Christmas countdown ideas for your family

Whether you’re looking for craft ideas, outdoor activities, places to visit and more, we have plenty of ideas. These activities are also a great way to spend time with family. Being grateful for those around you is one of the most important parts of Christmas.

Christmas countdown ideas 

1. Printables

At Santa Academy, we have plenty of fun learning resources for your little ones. They include wordsearches, baking activities, arts and crafts and colouring, and plenty more! Why not use a Santa Academy printable from our activity packs? Then each day in the countdown to Christmas can be filled with festive fun!

Here are just some examples of the Christmassy fun that can be found in our activity packs!

Draw Claus Manor with Jessica Claus

As the home to Santa and Mrs Claus, Claus Manor is the most impressive home on Lacus Island! With this activity sheet, you and your little one can draw Claus Manor together!

Decorate the Christmas tree with Tobias

Decorating your Christmas tree is one of the most exciting parts of the Christmas countdown. So, make it even more exciting by decorating the Lacus Island Christmas tree with Tobias Trumpet!

Colouring with Katty King

With this activity sheet, you get to colour in the big man himself… Santa Claus! We’ve provided you with two versions, so your little one can use their imagination and have some colouring fun. What colour will Santa be when he’s boiling hot? What about when he’s freezing cold? It’s up to your child to decide!

Create your own Christmas Code with Lena

Another Christmas countdown idea is to create your own Christmas Code with Lena, the original fairy at Santa Academy! Which values will you and your little one choose? Here are some of our favourites:

• If you have nothing nice to say, don’t say it
• We must sing ‘Jingle Bells’ every morning and night
• Always strive to eat as much chocolate as possible
• We must wrap all our Christmas presents very neatly
• Always comfort others when they’re sad.

Make your own reindeer food

With this festive activity, you can help Santa’s reindeer get ready to fly around the world on Christmas Eve! The reindeer need special food to help them pull Santa’s sleigh. Luckily for us, Rupert Reins knows exactly what food reindeers love to eat. Follow his tried and tested recipe and make delicious reindeer treats as part of your Christmas countdown!

2. Colouring characters

For another colouring idea, you could print off an outline image for your kids to colour each day. You can find plenty of festive outline images online for your kids to enjoy. Here are a few different ideas of the kind of images you could use:

• Santa
• Rudolph
• Penguin
• Snowman
• Snowflake
• A present
• Christmas tree
• Train
• Candy cane
• Elf
• Nutcracker
• The Grinch
• Star
• Wreath
• Snow globe.

3. Christmas quiz

A great way to keep your children’s brains stimulated is by using a Christmas quiz as a Christmas countdown idea. You could write down random festive questions and put them in a tub. Then, each day, your child can pick out a question and see if they can get it right. Keep some treats handy for encouragement. Even an M&M each day is enough, so they aren’t overloaded with sugar! It can be a fun activity for kids, and you can use questions that aren’t Christmas related if you prefer. Or, even better, if you want your kids to practice their maths – have a festive maths question. How many reindeer pull Santa’s sleigh? How many reindeer will be left if 3 go for a nap? Learning should be fun, and this is a great way to make it so!

4. Elf ‘n’ seek

Most parents will likely be familiar with Elf on the Shelf. But to add a twist, why not hide your elf instead? Your kids could have tons of fun every day trying to find where the elf has decided to hide next. You could even hide the elf with a little treat!

It’s the perfect Christmas countdown activity. Just don’t forget to include a note reminding your kids how many days are left until the big day!

5. Writing challenges

Do you want to keep your kids learning over the holidays? A great way for them to practice their skills is by completing Christmas writing challenges. As a Christmas countdown, your child could write a short story or poem every day. This will keep their writing skills developing without seeming like a chore.  There are plenty of characters and themes associated with Christmas, so there’s loads for your kids to write about! Perhaps your child could envision themselves as a reindeer writing a poem about how much they love their reindeer food. Or they could write a short story of an elf’s adventures whilst exploring the North Pole!

