Calendar with winter activities - Part 2

December is here, and so are the Christmas or Advent calendars. In Finland, children usually have their own calendar at home and the preschool has one as well. Therefore, here is a nice 24-day activity calendar for everyone who wants to get some "winter spirit" inspired by the North Pole.

The aim of Advent calendars is simply to bring joy. The advent calendar traditionally has 24 little surprises, so from the 1st to the 24th of December you get to open one little surprise. The surprise can be anything from a cute picture, a piece of chocolate, a small toy, or a suggestion for an activity as in this one.

Christmas calendar with activities inspired by the North Pole

The calendar is divided into four parts (6+6+6+6), and all together you will get 24 little pictures with an activity in it. In this post, you will get the second half of the activities (6+6).

The first half of activities (1-12) were in the previous blog and you can get them from here.

PART 2

There is a list of ideas on how to prepare or how to modify the activity according to weather conditions and the age of the children.

Here is what to do:

1. Copy the pictures from this blog and print them out.
2. After printing, cut the little pictures apart, so that you finally have 24 little pictures.
3. Put all the little pictures in a Christmas stocking, box, or bag.
4. When December starts, take one little picture each day and follow the instructions given.
5. Enjoy the North Pole-inspired activities and get the holiday spirit!

13. Decorate everywhere. Find decorations as glitter, elves, stars, snowflakes...

14. Count snowballs. Make different kinds of counting tasks with cotton balls = snowballs.

15. Play Elves and Santa Claus. Find red hats, and white beards, and start to play! Elves like to have little tasks, such as making toys, wrapping presents, and baking cookies.

16. Write a letter to Santa Claus. Hundreds of children write letters to Santa Claus every year. Write a letter and let each child tell Santa their Christmas wish.

17. Take the letter to a mailbox. Once the letter is ready, put it in an envelope and mail it to the North Pole! The address is Santa Claus & Mrs. Claus, 99999 Korvatunturi-Savukoski, FINLAND. Nowadays the majority of paper mail goes first to the Arctic Circle to the Santa Claus Main Office for preliminary sorting, but all letters are opened and read for sure.

You can also use more modern methods of communication and leave a message electronically. The Internet elves help Santa and Mrs. Clause to handle the messages. Send a message online from here.

18. Draw a reindeer.

19. Cut a snowflake. Take a square piece of white paper. Fold it in half and fold it once more. Cut little holes and stripes in it. Open and ta-daa you have a lovely unique snowflake! Read Martha Stewart's crafting instructions from here.

20. Go out sledding. If you have snow outside, grab a sled and go have fun! If not, go to a playground and find a slide!

21. Play with jingle bells.

22. Watch a Christmas movie.

23. Take photos with elf hats.

24. Decorate Christmas socks. Hang the socks to a good spot and wait if the elves bring some yummy snacks!

Happy December!