30+ advent calendars to get kids excited for Christmas each day of the season

Nothing captures the feeling of the holiday quite like a Christmas market. The festive Trip to the Christmas Market Advent Calendar from Playmobil does an awesome job of capturing that spirit. Each piece works together to bring a charming market scene to life—just in time for Christmas Eve! It’s classic Playmobil which means the scene will be part of your family traditions for years to come, so long as the pieces don’t get lost. There are 84 of them and some are pretty tiny, so we recommend waiting until around age six for this one.

For the youngest Playmobil lovers, we’re smitten with the Snowy Chrismas Advent Calendar from their Junior collection. It’s packed with the sweetest forest animals, a reindeer airplane and Santa of course! The 26 piece set can easily slip into their growing collection when Christmas is over.

Another favorite for the toddler set is the farmyard themed My First Advent Calendar from Haba. It’s packed with an entire collection of chunky wooden animals that are perfectly sized for little hands and accompanied by a a 24-chapter storybook, “Theo the Raven Saves Christmas,” offering short, interactive Christmas stories.

Yes, the endlessly entertaining, practically miracle-working Magna-tiles come in advent calendar form. With 34 holiday-themed tiles as well as a conductor and Santa, the end result is a custom locomotive that can easily integrate with their collection.

A chocolate coin is gone in two seconds, but the creative Hey Clay Advent Calendar is a calendar that keeps on giving. Each day offers a super adorable clay animal project, complete with QR code to scan and an easy-to-follow video tutorial. Once they’re finished, just add the hook and string. When it’s dry, hang it on the tree!

Stuffie-obsessed kiddos will adore the collection of warm fuzzies tucked into Build-A-Bear’s Merry Mission Advent Calendar. In addition to six mini plush pals, it contains 19 pieces of clothing and accessory to dress them up in!

American Girl fans can outfit their favorite doll with all the supplies to get their holiday baking on. Behind each door they’ll find a collection of seasonal kitchen staples like an apron, rolling pin, and mixing bowl along with adorable and perfectly scaled gingerbread cookies and ingredients. Of course there’s also two mugs of hot chocolate because what are you supposed to do while they’re “baking”?

From KiwiCo, makers of brain-boosting hands-on STEAM kits for kids of all ages, this fun calendar lets kiddos build their own Christmas Village throughout the month. Inside each of the 24 envelopes they’ll find supplies and instructions for crafting everything from a reindeer and sled to the town hall with a roof that opens and closes. It can be enjoyed by kids of various ages, but the sweet spot is the 5-7 age group.

Another one from KiwiCo because it’s too hard to pick! The Motorized Christmas Train Advent Calendar is new this year, packing in 12 days of holiday-themed STEM learning. The super engaging calendar results in a motorized locomotive with two passenger and two cargo cars along with plenty of track for it to cruise below the tree for years to come.

Crafty kiddos (and their parents!) will delight in this DIY calendar filled with a new felt-sticker ornament to assemble each day. The best part is, no sewing necessary! We love that the ornaments can then be used year after year or put on their own tiny tree one day at time.

If you’re going to indulge them in a piece of chocolate everyday, it may as well be the good stuff. Lindt’s Teddy Bear Advent Calendar is an annual hit for kids and adults, filled with a variety of their milk chocolate goodies. Each one is individually wrapped which is great for kids who desperately want to open their calendars first thing. If you’re lucky, you can convince them to toss it in their lunchbox and save the chocolate fix for the afternoon!

Bluey fans will go head over Heelers (see what we did there?) for this fun-filled calendar. Inside they’ll find 24 Bluey-themed surprises including Bingo and Bluey dressed in their Christmas sweaters. Each one is sweetly detailed with legs that can fold as they sit around the tree for story time!

With their big heads and tiny bodies, the Funko Pocket Pops are always super cute (even the scary ones!). The advent calendars make an instant collection and come in variety of themes that kids of all ages adore. The Pixar version is an easy pick but there’s also other top-tier options like Star Wars, Harry Potter and even Stranger Things.

If there isn’t a LEGO Star Wars advent calendar at your house is it even December? (Just me?) This year’s is droid-heavy with 14 different characters to assemble including C-3PO and R7-A7–but it’s the snowman BB-8 that our kids are excited about.