Santa Academy’s activity packs include some ideas for writing fun! Noelle Newson owns the bookstore on Lacus Island, and she has creative writing tasks for your kids. She’ll help you keep your little ones engaged with reading and writing over the festive season.

6. Make/bake festive treats

Another super fun Christmas countdown idea is to make or bake festive treats! Making food everyday could get a bit expensive and leave a lot of dishes to wash up. So, you could keep it to a 12 days of Christmas challenge or however many days you like! Or even just a fun activity to do once a week. Whichever way you choose to go about it, a guarantee is that your kids will have a lot of fun!

We have some ideas of treats to make in our activity packs, including the recipe for Santa’s favourite cookies! After all, there’s nothing better than a Triple Choco Chino to make your Christmas countdown extra special.

There are plenty of other festive food and drinks you can create: you could even design your own creations.

7. An act of kindness

Looking for a great and super easy Christmas countdown idea? Aim for you and your little ones to do at least one act of kindness every day. You could even keep a chart to see how many you can do during the holiday. You could encourage your kids to wish strangers a ‘Merry Christmas’. Or, to give a candy cane to the person on the checkout. An act of kindness can vary so there are plenty of things they can do. But the goal is ultimately to spread the festive cheer and remind people that kindness goes a long way! You could even volunteer at a community project, or donate to charity, like we mentioned earlier.

8. Being thankful

Our next Christmas countdown idea is to write down one thing you are thankful for every day. This is a great way of reminding yourself of all the good you have in your life. Many of us get caught up in the bad, and our mental health can be massively affected by this. So, that is why it is so important to remember all the good stuff. And getting your kids in this habit can be great for their mental health too!

If you would like to get creative with your notes, you could tie them on to your tree with ribbon. Or place them inside clear baubles. Whatever you decide, it’s a great Christmas countdown idea to remind your little ones of the true meaning of Christmas.

9. Santa’s beard calendar

A fun Christmas countdown idea for your little ones is to print off or draw an image of Santa. Then, have 25 numbered circles to make up his beard. As each day passes, your little ones can glue on a cotton ball. When Christmas arrives, Santa’s beard will be full!

10. Origami

If you’re up for a bit of a challenge, our origami Christmas countdown idea could be for you! There are plenty of guides online to make fun and festive origami creations. By doing one every day on the build up to Christmas, you could be an origami master by New Year!

11. Christmas lights

This Christmas countdown idea is similar to our previous idea of being thankful. Every day, light a little tea light or candle to remember loved ones who are no longer around. There are also many people around the world who may need some light during a difficult time. It is important to remember that not everyone is fortunate enough to have family to spend Christmas with. So, this is a great way of reminding yourself and your kids to be grateful.

12. Christmas countdown movie marathon

A list of Christmas countdown ideas wouldn’t be complete without our favourite Christmas films, would it? They are a great way to kick off the festive season, year after year.

Everyone has their favourites, but if you’re struggling to think of ideas, we’ve got you covered! Here are plenty of festive films that you can watch as part of your Christmas countdown. Some are more suitable for older kids but they’re just suggestions to help you!

• Nightmare Before Christmas
• Home Alone
• Home Alone 2
• Fred Claus
• Polar Express
• How the Grinch Stole Christmas
• The Grinch (2018)
• Mickey’s Christmas Carol
• Love Actually
• Die Hard
• Santa Clause 1 & 2
• Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas
• I’ll Be Home for Christmas
• ELF
• Miracle On 34^th Street
• Snow
• Frozen 1 & 2 – and the short films. (Not technically Christmas films but every kid loves belting out Let It Go with Elsa…and so do adults!)
• Arthur Christmas
• Scrooged
• Father Christmas
• I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
• Santa Clause Is Coming to Town
• Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer
• The Holiday
• Jack Frost
• Santa Buddies
• The Nativity
• Christmas Carol
• Muppets Christmas Carol
• Christmas Chronicles
• Frosty The Snowman
• Beethoven’s Christmas Adventure
• The Nutcracker
• Chronicles Of Narnia
• Harry Potter Series / Lord of the Rings. (These are not Christmas films, but they are popular to watch at Christmas as tradition by many families).

