85+ Advent Calendar Filler Ideas for Adults and Kids

Starting an advent calendar tradition is a great idea and a fun way for the whole family to get into the Christmas spirit! The thought of coming up with 25 fun ideas can feel a bit daunting though! That’s why we came up with a list of cute ideas and our favorite advent calendar filler ideas for adults and kids to inspire you to celebrate at Christmas time!

Advent calendars are a simple tradition that helps build up to the excitement of Christmas day. And with these creative advent calendar filler ideas, your kids can open a unique each day leading up to the big day – December 25th!

What is an Advent Calendar?

An advent calendar is a fun tradition to start with your family. The calendar starts off on the 1st of December and acts as a countdown to Christmas Day.

Each day has a door or box you open and inside is a fun surprise! These include small items like individual pieces of candy or small gifts. Some advent calendars share a piece of the Christmas story on the back of the door or box as well.

You can choose to buy an advent calendar each year with small gifts already included for each day or you can create your own reusable advent calendar!

You can find pre-made advent calendars online and even at the grocery store!

We really love to do a DIY advent calendar though — this allows us to pick out our favorite small surprises for the family each day!

DIY Or Reusable Advent Calendars?

A pre-made advent calendar is going to be the most convenient, but they don’t allow you to customize the gifts inside.

There are ton of great reusable advent calendars out there so you can refill them each year with your favorite advent calendar fillers.

You could also create your own DIY calendar with individually wrapped gifts like tiny toys or chocolates.

You could also do paper bags with numbers on them – you’d just need 24 gifts — December 1st through Christmas Eve!

Pre-Made Themed Advent Calendars for 2024

Want to see pictures? You can view all of these best advent calendars in our Amazon shop.

2024 Advent calendars for adults:

We’ve seen several fun and beautiful wine advent calendars at grocery stores this year as well!

These hot sauces would be the perfect advent calendar filler idea for a cook or hot wing lover!

For Kids

Edible Advent Calendar Filler Ideas

Traditional advent calendars are often filled with edible treats instead of gifts, which means holiday treats, tiny chocolates, and goodies make a great option for filling your own calendar.

With these delicious edible filler ideas, your kids can enjoy a yummy treat as they count down the days to Christmas morning:

Hershey’s Kisses
Mini candy canes
Starlight mints
Peppermint bark
Suckers
Chocolate Santas
Hard candies
Nuts
Fruit
Mini Christmas cookies
Packets of hot chocolate
Chocolate covered marshmallows
Yogurt or chocolate covered pretzels
Chocolate covered nuts
Gummy candies
Hot chocolates
Bubble gum
Kinder Joy eggs
Candy coins
Pop rocks

Toys and Games for Advent Calendars

Since the holiday season is filled with so much sugar, you might want to skip the sweet treats when it comes to your kids’ advent calendars. Instead of filling each calendar day with food and goodies, why not add a small trinket? These mini toys and games are candy-free options for filling up your Christmas countdown this year:

Stickers
Jigsaw puzzle
Glow sticks
Card games
Playmobil figures
Jacks
Bouncy balls
Marbles
Doll accessories or furniture
Mini playing cards
Travel games
Wind-up toys
Mini pop-its fidget toys
Fidget spinners
Party poppers
Ear buds
Whistles
Puzzle pieces
Christmas ornaments

Creative Advent Calendar Ideas

Getting crafty during the holidays is a great way to keep your kids entertained. Encourage creativity during the holiday season by placing arts and crafts gifts in your advent calendar this year. These creative gift ideas are a simple way to bring some creativity to your holiday countdown.

Rubber Stamps
Washi tape
Erasers
Crayons
Mini markers
Glitter
Sequins
Beads
Ribbon and twine
Finger puppets
Mini notebooks or journals
Cookie cutters
Sprinkles
Magnets
Sticky note pads
Mini picture frames
Silly putty
Slime
Playdough
Bubbles
Paint
Temporary tattoos
Other craft supplies
School supplies

Advent Calendar Filler Ideas for Teen Girls

Filling your girls’ advent calendars can be so much fun! These Christmas countdown ideas are a simple way to bring some holiday joy to each day of December.

Small beauty products
Makeup samples
Mini nail polish
Lip balm
Lip gloss
Nail stickers
Mini lotion bottles
Perfume samples
Bath bombs
Soap
Hair accessories
Bath salts
Earrings
Rings
Bracelets
Necklaces
Mini candles
Scrunchies
Little note from Mom or Dad

Advent Calendar Filler Ideas for Boys

You can find some fun filler ideas for the boys in your family, too! These mini toys and games are the perfect way to wish your son a Merry Christmas as he counts down the days until Christmas.

Mini squirt gun
Lego minifigures
Parachute guys
Matchbox cars
Thomas and Friends minis
Nerf gun bullets
Mini flashlight
Glow sticks
Little note from Mom or Dad

Activity Ideas for Advent Calendars

Your advent calendar doesn’t have to be filled with “things” at all. Instead of putting food and trinkets in your calendar, why not use experiences and daily activities to fill up your holiday countdown?

Write down these ideas on a piece of paper and place it in the family’s advent calendar. Then, do the activity listed each day to create some holiday memories with your kids:

Drive around town to look at Christmas lights
Bake Christmas cookies together
Watch your favorite Christmas movie
Go shopping for gifts with Mom or Dad
Write Christmas cards to friends and family members
Read your favorite Christmas book
Have a Christmas pajama party together
Decorate the Christmas tree together
Make your own ornaments to hang on the tree
Go caroling around the neighborhood
Enjoy snowman cinnamon rolls
Write a letter to Santa
Make Santa pancakes
Hang the stockings on the mantle
Decorate a gingerbread house
Wrap Christmas presents and put them under the tree
Visit Santa to tell him what you want for Christmas
Watch a Christmas parade

In addition to holiday activities, you could also include experience gifts in your advent calendar.

Advent Calendar Experiences for Adults and Kids

Incorporating fun traditions into your family’s holiday celebration is a great way to make each day memorable. From driving around town to look at Christmas lights to decorating the tree together, there are so many fun ways to create memories with your kids during the holiday season.