We love advent calendars that add up to something truly special! This sweet jewelry box contains a necklace and collection of cute carved acrylic and tassel charms they can attach each day. What’s more, the box itself is actually a darling jewelry box they can use for years to come.

We can’t just pick one from Playmobil! They’re just too sweet! The Playmobil Princess Magic Christmas Under the Rainbow is a treasure trove of etherial figurines and accessories, including garland that doubles as a charm bracelet!

Get kids in on the holiday spirit by giving them their own tree to decorate. Each day little ones pick a magnetized ornament to add to this mini wooden fir.

Let us count the ways in which we love Fisher-Price Little People. We loved them when we were little and now we’re snatching up the incredible pop culture sets left and right so “our kids” can play with them. With 24 chunky holiday-themed friends and accessories, the Little People Barbie Advent Calendar is great for kids as young as 1 year old. Tuck it away when the tree comes down or fold it into their year-round collection. And if they’re more Disney Princess than Barbie, they’ve got that one too!

Crafty kids will delight in unearthing a new Play-Doh and small tool each day of the season. The box itself is designed with two scenes–a snowman and gingerbread which can be completed using the surprises from days 1-12 and 13-24. Or they can channel their inner-sculptor to let their imaginations run wild!

The LEGO Advent Calendar is an annual tradition for so many. It’s always so fun to discover what’s inside and putting each build together becomes the highlight of each December day! This year’s LEGO City advent calendar features a collection of festive new characters including polar bear, reindeer and Christmas tree costume-wearers plus fan favorites that will delight LEGO lovers as they count down to the big day. (Yes, there’s Santa and Mrs. Claus!)

For those who like their holly-jolly with a side of high speed, this Hot Wheels calendar delivers. Kids will get 10 new sets of wheels, as well as some other holiday-themed car accessories. (There’s also ornament clips so they can hang them on the tree.) The box itself folds down to reveal a track to race around–with plenty of space in the center to display the tree!

Chock-full of fun gifts like jewelry, hair accessories and little crafts, this one is a highly-rated hit for kids ages 5 and up. There’s a fashionable new treat each day without repeat along with some fun holiday trivia!

Budding scientists will delight in this fun and educational calendar that’s jam-packed with excitement. Each day they’ll find an experiment to conduct or a rock or fossil to add to the included storage pouch. On the final day they’ll receive a specimen encased in a brick that needs excavating. The calendar even includes a dig tool and brush to help, along with a magnifying glass to inspect their findings!

This built-to-last countdown house from Step2 is a hub of excitement. With sizable bins for each day, there’s enough space to add all kinds of treats, but let’s be honest–they’ll be equally engaged by just sliding them in and out.

With pockets just big enough for a small treat or note, this sweet plush reindeer countdown calendar from Mon Ami makes the job of filling it pretty simple. And the design is just darling!

Like their adorable pop-up cards, the Nativity advent calendar from Lovepop features colorful paper pop-ups each housed in their own special envelope. This sweet set tells the story of Christmas through 25 people and props and can be used year after year if you’re gentle with it!

This garland-style Advent calendar is a cozy stunner. Tuck a treat into each of the tiny hand-knit hats and mittens all month long!

Wooden train sets make for timeless holiday decor. Combine the aesthetic with a sweet reusable advent calendar and you have a monthlong gift for the entire family!

Colorful pom-poms make everything more festive! This personalized calendar is perfect for your little one’s room–if they can resist peeking at the days ahead, of course.

With its charming village up top and backlit Santa with his reindeer on the front, this wooden calendar is a true holiday showpiece. The overall footprint isn’t too large, which makes it a good choice for smaller spaces, however the drawers are pretty small as well, so keep that in mind!

The holidays are all about giving—and that doesn’t stop with just material items. We can give in the form of kindness every single day, and this calendar helps us do just that. Each day, this calendar suggests a different kind deed you and your family can do for others: Donate clothes, send cards to the armed forces, call a relative and so much more.

The embroidered designs from Coral & Tusk are delightfully detailed and utterly timeless. Place a tiny treat in each of the 25 pockets and get lost in the magic of the North Pole. Then, resist the urge to sob at the fact this one could be used by your grandchildren in just a few short decades. 😭

The possibilities are endless with these adorable houses made of kraft paper. They look adorable on a mantle, on the tree, on the dinner table—anything goes!