35 Of The Best Advent Calendar Ideas For Kids (2023)
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Looking for the best advent calendar ideas for kids for the holiday season? From trendy calendars featuring Taylor Swift and Five Nights At Freddy’s, to traditional ones with cute little plush animals or toy cars, this list has something for everyone!
Best Advent Calendar Ideas For Kids
It’s that time! Time to start planning those holiday menus, decking the halls and of course, trying to get your hands on all the hottest toys for Christmas! It’s also time to order those advent calendars if you want them to get here by December 1st.
We’re all about the advent calendars and it’s something my kids look forward to every year. The great thing is that there are so many to choose from. You’ll find kits on this list for Star Wars fans, horse lovers and even the little ones who just can’t get enough of Bluey!
I’m extra excited this year because I found one that’s going to hit it out of the park! Super trendy and so fun, my girls are going to go nuts when they get theirs (scroll to the end to see what it is)!
What Is An Advent Calendar
Not familiar with this Christmas tradition? It’s basically like a fun holiday countdown. Kids (and sometimes grownups too) get a special gift each morning in the days leading up to Christmas. Normally it starts on December 1st and continues through Christmas Eve.
There’s usually a tiny door or flap to open, revealing a secret surprise inside. It can be anything…chocolate, a small toy or some other treat. It’s such a fun way to start the countdown to Christmas and makes the holiday season even more magical.
These days there are so many holiday advent calendars to choose from (where were these when I was little). I’ve gone through and picked some of my favorites and organized them by theme to make it easy for you to find the perfect one!
TV & Movies
Bluey
This fun Christmas advent calendar includes Bluey, Bingo and Bartlebee toy figures (in special Christmas jumpers), along with a variety of Bluey themed accessories and stickers.
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Disney Minis
The perfect gift for Disney fans, this Disney minis advent calendar comes with 24 iconic Disney minis from Marvel, Pixar, Star Wars, Mickey Mouse & Friends and Disney Princesses.
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Disney Princesses Advent Calendar
This Disney princess toy advent calendar is perfect for little princess fans. With 12 princesses and 12 pieces of clothing, your little one will love playing mix and match with her new dolls and accessories!
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Little People
This Little People advent calendar for kids is the perfect play set. Featuring 7 character figures and 17 holiday-themed play pieces, kids will have hours of fun with this one!
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LEGO Star Wars
This calendar combines the best of two worlds…LEGOS and Star Wars! Daily surprises include 9 Star Wars characters(including Christmas themed droids and Princess Leia), 10 mini vehicle building toys and 5 additional mini-builds.
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Harry Potter
There’s something magical behind each door of this Harry Potter themed calendar. This set includes 6 mini figures, including Harry, Hermione and Ron, and 18 Hogsmeade village mini builds. Instructions for building them are on the back of each door and little Harry Potter fans will have a blast discovering a new surprise every day.
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How The Grinch Stole Christmas
Is there any better way to start the Christmas countdown than with a Grinch theme? Everyone’s heart will grow three sizes when they open a door to a brand new Grinch themed surprise each day!
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Barbie
This Barbie Dreamtopia advent calendar comes with a full size Barbie doll and 24 different clothes and accessories to turn her into a mermaid or a fairy. There's also a separate Cutie Reveal advent calendar where you can dress your doll in a silver sparkle deer costume.
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Trolls
Based on the DreamWorks Trolls Band Together movie, this set features 10 Trolls mini-figures as well as accessories, stickers and more.
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Jurassic World Dominion
Whether your child is a fan of the movies or you just have kids who love dinosaurs, you can’t go wrong with this dino themed pack. They’ll find surprises like mini dinosaurs, a human figure, gates and platform pieces that can be combined at the end to create a fun, dramatic play area.
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Thomas & Friends
Kids will love counting down to Christmas with a Thomas themed calendar. With 24 miniature toy trains and other railway vehicles to discover, your child will have an entire toy set of trains by Christmas day!
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My Little Pony
With a cute My Little Pony theme, this Snow Party countdown advent calendar comes with 2 ponies, 9 adorable critters and more.
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Video Games
Super Mario
Kids don't have to wait until Christmas to get new toys. They can use this Super Mario advent calendar to count down the days to Christmas, revealing different surprise toys each day.
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Pokemon Funko Pop! Calendar
Funko Pop always makes so of the best kids calendars, no matter what the theme! There are lots of different ones but you can’t really go wrong with this Pokémon 2023 holiday advent calendar.
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Five Nights At Freddy’s Funko Pop! Advent Calendar
With the FNAF movie proving to be a huge hit with both boys and girls, this Five Nights At Freddy’s Funko Pop calendar is sure to be a popular one. Every morning, a new tiny door will be opened to reveal one of 24 unique mini Funko Pops! featuring favorite animatronic characters dressed in holiday ensembles!
