Free Printable Advent Calendar Craft Project

Advent is the four week period before Christmas. Advent calendars are a great way to count down the days until Christmas. You can make your own using this easy Advent calendar pattern. Advent begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas, so the length of time it lasts changes each year. To make your Advent calendar reusable from year to year, simply number windows from 1-42. That will ensure that you have enough for each day before Christmas and up to Epiphany. On shorter season years, end earlier. First, I've included links for free printable advent calendars to make as kids' craft projects.

Free Printable Advent Calendars

These sites offer a variety of styles, from simple countdowns to activity-focused and religious designs:

• A Hundred Affections: Offers a comprehensive bundle including calendars for daily Bible readings, acts of kindness, and family activities.

• Kids Craft Room: Features a wide collection of creative countdowns, including a Nativity-focused coloring Advent calendar.

• A Cultivated Nest: A curated list of 16 different printable advent calendars ranging from DIY boxes to sticker-based countdowns.

• Powerful Mothering: Provides a printable DIY box template that creates a Christmas tree image as you open the boxes each day.

DIY Reusable Advent Calendar Project

Overview

• What it is: A custom, reusable Advent calendar that counts down from the fourth Sunday before Christmas through Epiphany.

• Capacity: 42 windows to accommodate varying seasonal lengths.

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Materials Needed

• Base: 4 sheets of tagboard, card stock, or construction paper (11" x 17" recommended).

• Decorations: Christmas-themed images (wrapping paper or printed illustrations). Check out these sites for free printable Catholic Christian coloring pages for Christmas. 

  Catholic & Christian Christmas Coloring Pages

  These sites provide pages specifically focused on the religious story of Christmas:

  • CatholicMom.com: A fantastic resource for liturgical coloring pages, including those specifically for Advent and various saints' feast days.

  • The Catholic Kid: Excellent for thematic religious pages, including a series on the "12 Days of Christmas" that explains the religious significance behind each day.

  • Christian Preschool Printables: Features a large collection of Nativity scenes, angel pages, and depictions of the journey to Bethlehem.

  • Religious Doodles: Offers a variety of pages based on classic Christmas carols and Nativity imagery.

• Tools:

  • Sharp scissors and X-acto knife.

  • Scoring tool.

  • Fine-point black pen.

  • Markers or crayons (if coloring your own images).

• Adhesives: Choose your preferred method (Glue dots for ease, or Rubber Cement for clean-up).

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Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Prepare the Poster Base

   • Create your 11" x 17" backing by taping smaller sheets together if necessary.

2. Decorate one piece of tagboard using your chosen Christmas images or wrapping paper. You can print this and have children color it, as well. 

   

3. Create the Activity/Verse Sheet

   • On a separate piece of plain tagboard, draw 42 rectangles (each 1.5" x 1").

   • Write a Bible verse or countdown activity inside each rectangle.

   • The Story of the Coming King (42-Day Countdown)

     Part 1: The Promises (Old Testament Prophecy)

     1. Genesis 3:15 – The promise of a Savior.

     2. Genesis 12:3 – All nations will be blessed.

     3. Genesis 49:10 – The ruler will come from Judah.  

     4. 2 Samuel 7:16 – A throne established forever.  

     5. Isaiah 7:14 – The virgin will conceive.  

     6. Isaiah 9:2 – A people walking in darkness see a great light.

     7. Isaiah 9:6 – A Son is given; his name is Prince of Peace.  

     8. Isaiah 9:7 – He will reign on David’s throne.  

     9. Isaiah 11:1 – A shoot will come from the stump of Jesse.

     10. Micah 5:2 – The ruler will be born in Bethlehem.  

     11. Numbers 24:17 – A star will rise out of Jacob.  

     12. Malachi 3:1 – The messenger prepares the way.

     Part 2: The Announcement (Luke 1)

     13. Luke 1:5–7 – The story of Zechariah and Elizabeth.  

     14. Luke 1:8–11 – The angel appears in the temple.

     15. Luke 1:13–15 – The promise of John the Baptist.

     16. Luke 1:26–27 – The angel Gabriel visits Mary.  

     17. Luke 1:28–30 – "Greetings, you who are highly favored."  

     18. Luke 1:31–33 – The announcement of Jesus’ birth.

     19. Luke 1:34–35 – "How will this be?"  

     20. Luke 1:38 – Mary’s humble response.  

     21. Luke 1:39–41 – Mary visits Elizabeth.  

     22. Luke 1:46–49 – Mary’s song of praise (The Magnificat).  

     Part 3: The Birth (Matthew 1 & Luke 2)

     23. Matthew 1:18–19 – Joseph’s dilemma.  

     24. Matthew 1:20–21 – An angel visits Joseph in a dream.  

     25. Luke 2:1–3 – The decree of Caesar Augustus.  

     26. Luke 2:4–5 – The journey to Bethlehem.

     27. Luke 2:6–7 – The birth in the manger.  

     28. Luke 2:8–9 – Shepherds in the fields.  

     29. Luke 2:10–12 – "Do not be afraid; a Savior is born."  

     30. Luke 2:13–14 – The heavenly host praises God.  

     31. Luke 2:15–16 – The shepherds hurry to find Jesus.  

     32. Luke 2:17–18 – The shepherds spread the good news.  

     33. Luke 2:19–20 – Mary ponders these things.  

     Part 4: The Epiphany (Matthew 2)

     34. Matthew 2:1–2 – The Wise Men see the star.  

     35. Matthew 2:3–4 – Herod is disturbed.

     36. Matthew 2:5–6 – Seeking the Messiah in Bethlehem.

     37. Matthew 2:9–10 – The star leads them to the house.  

     38. Matthew 2:11 – Worship and gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  

     39. Matthew 2:12 – The Wise Men return home.

     Part 5: Reflection & The Word Made Flesh

     40. John 1:1–3 – The Word was with God.  

     41. John 1:14 – The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.  

     42. 1 John 5:11 – God gives us eternal life through His Son.  

