DIY Rustic Advent Calendar (with Free Printable)
All activities should be supervised by an adult. This post contains affiliate links which help support One Simple Party. As always, we only recommend things that we truly love. Full disclosure here.
Since Christmas is one of my favorite seasons, it shouldn’t surprise you that I find counting down even more fun. The process makes the holidays seem to last just a little bit longer. By making each day intentional, they tend to linger. Finding purpose in the actual celebrating.
So every year, I try to come up with creative ways to countdown the holiday season. I’ve tried everything from indulging in a daily chocolate with this DIY Advent Calendar with Chocolate to sharing Christmas trivia questions.
But my favorite Advent Calendar so far has been the one where we do a daily activity together as a family. These activities create a connection between all of us and remind us of the reason for the season.
And that’s why I created this DIY Advent Calendar for you to enjoy. You can fill out activities to do on the blank cards each day or add one of our specially designed Advent Calendar activity cards.
How to Make this DIY Rustic Advent Calendar
When creating this DIY Advent Calendar, I was dreaming about cabins in the woods and rich snowy mornings. So, I gave it a rustic feel using Kraft Brown Cardstock on the top number cards. If you aren’t into the rustic feel, you certainly can print on regular white cardstock. The following tutorial is for making the rustic version, though.
First, you need to download your DIY Rustic Advent Calendar below. This is an DIY Advent Calendar Kit with both sets of cards in one file. If you want the cards to look rustic, then you will need to print the number cards ONLY onto Kraft brown cardstock.
To make your own DIY Rustic Advent Calendar, you will need: (affiliates)
- Kraft Brown Cardstock (for the number cards)
- White Cardstock (for the activity cards)
- Bakers Twine (this Christmas version is festive)
- Mini Clothespins
- Download your Free Printable DIY Advent Calendar Set. Print the number cards on Kraft Brown Cardstock and the Activity Day Cards on White Cardstock.
- Cut out the cards using a paper trimmer (affiliate). Place one number card over an activity cards so you have 24 sets.
- Write an activity using a marker on the blank cards. Tip: When writing the activities, be sure to check the actual calendar date to make sure that the activity can be accomplished on this day. This avoids disappointment. You can find ideas for Advent Countdown Activities here. If you would prefer pre-made cards, you can purchase them in our shop here.
- Once you have written each activity down, it’s time to assemble your Advent Calendar. First, decide where you would like to hang it. Measure out a piece of bakers twine that fits that location and 24 sets of cards. Attach the twine so it’s taut.
- Next, attach each pair of cards in order.
- Now, it’s time to enjoy your DIY Advent Calendar. Start at Day 1 and reveal an activity each day. Once a day is complete, I place the activity card on top of the number card. This helps us visualize our countdown more easily.
Ideas for your DIY Advent Calendar
Advent is such a magical season, especially for children. Luckily there are lots of ways to Countdown to Christmas. You can find some of our favorite Advent Calendar Ideas here.
I also have created these sweet little Advent calendar cards with some of my favorite ideas on them. You can attach them to the individual number cards in this Rustic DIY Advent Calendar for ideas in an instant.
More Christmas Printables
We love love love Christmas around here. Like it’s our favorite season. The decorating. The hot cocoa. Every little sprinkle.
We also enjoy designing Christmas printables. Here are some of my favorites that we created over the years.
- Christmas Light Scavenger Hunt
- Christmas Wish List
- Roll a Christmas Tree Game
- Christmas Charades
- Elf Planning Calendar
- Left Right Christmas Game
- Christmas Movie Trivia
- Christmas Song Emoji Game
Love this design and want to save it for later? Be sure to pin it below.
Happy Celebrating,
Natalie