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Minecraft
Minecraft has got to be one of the most popular video games of all time so this advent calendar is sure to be a favorite. Daily gifts consist of mini figures, including Steve and mobs, and a variety of accessories, all designed with the video game’s unique pixelated look!
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Roblox
With 6 mystery figures, accessories, collector’s checklist and 2 redeemable codes to unlock virtual items online, this Roblox holiday advent calendar is perfect for the gamer in your life.
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Crafts & Activities
Charm Bracelet Kit
Crafty kids will love this one. Every day a new door will be opened to reveal a new charm, bead or other accessory to use for a cute charm bracelet craft. You’ve got Christmas activities and holiday accessories at the same time!
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Diamond Art Keychains
This is for the kid that likes a little bling. These diamond painting kits are hands-on, arts and crafts that result in adorable key chain ornaments. Even better, they can be used to make Christmas tree decorations, school backpacks, keys, suitcases, coin purses, stockings, or even holiday party favors.
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Gemstone Advent Calendar
Each day kids will discover a beautiful new gemstone to add to their collection. Gems include agate, green aventurine, hematite, sodalite, turquenite, tiger's eye, blue calcite and more! On the last day, this science advent calendar from National Geographic features a special treat. Behind the door is a rose quartz that kids must unearth with a mini dig brick, just like a real geologist!
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Purple Cow Crazy Scientist Calendar
This Crazy Scientist advent calendar is both educational and fun, with 24 science experiments covering everything from chemistry to magnetics.
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Magic Kit Advent Calendar
This kit lets kids perform magic tricks and science experiments like creating a water ball, making a coin disappear, creating a fizzy, color-changing solution and more!
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Cube Games And Puzzles
This is such a fun one…there are different challenge cubes and fidget toys each day to keep the kids (and grownups) entertained!
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Slime Kit
What kid doesn’t love slime?! Now they can have a new slime themed gift for 24 days in a row! It even comes with fun crafty supplies like sequins and glitter to make it their own.
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Play-doh Advent Calendar
Filled with Play-doh themed surprises, this is a great way for kids to celebrate and get creative at the same time.
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Animal Themed
Mochi Squishy Countdown Calendar
My girls love these cute Mochi Squishy animals and would be thrilled to get one of these calendars (but you’ll see what I got them at the very end). With 12 forest animals, 6 sea animals and 6 dinosaurs, kids will love opening the mini doors to see which surprise animal they’ll get that day!
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Plush Toys
This kid includes 3 Christmas style toys and & 21 distinct animal plush toys, for a new surprise every day. Plus, they all come with a lanyard so they can be used as a cute keychain or backpack decoration.
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Breyer Horses – Unicorn Magic
Your little horse lover will be so excited to open one of the numbered doors each morning to reveal a new Mini Whinnies surprise. Hidden behind the doors are 15 colorful Mini Whinnies unicorns, fun accessories, and even a special animal friend, making the wait for Christmas just a little bit easier!
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Popular Toys
L.O.L. Surprise!
Along with an LOL Surprise collectible doll, Makeover Babe 2.0, this calendar comes with 24 fashion pieces, including fabulous dresses, glam accessories, and plenty of cute shoes to add to her wardrobe for lots of mix and match fun!
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Mini Brands
This one is another favorite in my house and one that both my girls would be thrilled to get. With 24 iconic minis from all Mini Brands Series, it’s the perfect gift for any mini brands collector.
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Hot Wheels
Hot Wheels fans can open a different door for 24 days to discover a new surprise waiting for them. Each calendar includes 8 Hot Wheels cars in 1:64 scale, along with 16 winter-themed accessories like a snowplow or tree.
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More Fun Ideas
My World Advent Calendar
This one is for all the little adventurers who want to explore the world. Each day they’ll explore a different culture and create an original arts & crafts project from each country. When they’re done, they stamp their passport and mark it on the map. It’s an advent calendar that’s both fun and educational.
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Rubber Duckies
Who wouldn’t want 24 days of rubber duckies! With a Santa duck, a snowman duck and lots more, these ducks are sure to make bath time more fun!
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Trucks & More Advent Calendar
With everything from trucks to helicopters, these pull-back vehicles are sure to be a hit with the little ones.
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LEGO Friends Winter Wonderland
Kids love LEGOs and with 10 LEGO Friends characters and a total of 24 mini build toys, this calendar lets kids can build their very own pet playground.
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Taylor Swift Advent Calendar
So what advent calendar did I buy for my girls? Two of these are coming in the mail as we speak and I think it might be their favorite advent calendar ever! They’re huge Swifties and when I saw this, I knew it was perfect. It’s a must have for any Taylor Swift fan and you can even choose from several different versions…get one or get them all!
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