An Art Prompts Advent Calendar Printable can make the countdown to Christmas a little more creative, with one open-ended activity for each day. These 25 ideas use familiar art and craft materials, and many can be adapted to suit different ages. Print the calendar, display it somewhere easy to see, and prepare supplies as you go. A Spanish version and a master supply list may also be available with the printable.
How to Use the Art Prompts Advent Calendar Printable
- Print the calendar and put it somewhere visible.
- Choose the day’s activity and gather the suggested materials. A reusable supply checklist can help with planning.
- Set up a small workspace and let children explore the prompt in their own way. The activities do not need to be completed perfectly—or on a strict schedule.
Keep a few basic supplies together, such as paper, drawing tools, paint, glue, and recycled materials. Adult help is important when an activity involves sharp tools, hot glue, or small objects.
25 Art Prompts for December
1. Draw Your Toys
Supplies: Small toys or figurines, paper, pencil, watercolors, brush, water, and a paper towel.
Invite children to draw a toy by looking closely at its shape and details, then add watercolor. Try placing the toy in a simple pose before drawing.
2. Make a Pretend Post Office
Supplies: Shoebox, envelopes, small pieces of cardstock or folded paper, markers, pencil, and stickers. An adult can cut a mail slot with a craft knife.
Children can decorate the box if they wish, then make pretend letters and deliver them through the slot. Keep cutting tools out of children’s reach.
3. Toilet Paper Roll Creations
Supplies: Toilet paper rolls, hole punch, pipe cleaners or straws, coloring materials, and tape.
An adult can punch holes in advance for younger children. Connect rolls with pipe cleaners or straws and turn them into imaginative figures or structures.
4. Holey Paper
Supplies: Paper with holes, gel sticks or crayons, watercolors, brush, water, paper towel, and glue stick.
Use punched paper or fold a sheet and cut simple shapes. Water-based color can be blended with a damp brush; crayons or oil pastels resist watercolor and create a contrasting effect.
5. Coffee Filter Snowflakes
Supplies: Coffee filters, dot markers, and scissors.
Young children can explore making dots and patterns. Older children can fold a filter, cut small shapes, and unfold it to reveal a snowflake. Supervise scissor use.
6. Collage Surprise
Supplies: A container of collage scraps, such as colored paper, old artwork, straws, and cupcake liners; glue; and a paper bag, cardboard, or other paper.
Offer a mix of textures and shapes, using clean scraps from around the home. Children can arrange the pieces before gluing them down.
7. Twigs, Wire, and Beads
Supplies: Twigs, beads, craft wire or pipe cleaners, washi tape, and scissors.
An adult can cut and prepare wire ends. Children can thread beads and attach the wire to a twig, or wrap it around the branch to make a hanging decoration.
8. Tinfoil Painting
Supplies: Tinfoil, tempera paint, paintbrush, water, and a damp sponge.
Use foil as a shiny painting surface. Tape it to a tray or table to keep it steady, and rinse the brush between colors.
9. Paper Plate Painting
Supplies: Thin paper plates, watercolors, water, brush, and scissors.
Young children can paint and cut freely; older ones might turn a plate into a face, flower, or abstract design. Let the paint dry before cutting.
10. Craft Stick Friends
Supplies: Jumbo craft sticks, markers, pencil or black marker, washi tape, and scissors.
Decorate sticks as people, animals, or imaginary characters. An adult should handle any cutting, especially if sticks are being shortened.
11. Primary Color Day
Supplies: A long white paper tube or white paper, dot markers, markers, and tape in primary colors.
Focus on noticing and using primary colors rather than mixing them. Make a bold, pop-art-inspired pattern with repeated dots, lines, and shapes.
12. Sticky Paper Collage
Supplies: Contact or adhesive paper, flat collage pieces, scissors, hole punch, and wire or string for hanging.
Tape the corners of the paper down with the sticky side facing up. When the collage is finished, cover it with another sheet to seal it. Prepare cut-out materials in advance for younger children.
13. Framed Paintings
Supplies: Watercolor paper, painter’s tape, watercolors, water, brush, and optional oil pastels or crayons.
Tape the paper around its edges to a firm surface. Once the painting is completely dry, peel the tape back carefully to reveal a clean border.
14. Beaded Ornaments
Supplies: Beads, buttons, felt or paper pieces with holes, hole punch, and wire or pipe cleaners.
Prepare a piece of wire about 18–20 inches long and secure one end before beading. An adult should finish the top and shape the wire. Children can also explore bending the wire without making an ornament.
15. Egg Carton Painting
Supplies: Egg cartons, tempera paint, and brushes.
Use separate brushes for different colors to reduce the need for rinsing. Add collage materials and glue after the paint dries if children want to extend the activity.
16. Envelope City
Supplies: Envelopes, pencils, a sharpener, and markers.
Fold each envelope flap upward to create a house-like shape, then draw windows, doors, and details. Arrange several envelopes together to build a paper city.
17. Playdough Fun
Supplies: Playdough, rollers and other tools, toothpicks, short straw pieces, and beads.
Offer tools for pressing, rolling, and making patterns. Supervise small items and toothpicks, particularly with younger children.
18. Pasta Necklaces
Supplies: Stringable pasta, wooden beads or spools, toilet paper rolls cut into pieces, tempera paint, water, brush, sponge, and yarn or wire.
Paint the pieces first and let them dry fully. Then thread them onto yarn or wire. Children who prefer not to make a necklace can shape the wire into a sculpture.
19. Cardboard Sculpture
Supplies: Cardboard scraps, scissors, wood glue or other craft glue, and optional tempera paint.
Provide pieces in different sizes and let children build upward or outward. Buttons, bottle tops, and beads can add texture; supervise small components and allow glue to dry.
20. Cupcake Liner Flowers
Supplies: White cupcake liners, markers, regular craft sticks, and tape or glue.
Flatten and color the liners, then attach them to craft sticks or paper. Children can make other shapes if they prefer, and cardboard makes a sturdy base for a collage.
21. Doily Painting
Supplies: Heart or circle doilies, watercolors, paper towel, water, and a brush.
Paint directly on the doily or place it over white paper and paint across it. The cutout areas create interesting patterns on the paper underneath.
22. Paint Chip Collage
Supplies: Paint chips, scissors, marker, cardboard, and glue.
Draw an outline first and fill it with small pieces of color, or glue the pieces down before adding details. Use only paint chips that are permitted for craft use.
23. Sticker Mandala
Supplies: A cardboard circle and stickers.
Children can place stickers freely or arrange them in a repeating pattern around the center. Cereal-box cardboard is thin enough to cut easily, so an adult can prepare circles beforehand.
24. Yarn-Wrapped Twigs
Supplies: Sticks, yarn, optional googly eyes, and glue.
Choose colors, cut a manageable length of yarn, and wrap it around a stick while holding the loose end in place. Use a vase to display the finished pieces. An adult should handle hot glue if adding eyes.
25. Christmas Day
Keep the final days simple if the season feels busy. The activities are flexible: skip a day, repeat a favorite, or choose a low-mess option. A short setup and cleanup can make the calendar easier to fit into family routines.
Make the Art Prompts Advent Calendar Printable Work for Your Family
These ideas are starting points, not rules. Adjust materials to what you already have, prepare tricky steps ahead of time, and let children decide what their finished work should look like. The Art Prompts Advent Calendar Printable is most useful when it supports relaxed, hands-on creativity rather than adding pressure to December.
Created by Bar.
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