Christmas Countdown Activities for Kids: A Coloring Page a Day from December 1 to 24

A countdown does not need 24 small toys. One page to color or one small craft each day gives kids something to look forward to, and it fills the busy weeks before Christmas without a shopping trip for filler gifts.

The whole thing takes one printing session. Print the pages you want, number them 1 to 24, and put them in a row of envelopes, a folder or a basket. Each morning a child opens the day's page and colors it. By Christmas Eve there is a stack of finished pictures and a decorated tree.

If you want free pages to start with, our free Christmas coloring pages for kids has printables ready to print. For the crafty days, Christmas crafts for toddlers pairs well with this plan, and when you are filling stockings too, stocking stuffers for toddlers keeps the small gifts simple.

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How a Coloring Countdown Works

The setup is the whole trick, and it takes about half an hour in late November. Print 24 pages in one sitting, then number the backs or the envelopes: 1 for December 1 up to 24 for Christmas Eve. Plain paper is fine. Cardstock is better for anything that will hang on the tree or become a card.

Sort the pages into three piles before you number them: Christmas and Santa pages, snowman pages, and woodland pages. Mix them as you number, so the month does not run out of variety by the second week.

If two children are counting down together, print two sets and give each child their own row of envelopes. Sharing one page a day between siblings causes more arguments than printing twelve extra sheets.

An envelope per day looks lovely hanging on a string, but a folder or a shallow basket works just as well and takes a fraction of the time. Then hand over the choosing. A child who opens the day's envelope and finds a page with their name on the front starts coloring without being asked.

Finished pages go on a string across the kitchen window or into a folder, and the countdown becomes something the whole family can see.

A Simple 24-Day Plan

This is a whole month of activity in one list. Swap days around as needed, and skip anything that does not suit your family.

• December 1 to 20: one Birdie coloring page a day. Mix Christmas, Santa, snowman and woodland pages so the month keeps changing.
• Weekends: build one 3D paper ornament for the tree on Saturdays and Sundays instead of a flat page.
• December 21: color gift tags for family presents.
• December 22: the Nice List certificate.
• December 23: color a Christmas card for grandparents.
• December 24: a Letter from Santa to open on Christmas Eve.

Days 1 to 20 are the engine of the month, so pick pages with a subject a child recognizes straight away: a tree, a snowman, a bird in a scarf. Save the busier scenes, the cards and the certificate for days when someone is home to help with folding or cutting.

Twenty flat pages plus eight ornament weekends is plenty of coloring for one month, and the last four days carry the parts kids remember: their name on the tree, tags on the presents, a card going to a grandparent, and a letter to read on Christmas Eve.

Everything in One Download

The easiest way to run this plan is one download that covers all 24 days. Birdie's North Pole Collection is our biggest bundle: all four Birdie books (200 pages), 20 cut-out 3D ornaments, 4 Christmas cards, a Nice List certificate, 12 gift tags and a Letter from Santa. Every file is a US Letter and A4 PDF, ages 2 and up, so it prints on whatever paper your printer takes.

Print the whole collection once and the countdown is ready before December starts, with pages left over for next year.

Smaller Options

If 200 pages is more than your printer wants, two smaller packs cover the page-a-day part on their own. The Snow Day Pack is 25 snowy pages of snowman building, sledding, skating and a visit from Santa. The Christmas Complete Collection is all 52 pages from Birdie's Christmas book, if you would rather print one book's worth and save the extras for next December.

Add Ornaments to the Tree

Weekend ornaments are the part that outlasts the month. Each ornament is colored, cut out by a grown-up, then slotted together into a shape that stands out from the branches, with a loop of ribbon or yarn to hang it. A set of 20 covers every weekend in December with a few spare.

Slot-together ornaments need a little pressure on the tabs, so a grown-up usually fits the pieces while the child chooses which branch each one hangs from. Cardstock holds its shape better than copy paper and lasts the season.

If you would rather not print and cut, the mailed kit arrives on cardstock with ribbon included, ready to color and hang.

End with a Letter from Santa

Christmas Eve deserves something to open that is not a present. A personalized letter from Santa, delivered by Birdie, arrives with a color-me-in copy and two name ornaments, so the letter can go on the tree after it is read.

Mailed letters: order by December 12 for Christmas delivery in the US. Ordering earlier leaves room for mail delays, and a letter addressed to your child is a surprise to find in a real mailbox.

Prefer Paperback Books?

If you would rather hand over a real book than a printer stack, the paperbacks work with the same plan. Birdie's Jumbo Coloring Book holds all four Cozy Cottage books in one 200-page volume, so a single book covers the month. The four individual books are the same bold and easy style, with thick outlines and one big picture per page, and each one costs less than the bundle.

Books also solve the December 24 problem: a paperback still works on Christmas morning when the printed pages are all colored in.

Tips for Keeping It Easy

• Print everything in one sitting. One afternoon with the printer saves 23 separate evenings of hunting for the right page.
• Keep crayons in one cup. A single cup that lives with the countdown basket means nothing to search for, and no crayons rolling under the sofa.
• Let kids skip a day. A missed day is not a failure. Catch up at the weekend, or let that number wait in the basket for next December.
• Display finished pages on a string. A length of yarn and a few clothespins turns the countdown into wall art and gives every page a second life.
• Start December 1 or any day. Beginning halfway through the month works fine: number only the days that remain and keep going to Christmas Eve.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are easy Christmas countdown activities for kids?

Coloring one page a day is the simplest, because there is no setup once the pages are printed. Add a 3D paper ornament on weekends, gift tags on December 21, a card for grandparents on December 23 and a Letter from Santa for Christmas Eve.

How do I make a coloring page advent calendar?

Print 24 pages, mix Christmas, snowman and woodland designs, then number them 1 to 24 and seal each one in an envelope. The envelopes can hang on a string or sit in a basket, and a child opens one each morning in December.

What can I use instead of a toy advent calendar?

A page-a-day coloring countdown, a basket of small craft projects or a set of printable 3D ornaments all replace the plastic toy calendar. The cost is one download and some printer paper, and the finished pages become decorations rather than clutter.

When should I start a Christmas countdown?

December 1 is the usual start, and it gives 24 days through to Christmas Eve. Starting later works too: number only the days that remain and keep the same order, so the Letter from Santa still lands on December 24.

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