13. Reading Christmas countdown ideas

At Santa Academy, we value learning and reading. It is also important to keep your little ones learning, even throughout the festive season. Using books and stories as a Christmas countdown idea is a great way to do that – and it’s super fun!

You can even read a Christmas book or short story every day. Just like a chocolate advent calendar, this is a great way to ger your child excited for Christmas. Reading to your little one at night when you’re snuggled up with a hot chocolate can make it extra magical. So, here’s a multitude of Christmas books for you and your little ones to enjoy.

1. Madeline’s Christmas – Ludwig Bemelmans
2. Doc McStuffins: A Very McStuffins Christmas – Disney
3. Barney’s Christmas Surprise – Mark S Bernthal
4. Din Dan Don, it’s Christmas – Janina Domanska
5. The Twelve Days of Christmas – Jan Brett
6. Stick Man – Julia Donaldson
7. Christmas in the Barn – Margaret Wise Crown
8. The Littlest Elf – Brandi Dougherty
9. Babar and Father Christmas – Jean de Brunhoff
10. Merry Christmas, Ollie – Olivier Dunrea
11. Who Built the Stable – Ashley Bryan
12. N is for Navidad – Susan Middleton Elya and Merry Banks
13. Disney’s, It’s a Small World: Christmas Around the World
14. Only a Star – Margery Facklam
15. Snowmen at Christmas – Caralyn Buehner
16. Oh, What A Christmas! – Michael Garland
17. Georgie The Gingerbread Fairy – Tim Bugbird
18. It’s Christmas – Tina Burke
19. The Star Tree – Gisela Colle
20. Christmas Morning – Cheryl Ryan Harshman
21. Maisy’s Christmas Day – Lucy Cousins
22. The Most Precious Gift – Marty Crisp
23. Merry Christmas, Gemma – Sarah Hayes
24. Not Until Christmas, Walter! – Eileen Christelow
25. How The Grinch Stole Christmas – Dr. Seuss
26. Grace at Christmas – Mary Hoffman
27. Peter Claus and the Naughty List – Lawrence David
28. Guess Who’s Coming to Santa’s for Dinner? – Tomie Depaola
29. Llama Llama Holiday Drama – Anna Dewdney
30. Great Joy – Kate Dicamillo.

We also add new, festive stories every day on the Lacus Herald, from December 1^st until Christmas Day! This will give your little ones plenty of reading material for their Christmas countdown. We have plenty of characters your little ones will love getting to know.

Create your own countdown calendar

Since there are endless activities to do over the Christmas period, note down all the things you’d love to do. You can then put the notes behind little doors or in mini stockings. How you want to create your own calendar is up to you. Here’s some fun ideas that you can do each day on the build up to Christmas!

1^st day of Christmas: Decorating

On the first of December, Christmas begins! It’s time to kick off the festive season and start preparing for the big day! So, why not visit a garden centre and select the perfect Christmas tree? You could also pick out some new decorations. Maybe your little one will spot a new bauble they like.

You could make it a tradition for them to choose a new one every year to add to the collection! Once you’ve found the perfect tree and your new decorations, take them home and begin decorating. Don’t forget to play some Christmas music whilst decorating to really feel festive!

2^nd day of Christmas: Write a letter to Santa

As part of your own Christmas countdown calendar, you could dedicate one day to writing a letter to Santa. What does your little one want to find underneath the tree this Christmas?

Once your child has finished their letter, you could mail it to Santa himself! You could even ask a family member to write a reply to make it super special for your kids.

3^rd day of Christmas: Donate to charity

One of the most important parts of Christmas is coming together and appreciating what you have. Many people in the world do not have much, and no family to spend the holidays with. So, as part of your Christmas countdown calendar, why not dedicate a day to donating to charity? You could donate food to a food bank or kitchen. Or help your child choose some toys they no longer want that they can donate to someone else. You can even donate old clothes that may not fit you or your kids anymore. And coats are especially useful for those without shelter.