4. Template and Cutting

   • Place a sheet of tracing paper over the rectangle grid and trace the outlines.

   • Layer the decorated poster board on top of the activity sheet.

   • Place the tracing paper on top of the stack.

   • Using your scoring tool or X-acto knife, cut three edges of each rectangle through the decorated tagboard to create "windows."

5. Final Assembly

   • Number the windows 1–42 on the front of the decorated board.

   • Tape the two sheets of tagboard together along the edges to create the finished calendar.  

     
     

Good Friday and Holy Saturday lesson plans: Stations of the Cross shoebox dioramas

Hello my friends of this blog on Catholic Activities. The purpose of this site is to make our Catholic Christian faith more real for us all but especially our children. Here are ways to personalize Good Friday, Lent and Holy Saturday so it is relatable to children. As a Montessori educator and homeschool mom from way back I make lesson plans "hands-on" and interactive. 

To do so, we make Lenten craft projects and use them as devotional aides. Here are Catholic lesson plans to make Bible Easter dioramas that show the Stations of the Cross. Make these Lenten craft projects for Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday Good Friday or any time during Holy Week or Lent. As Easter often falls in April, Earth Month, we'll use recycled materials in our recycle bin crafts for Easter. Here's a free printable old city Jerusalem map to show where the present-day Via Dolorosa, or Way of Sorrows--is. This can help you visualize the stations of the cross in situ.

Pro-Tip for Busy Families: Fourteen shoeboxes is a big project! Consider choosing the "Major 3" (Crucifixion, Burial, and Resurrection) or assign one station to each child in a classroom setting to create a full set together.

What You’ll Need: The Ultimate Recycled Supplies List

Here's what you'll need for Bible Easter dioramas depicting the Catholic Stations of the Cross. Your recycle bin is your best friend here 

recycled shoebox with lid

egg cartons

small cardboard boxes

recycled toilet paper and paper towel tubes

foil pieces

milk rings

plastic dishes

toothpicks

broken pencils

clear orange or red plastic from bread bags 

round head clothespins

fabric and yarn scraps

beads

bits of greenery

sticks or twigs

glue  or glue dots

misc nuts, bolts and screws (for students to use as needed)

lentils spray painted silver for Judas's 30 pieces of silver. 

free printable Stations of the Cross coloring pages and images for backdrop

Free printable Way of the Cross coloring pages

free printable stations of the cross with prayers

scrap jewelry for chains

scissors and tape

Directions for Easter shoebox dioramas.

Stand the shoebox part upright inside the lid. Tape in place. The lid becomes the stage on which to arrange characters, props and setting details in Bible Easter dioramas. The open shoebox is the theater, so to speak. Make one shoebox diorama for each of the Stations of the Cross. Small boxes and paper towel tubes become buildings in the temple courtyard, praetorium, steeples or the pillory where Jesus is whipped. 

Small plastic containers, cups or egg cartons form rocks or hills. Invert and paint green or brown. Create crosses from sticks and twigs found in the yard. Glue to an inverted butter tub or dish for Golgotha (Calvary) where Christ was crucified in the Stations of the Cross.  

To create the city of Jerusalem and Via Dolorosa, make a "ramp" of cardboard to show Jesus at each station of the cross. Make baskets, containers and windows from milk rings or bottle caps. Use foil and toothpicks for armor, nails, water, swords or chains. Make fire from clear orange plastic bags. Use broken pencils for logs in a fire, depending on what is at each scene. 

Make characters in Bible Easter dioramas using round head clothespins. Make Jesus, Pontius Pilate, Pharisees, Mary the Mother of God, Veronica, Simon the Cyrene, Roman soldiers and other people Jesus meets at each of the Stations of the Cross. Cut Jesus's robe, character clothing and hair from fabric scraps or yarn. Make a tiny image of Jesus for Veronica's shawl. Draw wounds of Christ in red marker or paint pen.

Use yarn for Roman soldiers' whips and fabric for trees or plants. Use burlap for rocks, dirt or ground. Make a tiny crown of thorns from brown cloth or wire. Cut pictures from magazines for backdrops or figures in background. Make crosses of twigs, cardboard, sticks or clay. Use cotton for clouds. Cut chains and clasps from old jewelry. Set out assorted beads for fruit, vegetables. You might depict Stations of the Cross where Jesus falls in front of a crowded market. 

Provide a "buffet table" of supplies and then let students alone to design their Easter dioramas. Use Catholic Lenten craft projects in devotions for Ash Wednesday or Holy Week. Make Bible Easter dioramas to explore history, social studies, culture study, biography, literature and religious education. Use Lenten craft projects for Sunday school, Catholic CCD, Orthodox Christian kids' groups or Vacation Bible School. You could even make Old Testament Bible dioramas for Hebrew or Islamic school, AWANA or any church school. Dioramas could depict Bible stories, lives of saints, spiritual and stories behind holy days and holidays--Rosh Hashanah, Ramadan, Passover as well as Easter. 

My children really got into not only the creativity part of this Good Friday lesson plan but also the intuitive spirituality. As they "told" Jesus's story, they lived it too. It was as if they walked the way of sorrows, or Via Dolorsa with Our Lord.