A beautiful family Advent: 5 fantastic options

Every year my husband and I look at each other and say, “We really should do something with the kids for Advent.” 

And every year, we kind of drop the ball. 

Whoops.

It’s not that we don’t do anything for Advent. 

We always light our Advent wreath and sing O Come, O Come, Emmanuel with the kids at dinnertime. This simple tradition deeply moved me as a child, and I believe it’s one of the most important ways to instill wonder in children — which points them toward God.

I have put together a "picture book Advent calendar" most years, and we love unwrapping and reading a story together every day. (You can find our favorite books here and here.) And if you want a super easy way to do this tradition, find an all-in-one daily Advent storybook here (and here’s a shorter option for little kids!).

In my Catechesis of the Good Shepherd atrium, we change the altar cloth to purple for preparation and sing joyful songs of anticipation — Light One Candle for Hope, The People Who Walked in Darkness, Come Lord Jesus. (The kids love that last one especially!)

So we do make Advent feel different and special. 

But we’ve rarely done any kind of formal devotional or program at home.

I think this might be our year, though, and I wanted to know what options were out there. After some diligent searching, here's all the Advent things for kids I found that look especially promising. 

I’m still deciding on one for my family, but hopefully these will inspire your family to have a beautiful Advent season.

This sweet tradition is a lovely way to encourage kindness during Advent. Every time your kids do an act of kindness, they get to add a straw in the manger. On Christmas Day, place baby Jesus in the bed they’ve made soft. 

A similar way to do this is with sheep in your Nativity scene, using one sheep for each child (and why not? One for Mom and Dad too!). Each evening, your family can look over the day and see if they can remember an act of kindness that day. Each child/parent who has done an act of kindness moves their sheep figurine closer to the crib.

Speaking of acts of kindness, Mary on the Mantel is a heartwarming way for kids to walk alongside Our Lady as she prepares for Christ’s birth. Each day, they can find a little note from Mary encouraging an act of kindness. My family did this one a few years ago, and here’s my review — spoiler alert, we loved it!

There are a lot of options for family Advent devotionals, so this list doesn’t hit all the good ones! But here are a few that looked especially great to me.

Daily Advent Prayers: Awaiting Jesus with Joyful, Open Hearts: We are huge fans of anything from MagnifiKid! This devotional looks like what we’ve come to expect from MagnifiKid! — engaging, educational, and beautiful.

Watch and Wait: A Catholic Kids Advent Devotional on Waiting and Preparing: Written by Olivia Spears of Into the Deep, this book helps kids prepare for Christmas with daily prayers, reflections, and simple Scripture-based activities, with colorful illustrations and age-appropriate language.

The Quest: A Journey through Advent to Epiphany for Catholic Families: This no-prep, parent-led devotional offers daily reflections that take only about 10 minutes, making it a good fit for busy families. 

The Advent Adventure: A Family Devotional: This devotional takes families through stories from the Bible, ending with the beloved stories surrounding Jesus’s birth, and includes a weekly craft.

Time for a Savior: Advent Daily Devotions for Kids: Take a few minutes a day to learn about the wonderful news that God’s Son, our Savior, is born. 

Another book idea -- which combines a read-aloud with some devotional elements -- is this series by Arnold Ytreeide. Each book is designed for reading just a few pages with a reflection each day, and it brings you into the historical time of Advent through an imaginary character who ends up interacting with the Holy Family. Ytreeide has the skill of a soap opera director when it comes to stopping just at the moment that you’re dying to find out what happens next -- good to really feel that Advent longing! These books aren't specifically Catholic but are Scripture based and easy to adapt for a Catholic family.

We all love a chocolate Advent calendar, but these faith-based calendars take things to a deeper level. 

Toward the Light of Christmas: Open a new window and follow along with the booklet each day of December until you reach the birth of Jesus on Christmas.

Be A Heart 2025 Sticker Liturgical Advent Calendar: Step into the season of waiting with this delightfully illustrated guide, designed to bring faith and wonder into your home from the first day of Advent until the Nativity of Jesus. Kids love stickers, so this one is sure to be a winner!

Many of my friends love this yearly tradition! It’s a thoughtful way to share the story of salvation with children, putting Jesus’ birth in context. You can read more about its history here.

Jesse Tree Advent Sticker Calendar: We are long-time fans of the wonderful and fun Catholic Family Crate, and this colorful product is a great introduction to the Jesse Tree for young children. 

The Jesse Tree: Advent Devotional for Families: Catholic Sprouts is a reliable resource for family faith formation, and how can we pass up stickers? Each day includes a colorful sticker, Scripture passage, reflection and prayer.

The Jesse Tree: An Advent Devotion: Explore Jesus' fascinating ancestry and see how God's plan of salvation unfolds from Adam and Eve, through the Old Testament prophets, to the birth of Christ, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and the sacraments of the Church. This rich and in-depth guide is perfect for families with older children. 

Jesse Tree Ornaments Printable: Here’s your easy “just hit print” option! Meditate on salvation history with your family this Advent season with the Jesse Tree — kids will love coloring in the images. This digital download goes with O Come, Emmanuel, Advent reflections on the Jesse Tree for families. 

Well, that’s certainly plenty of options, right? Which one will you pick for your family?