We love this Christmas countdown idea – it’s one of our favourites at Santa Academy! Giving back is super important, especially at Christmas time! It’s a great way to remind your little one of the true meaning of Christmas. You could even make it your new Christmas tradition and visit a different charity each year.

Whatever you decide, it’s sure to make your family’s festive season extra special!

4^th day of Christmas: Visit a shelter

Similar to our last Christmas countdown idea, it can also be good to visit animal shelters and donate toys and blankets. Many animals are bought for Christmas but end up in shelters. It is important to remind your children how big of a responsibility a pet is. Remember, a pet is for life – not just for Christmas!

It can be great for them to spend some time caring for animals who need it. You never know, if you’ve always wanted a pet, you could find the perfect new family member at the shelter!

5^th day of Christmas: Christmas lights

It can be fun to drive around when its dark to look at all the Christmas lights. Many houses take their outdoor lighting very seriously over Christmas. And many of them are spectacular! Even town centres will often adorn shops and streets with festive lights. It can be especially magical to see all the bright colours. Your little ones will have a lot of fun – and so will you!

You could even take some snacks and get hot chocolate whilst you’re out. After all, why not turn it into a festive outing for the whole family to enjoy?

6^th day of Christmas: Family photography

Photos are what we have to remind us of our memories. This Christmas countdown idea is a great way to make fun memories that you can keep forever. Taking photos of the family whilst decorating, making treats and opening presents is wonderful. So, why not dedicate a Christmas countdown day to taking some festive photos? You can even use these photos to put on cards to send to loved ones. You could make it a tradition each year for your family to each wear an ugly Christmas jumper. Then take family photos to remember the fun you had together!

7^th day of Christmas: Festive bingo

Playing games is a great way to have fun with the family. Bingo is an easy game that everyone can play. So, it is great to use as a Christmas countdown calendar idea.

8^th day of Christmas: Arts and crafts

We have plenty of arts and craft ideas at Santa Academy. Many of them can be found in our activity packs. Arts and crafts are another great way to spend quality time with family. There are so many options for activities. You could cut out snowflakes or create handmade Christmas cards. We have several blogs full of Christmas activities for you and your family to enjoy.

There are craft ideas you can do to create other Christmas countdown methods. For example, you could use cardboard and pens to create a ladder. Each day, Santa moves down the numbered ladder until he lands on the rooftop of a house. It can be fun for kids to see how close Christmas day becomes.

You could also create an advent calendar for a beloved pet if you have any. After all, your pets shouldn’t have to miss out on the festive fun! Your cat may actually acknowledge your existence if you make them their own calendar full of Dreamies treats! And if you’re really lucky, they may even pretend not to be evil for five minutes.

9^th day of Christmas: Indoor snowball fight

Do you want to enjoy the fun involved in a snowball fight without the frostbitten fingers and snow splatters? There’s a warmer indoor version you can try, that also has minimal risk of anyone getting hurt or damaging furniture.

Use rolled up socks, crumpled up paper or cotton balls to enjoy an indoor snowball fight! This can be fun for all the family and, as mentioned, there are a lot less safety risks involved.

10^th day of Christmas: Carol singing

Carol singing can be a lot of fun, and it is a great way of feeling festive. So, it is definitely worth considering as one of your activities to do in your Christmas countdown. If you would prefer to stay indoors, you could also have a Christmas karaoke night with the family. If you get your Gran drunk enough, she might give Mariah Carey a run for her money!

If you’re up for the challenge, you could even have a festive singing competition! Take turns singing your favourite Christmas songs and vote for the best singer. Whoever receives the most votes wins an early Christmas present!

11^th day of Christmas: Snow globes

 Another Christmas craft idea – make your own snow globe! This can be great fun as part of your Christmas countdown. There are several ways to create them, and you can buy kits to help you out. But it can be as easy as putting water and glitter in an old jam jar. Then, glue a feature to the inside of the lid, screw it in and you have your own snow globe! You could even add a ribbon as a finishing touch. 

12^th day of Christmas: Build a snowman and make snow angels

If it snows where you live, then a snow day is essential as part of your Christmas countdown!

