DIY Advent Calendar with Free Printable Acts of Kindness

This DIY Advent Calendar had so much inspiration from many different places, so I’ll try to give credit where credit is due! I wanted something inexpensive, fun, and that incorporated acts of kindness.

Now that my kids are a little older, I have been trying to talk about how we can help others. They have enjoyed shipping presents overseas to children and giving to those less fortunate, so I am really using this holiday season as a platform for those discussions and including it in our countdown to Christmas!

To Make Your DIY Advent Calendar

What you need:

• muffin tins
• post-it notes/card stock with double sided tape
• Christmas stickers (gift labels)
• small toys/candies (we like to use Legos)

What to do:

Fill each space with one chocolate and a couple small Legos. (I found an inexpensive Lego set and sorted them into the order that it is assembled according to the directons and placed 1-2 pieces in each space accordingly, definitely the hardest part of the project).

On post-it notes, write acts of kindness on the back. (You can use colored card stock and stickers with double sided tape, but I find that the post-its are actually easier to use, though not quite as cute.)

Number the notes and attach with the kindness acts to the outside of the muffin tins to create little doors.

Each day of Advent, open up one door, add to the lego building that you are creating, and complete the act of kindness for the day!

My acts of kindness were inspired by Coffee Cups and Crayons with their GREAT Christmas printable, The Mum in the Mad House, and Sugar Ants.

You can laminate it and check each day off with a dry-erase marker!

If your kids love Legos like mine do, check out these awesome books, which makes a super Christmas gift!