years to come. I can’t wait to see their little faces each morning!
Enjoy!