Building a snowman can be great fun for kids, especially for those that love Olaf. And making snow angels is just as fun. Just remember to wrap up nice and warm before going out in the snow!

13^th day of Christmas: Make a gingerbread house

Do you want to unleash your inner architect? Building a gingerbread house is a super fun activity you and your family can do during your Christmas countdown. There are many methods to do it. You can buy premade ones that you put together yourself. Or if you’re up to the challenge, you could start completely from scratch.

Teaching your kids some baking tips can also be great for their development. You could make one out of cardboard as well, if you’d prefer a more permanent one that won’t get nibbled. After all, who can resist gingerbread at Christmas time?

A cardboard one could also be used as a cute nightlight for your kids. All you need to do is cut out some windows and put LED lights inside!

14^th day of Christmas: Go sledding

Another fun snow day idea as part of your Christmas countdown could be a day out sledding. Or skiing if you have any local places to do so.

15^th day of Christmas: Send out cards to family and friends

Looking for ways to spread the Christmas cheer? Writing out Christmas cards should definitely be on your Christmas countdown list. You can buy packs of small cards and help your little ones write out festive greetings to their classmates. You can also write cards out for your work colleagues. This is also the perfect time to write out cards for your family. Perhaps you would like to handmake some too. You could use photos of your little ones to make cards for family members. Grandparents, especially, will love to see their little angels and being able to display them on the mantle piece.

 16^th day of Christmas: Try a Christmas tradition of another culture

Cultures around the world have different traditions for Christmas. Learning about them could be great fun!

17^th day of Christmas: Visit Santa

Santa is one of the most magical parts of Christmas. Kids all over the world love him and watch the sky to see if they can spot his sleigh. There are many places, often shopping malls, that will host Santa so kids can meet him. This could be an essential part of your Christmas countdown, to really get your kids excited! 

18^th day of Christmas: Visit Christmas market

One of the most fun things to do at Christmas time is to visit a Christmas market. The smell of candy floss and churros with Nutella will make your mouth water. And being able to go on rides, ice skate, and pet reindeer are all part of the magic. Both adults and kids can have a ton of fun visiting a Christmas market. The stalls often feature cute handmade decorations that may look perfect in your home.

19^th day of Christmas: Movie marathon day

Would you prefer to have a movie marathon day rather than watching a movie every day for the Christmas countdown? If yes, then this could be the better option. There are plenty of Christmas movies to enjoy (as we listed in section 12!) So, a day snuggled up on the sofa with a fluffy blanket or pjs could be just what you need. And don’t forget some snacks!

20^th day of Christmas: Read a Christmas book

If you aren’t too much into reading, reading at least one Christmas book could still be fun! Not everyone has the time to read one every day as we mentioned in section 13. But Christmas books are still greatly enjoyable. And there are some awesome ones out there that you may be missing out on! So, just like our previous point, make sure you’re comfy and enjoy a Christmas book, you won’t regret it!

21^st day of Christmas: Make reindeer food

Everyone knows that Santa’s reindeer have the big responsibility of pulling the sleigh on Christmas Eve. They need special food to keep them energised and able to fly. So, why not use our reindeer food recipe to make some? Your kids will love leaving this out on Christmas Eve, knowing they’re helping the reindeer. Rupert has the perfect recipe to make your reindeer food.

22^nd day of Christmas: Costume competition

A fun and creative idea to do as part of your Christmas countdown is to host a costume competition. It can be great fun for the family to find various clothes and materials to put together a festive costume. You could then host a fashion show in your living room to show off everyone’s creations.

23^rd day of Christmas: Host a festive party

Another super fun idea for part of your Christmas countdown is to host a Christmas party! Invite your friends and your kids’ friends over, if you have the space. You can play various festive themed games. Or present your homemade Christmas themed food and drinks. You could even use this as the opportunity for everyone to show off Christmas costumes! There are plenty of activities to do for a Christmas party!

