Advent traditions for children

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Do you have any Advent traditions for young children (7 year old)? We will get an advent calendar but what else do people do that children can enjoy and participate in?
 
December 6: St Nicholas Day. The children wake up to find treats in their shoes
 
We put a chores chart on the fridge with chores + the works of mercy. Each item is worth a point. Right before Christmas the points get converted into cash that is used to buy a gift for the poor for Christmas. The kids pick out the gift themselves. They like using the Heifer International catalogue & last year it was a flock of ducks for a poor family & this year they want to send a goat (which is a LOT of money so they will have to keep our house housekeeper-just-came level clean for me to give them that much money!) Anyway I love this custom: it’s exciting to the kids to earn something to concretely help the poor AND they are so sweet to each other all Advent + the house is never cleaner!
 
Jen7 said:
We put a chores chart on the fridge with chores + the works of mercy. Each item is worth a point. Right before Christmas the points get converted into cash that is used to buy a gift for the poor for Christmas. The kids pick out the gift themselves. They like using the Heifer International catalogue & last year it was a flock of ducks for a poor family
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This is one of the sweetest traditions I’ve read in my search for advent ideas this year.
 
What about making an advent wreath together? You could make one out of construction paper with paper candles and flame. There are some very intricate looking ones online or you could do a simple one, depending on how much your little one likes crafting. Foam would probably work well too or you could paint a paper plate green and cut out a hole in the middle.

Here are some pictures as possible ideas.

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How about making a real Advent Wreath; with home-dipped candles?

A neat way to teach about pioneer practices. Patience, perseverance, and attention to detail in forming the candles. Also, gathering real coniferous branches for the wreath.

Plus the child(ren) get a kick out of lighting the candles throughout Advent (especially boys, who are fascinated with fire).

Deacon Christopher
 
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Love this one:
Hey kids look out there. Snow! Get your stuff on and let’s get that driveway cleaned off right now. They look so cute in their big clunky boots, mittens, and ski mask hats. And they always appreciate the hot chocolate when their toes are about ready for amputation.
I’M KIDDING!
 
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When my two daughters were very young, we tried something for Advent that they really enjoyed.

Every day, we would make a simple paper “craft” with a different symbol of Advent. I can’t remember where I found the list of “symbols,” but I’ll bet you can find such a list–or just make one up.

And every day, we would hang their symbols up on a piece of twine that hung across the wall like a clothing line (remember those?).

We made little Christmas trees–nothing fancy, just paper, and colored them and glued little pieces of bric-brac on for “ornaments.” We made snowmen out of cotton balls. We found “straw” at a yard nursery (straw to help us remember the manger)–I think my husband help them to braid the straw. We also used cotton balls to make a lamb. We made paper ornaments and glued glitter on them. I know we used pipe cleaners–probably for shepherds crooks.

I really can’t remember all the symbols, but with every symbol, we would read a Bible verse that described how the symbol related to Jesus and His birthday.

By the time December 24 came, that string of symbols hanging across the wall was really impressive! And the girls were so pleased that they had made it all! (Honestly, it was just little girls’ artwork, not impressive at all, but to us, it looked amazing!).

It was a fun Advent celebration that kept them busy and happy, taught them some practical skills, involved going outside or to stores to find what we needed for the symbol, and produced a lovely decoration that we kept for several years. I eventually threw it away, but I still have wonderful memories of sitting at the dining room table looking outside at our lovely yard in North Carolina–38 huge white pines–and enjoying a precious time with my little girls teaching them about Jesus through arts and crafts.
 
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For the advent calendar, you can buy a Catholic one versus a secular one (or both).

Built the Nativity little by little every sunday, after reading the Biblical verses and with explanation. For eg, the meaning of the gifts of Baby Jesus, why the magis were astrologers, etc, child was more little but love it a lot.

We can also light up a candle every sunday for a little time of appropriate Bible reading and prayers. It’s what I have done for Lent this year, but I imagine that the same can be done with A crown of Advent.

Crown of Advent.

decorate the house and the tree if you have one.

Make coloring and drawing on the topic to decorate the house.

There are also written activities and games around Christmas topic.

Listen some christmas music, both christian and pagan. make sure to make your grandchild know the Christmas mass songs they will sing before the day, and give some explanantions.

If by chance he didn’t know by heart the our father and Hail Mary, it’s a good time to pray them daily.

If we were on normal time, I will said let’s visit a Nativity in one Church, and maybe involve him in a living Nativity show.
 
We create an Advent Wreath made out of paper trimmings and electric candles.

Our Church would erect a gigantic and colorful Christmas Tree during advent. We can buy Christmas balls and lanterns for $1-$10 each depending on size and colors. We will hang it over the tree. The proceeds will go as donations for orphanage and home for the elders. There are also card giving. Advance Christmas cards were drawn by hand and we write simple message for each person within the parish.
 
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Maybe listen to some Christmas music, Bachs Christmas Oratorio is nice, but there are also some more traditional carols.
 
Google winter saints. Barbara, Lucy Nicholas etc.

We listwn to Peter and the wolf…
We made a halo wirh green paper and put paperkandles – st Lucy
Day.
 
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When my kids were young, we kept an empty wooden doll cradle under the tree, with a shoebox of straw nearby (yellow yarn works too! The children were encouraged to perform good works in secret. For each good work, the child was to put a piece of straw in the cradle. The idea being to prepare a bed for the Baby Jesus. The children loved it and had great fun competing to fill the cradle.

Christmas Eve, after the children were in bed, I placed the Baby Jesus (a doll dressed in swaddling clothes) in the cradle to greet them on Christmas morning.

Even though there were mounds of presents under the tree, it was always Him they noticed first.
 
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I have looked at doing “Star from Afar” (like Elf on a Shelf, only it comes with wooden Nativity pieces and you move the star around each day).

I also like the idea of a Giving Manger, where each time someone does a kind deed, they get to add a piece of straw to the manger (with the goal of providing a soft bed for baby Jesus).

My kids are 2 years and 7 weeks now, so a little young yet. Probably next year we can start them.
 
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We bought a Jesse Tree kit (from Leaflet Missal) several years ago. We also have a Lenten Jesus Tree during Lent. Every day we read a passage from the Bible as a family and hang the corresponding ornament. My kids have grown up more familiar with the Bible than I did.
 
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