Advent and Christmas activities for families
Updated 30 October 2026 · By Rob and Chris, two Sheffield dads, and our families
Here are 46 Christmas activities for families with children aged 3 and up, grouped into crafts, food, kindness, walks and games at home. Nine have full steps on this site, and all 46 have steps, pictures and a part for each age inside Famoo.
42 of the 46 take 10 to 20 minutes, and most use things you already have, like paper, crayons, sticky tape and string. Pick one for tonight, or plan a whole Advent.
Christmas crafts
Paper decorations and makes for the tree, the window and the table.
Also in the Famoo calendar: Paper-star garland (15 min), A tiny Christmas corner (10 min), The wrapping workshop (15 min), The twiggy little tree (20 min), Christmas table names (15 min), Build a toy sleigh (20 min), Fold-and-pass funny snowmen (15 min), Christmas sock-puppet theatre (20 min), Santa’s imaginary delivery map (20 min), Folded-paper tree baubles (20 min).
Food and baking
A grown-up handles the oven, knives and allergy checks. Children do the fun parts.
Also in the Famoo calendar: The cosy mug café (15 min), Star biscuit bakery (35 min), A biscuit decorating studio (15 min), Reindeer chow snack mix (15 min).
Kindness and giving
Small, real ways to give, many of which cost nothing.
Also in the Famoo calendar: A card to make someone smile (15 min), Thank-you delivery (10 min), Secret kindness mission (10 min).
Out and about
Short, grown-up-led walks, each with an indoor or window version.
Also in the Famoo calendar: Winter rainbow hunt (15 min).
Games and cosy time at home
Games, dances, stories and film nights for the whole family.
Also in the Famoo calendar: Santa’s story snuggle (15 min), You choose our family time (10 min), Your Christmas Eve moment (15 min), Reindeer freeze dance (10 min), Soft snowball target game (15 min), Christmas tree stretches (10 min), What has the elf taken? (10 min), A gloriously silly family photo (10 min), The living-room concert (15 min), Christmas joke night (10 min), Christmas film night (20 min), An indoor winter picnic (20 min), The runaway Christmas story (15 min), A wish for our family (10 min), Santa’s little clue hunt (10 min), Our family Christmas dance (20 min), Turn a grown-up into a Christmas tree (15 min), Christmas cinema: your family favourite (60 min), The cryptic Christmas trail (25 min).
Questions parents ask
What can I put in a reverse Advent calendar?
Put in one thing a day that a food bank or charity has asked for, then give the full box before Christmas. A typical Trussell food parcel includes breakfast cereal, soup, pasta, long-life milk, tinned vegetables, tinned fruit, tea, biscuits, toilet paper and soap. Needs change from place to place, so check your nearest food bank’s list first. If buying is not right for your family this year, a kind note or an offer of your time counts too. See how to make a sharing parcel and kindness coupons. The food parcel list is from Lewisham Foodbank. Find your nearest food bank on the Trussell website.
What Advent activities work for preschoolers (ages 3 to 5)?
Choose activities where a grown-up does the cutting and cooking and the child has one clear job. Good ones: arranging a reindeer face snack plate from pieces a grown-up has cut, an indoor treasure hunt with three easy-to-find things, colouring strips for paper chains, and spotting a star, a tree and coloured lights on a short walk. Our activities start at age 3, so we do not have ideas for children under 3. See reindeer face snack plate and indoor treasure hunt.
How long do Advent activities take?
Most of ours take 10 to 20 minutes, so one fits into a school night. The longest are the gingerbread house (about 40 minutes) and a family film night with your favourite Christmas film (about an hour).
What do I need for Christmas activities at home?
Mostly paper, crayons, scissors, sticky tape and string. A few need something specific, such as a gingerbread house kit or the items on a charity’s wish list. Each activity page lists exactly what you need.
How do I fit an activity into every day of Advent?
Choose 24 and put the 10-minute ones on your busiest days. In Famoo you pick an activity for each of the 24 doors, and each door opens on its date in December.
Are these activities safe for young children?
Each one says where a grown-up takes over: cutting, the oven, preparing food, checking allergies, choosing a walking route and hanging decorations out of reach. Choose the activities and parts that suit your children.
Plan 24 of these into your family’s Advent calendar with Famoo
Famoo has all 46 activities, each with picture steps, an elf helper who reads every step aloud, and a part for each age so brothers and sisters can do it together. Join the beta, choose your 24, and a new door opens each day in December.
Famoo is a family app for UK homes, in beta, so things may change.