 24^th day of Christmas: Hamper Eve

With the big day now only hours away, the Christmas countdown has come to an end! So, for your final day, why not put together a little hamper for the family? Some essentials to include could be:

• Fluffy pjs
• Hot chocolate
• A Christmas film/book
• Bubble bath
• Face mask
• Snacks
• Candles (preferably a festive scented one!)

Enjoy your cosy night in and don’t forget to leave treats for Santa and the reindeer!

 By now, we hope you have plenty of ideas for Christmas countdowns. Remember, Christmas is about having fun! Take these opportunities to enjoy time with your family and make magical memories with your little ones.

Let’s recap our favourite Christmas countdown ideas…

Now you have plenty of Christmas countdown ideas to keep you and your little ones entertained over the festive season.

From our activity packs to a festive quiz to baking your favourite treats, there’s so much to do! For those that need a reminder, let’s recap our favourite Christmas countdown ideas…

• Christmas printables
• Coloring activities
• Christmas quiz
• Elf ‘n’ seek
• Writing challenges
• Baking your favourite festive treats
• An act of kindness
• Being thankful
• Santa’s beard advent calendar
• Origami
• Light a candle every day of advent
• Christmas countdown movie marathon
• Reading Christmas stories.

Remember, you can also make your own Christmas countdown calendar. Each day, decide on a super fun activity for you and your child to complete in the build-up to Christmas!

Need ideas for activities?

Finding activities to do with kids can sometimes be a challenge. If you are looking for ideas, we have more at Santa Academy. You can download several activities from our activity packs. We have several to choose from, inspired by our different factions. You can learn how to care for pets and practice PE with Reindeer Recruits. Learn how plastic damages the environment and how different cultures celebrate Christmas with Fairy Fellows. Make slime and candy with Elf Ed!

Keep up with Santa Academy

 You can find new stories every day on the Lacus Herald! Your little one can stay up to date with all their favourite characters, as well as the latest news. At Santa Academy, your little one can join Reindeer Recruit, Fairy Fellow or enrol into Elf Ed! Lacus Island features 70+ characters, 50+ buildings, 19 unique shops and its own TV and radio stations.

Lacus Herald

Many children have missed out on their learning due to the pandemic. We know how crucial it is to help kids catch up. That was one of the reasons for launching our learning resources. Our resources aim to keep kids reading and give families something they can enjoy together.

We know our resources have been a great help to those home-schooling children. So, we are not stopping there! On the Lacus Herald, we publish news updates daily, written by our Author, Jill. Your kids can catch up with their favourite characters and continue their learning in a fun environment. Designed to be enjoyed by the whole family, every day from December 1^st until Christmas Day!

Through the Lacus Herald, you can read all about everything going on at Lacus Island! Learn how Ivy Icecream tests Santa’s suits for all weather conditions. Find out how Truman Trimmings processes Christmas letters at Santa post. And how Freddie Finance runs Santa Storage – a building of astronomical size!

Follow the Elves, Reindeer and Fairies on Lacus Island and check out their Christmas countdown ideas! That includes the annual Ready Steady Sledge event, or what they’ll be enjoying for Christmas dinner at the Christmas Chambers!

Coming to Santa Academy in 2022…

We’ve got more than Christmas countdown ideas at Santa Academy. Get ready for the Santa Academy app!

Christmas is coming and Santa needs your little one’s help. Throughout December, your child can help Santa prepare for Christmas Eve. They can choose to enrol into Elf Ed, Reindeer Recruit or Fairy Fellow and immerse themselves into life on Lacus.

From December 1^st until Christmas Day, your child will unlock new areas, buildings and characters on Lacus Island. Enter a magical Island that is filled with fantastic activities for your little ones to enjoy!

Download the app from November 1^st, 2022. School starts December 1^st, 2022.

Find more fun, festive tips and ideas, such as:

• Easy Christmas crafts for kids
• Christmas printables
• Things to do near you for Christmas
• Christmas activity book ideas
• Christmas art ideas
• Christmas party ideas for kids
• Tips for helping kids to read
• Christmas baking for kids
• Christmas countdown ideas for your family
• Christmas writing ideas
• And many more!