Follow
Follow Us

Get the latest parenting news, advice, and resources.

These 15 Advent Calendars Without Candy Will Make you Smile

Whether you would prefer to decrease the amount of chocolate your children eat, have a child with dietary restrictions or simply want a really fun way to celebrate advent this year, these non-candy advent calendars are AWESOME. There are different countdowns, ways to get little surprises, use Lego, Playmobil, stickers, and so much more. There is even a STEM advent calendar idea. All of them are so much fun and most are really simple.

Inside find 15 advent calendars without candy that you can make, DIY or buy. Your kids will smile as they open each day.


When my little brother was ten, he was diagnosed with what they thought was colitis.

Later, we found out it was, in fact, Crohn’s. Either way, his symptoms and gastrointestinal issues meant he had to eliminate a number of foods from his diet. Two triggers that were dairy and gluten. Now if this were to happen to me today, there’s no doubt I would find it rough. But a more holistic diet and fewer sweets may lead to less baby weight around my midsection. Not all bad.

For my kid brother, it was a blow.

This meant no Halloween candy after trick-or-treating, no chocolate advent calendars, no cake at friends’ birthdays and so much more. Our family soon stocked up on gluten-free options for celebrations and almond milk aplenty. When my little bro’s birthday rolled around that November, I decided my gift to him would be an advent calendar without candy! Here is how I made his advent calendar without chocolate.

Whether you would prefer to decrease the amount of chocolate your children eat, have a child with dietary restrictions or simply want a really fun way to celebrate advent this year, these non-candy advent calendars are AWESOME. There are different countdowns, ways to get little surprises, use Lego, Playmobil, stickers, and so much more. There is even a STEM advent calendar idea. All of them are so much fun and most are really simple.

Really Simple Non-Candy Advent Calendar

This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. The price you pay is the same. However, I receive a very small commission.

I went to the dollar store and purchased a poster board, some ribbon and wrapping paper. Then, I purchased Harry Potter lego, stickers, and some other dollar store fillers. I opened everything and created 24 separate little packages. Day 1 was the actual Harry Potter character. I divvied the rest up based on what made the most sense. Then, I measured out 24 boxes and numbered them, punctured two holes at the top of each box. Then, I wrapped each of the 24 parcels and tied them to their respective day. It cost a bit of money, but it was that easy! And, it made for something really special.

What I’m Doing for Advent Calendars Without Candy This Year

Disclaimer: I received two advent calendars to facilitate this post. All opinions expressed are my own.

I will be honest and say, Halloween took it out of me. Not only did we DIY all of our décor, I also hand made my kids’ costumes. Sure, I purchased items from Value Village to make my kids into Nick Wilde and Officer Hopps of Zootopia. But, I also had to make my own patterns and hand-sew portions of both costumes. I’m tired. And our house is already overrun with enough candy to last us a couple of months. So, I decided on Playmobil advent calendars for both kids. We absolutely love Playmobil in our household. Their figures and play-scenes act as incredible prompts for my children’s imaginative play. We’ve used them for extension activities for kids’ books, to create an indoor Safari, and so much more.

I let my kids choose their calendars. My daughter selected this one. And my son, the NHL hockey advent calendar. Like a chocolate advent calendar, these ones have 24 doors. Each day yields a person, an accessory, or furniture. They are also equipt with their own cardboard play scenes. Check out the video below to see how cool my son’s Day 1 was!

If you have younger kids and are worried about small pieces, we introduced Playmobil 123 to our daughter on her first birthday and have continued to have play value for the past three years.

Whether you would prefer to decrease the amount of chocolate your children eat, have a child with dietary restrictions or simply want a really fun way to celebrate advent this year, these non-candy advent calendars are AWESOME. There are different countdowns, ways to get little surprises, use Lego, Playmobil, stickers, and so much more. There is even a STEM advent calendar idea. All of them are so much fun and most are really simple.


DIY Advent Calendar Ideas for Kids

DIY Scratch-off Advent Calendar Ornaments // Danya Banya

Christmas Book Advent Calendar // Living Loving Laughing Together

25 Days of Christmas STEM Countdown // Little Bins for Little Hands

DIY Box Advent Calendar (with printable) // Powerful Mothering

Toilet Paper Roll Advent Calendar // Danya Banya

Christmas Countdown Printable // Sunny Happy Day

DIY Christmas Tree Countdown // Playground Park Bench

Christmas Jokes for a Christmas Countdown // Little Bins for Little Hands

Christmas Week Activity Count Down // Sunny Day Family

Christmas Countdown Surprises // Teach Me Mommy

Choose from these Toddler Advent Activities // Rainy Day Mum

LEGO Advent 25 Days of Christmas // Little Bins for Little Hands

Random Acts of Kindness Christmas Countdown // Every Star is Different

Total
1
Shares
14 comments
  1. What a cool giveaway! I especially like the picture with the re-used toilet paper roll to create a homemade one. I might show my children how to make one.

      1. Part on of our move is complete! We are in a rental until mid December and then we move into our new home so we are living out of boxes until then.

  2. I LOVE Advent Calendars! Sometimes I have four or five of them going at once! lol This one is super cute. You can’t beat Playmobil, they have made such a great name for themselves over the years. Always high quality toys!

  3. Omg so many cute and fun ideas!!!! Now that cold weather is here I’m always looking for new activities I can do with my daughter indoors

    1. Thank you so much! I’m so happy with how these chocolate-free advent calendars came together. You’ve reminded me to wrap my books too!!! Thank you!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Posts

Sign up for our newsletter