DIY Christmas Tree Advent Calendar Craft

Can you believe December is almost here? A fun craft to make with kids to mark the coming of this festive month, is to make your own advent calendar.

It’s easy and fun to do, and will appeal to kids of all ages. There are lots of different ways to try out making your own advent calendars. 

Today we will show you a simple and cute DIY advent calendar in the shape of a Christmas Tree.

The finished result of this easy advent calendar looks great, and the best part is you can fill it up with whatever advent surprises and treats you prefer so it is totally personalised.

This Christmas Tree advent calendar craft is made from cardboard toilet paper roll tubes and a few basic craft supplies.

How do you make an Advent Calendar Christmas Tree?

There are so many kinds of advent calendars available in shops these days, beyond the basic chocolate advent calendars of our childhood, or the even simpler picture advent calendars of our parents and grandparents times.

There are toy advent calendars like LEGO advent calendars, Playmobil advent calendars, even options like fragrance or jewellery advent calendars – the options are almost endless nowadays.

But with so much choice, why not opt for making your own advent calendar? This gives you even more freedom for what to include inside each door and can be a much more budget friendly option.

If you are on a mission to make Christmas magic for the children, on a budget, then this idea could be exactly what you need.

What to put inside the DIY Advent Calendar?

The space inside each toilet paper roll tube can be filled with surprises for each day of December.

Here are a few DIY Advent Calendar filler ideas…

You could include a small toy, or a chocolate, a daily Christmas joke, or a Christmas riddle, the title of a Christmas movie for a daily movie to watch together each evening – there are so many directions to go with this.

Small items to include could be

• balloons
• lego minifigures
• hair accessories
• colouring pencils or crayons
• stickers
• party bag style toys
• small craft kits from Baker Ross

Check out our printable activity advent calendar at the end of the post for ideas on what to include, if you would like to use the calendar to structure some fun Christmas activities and crafts for the family.

If you want to include chocolates inside the advent calendar, a great way to do this on a budget is to buy a big bag of fun sized chocolate bags and split this up putting one into each of the spaces.

Making advent calendars together is a fun way to get all the kids involved in Christmas preparations and build up the excitement for the season as the big day approaches.

Kids do not need the most expensive gift or the most luxurious items for Christmas, all they need is our love and our time and these moments spent together could be something that they will look back and remember for years to come.

DIY Advent Calendar Craft Supplies

To make your own Christmas tree shaped advent calendar you will need:

• 26 toilet paper roll tubes – or kitchen roll tubes if you prefer. Use all from the same brand or type so that the sizes are equal
• Tape
• Hot glue gun or a stapler
• Glue stick (eg pritt stick)
• Green tissue paper
• Red and green construction paper
• Large circle hole punch (use scissors if you don’t have this)
• Optional – Snowflake paper punch (or similar)
• Marker pen

How to Make a Christmas Tree Advent Calendar

First, you will need to lay out your 26 toilet paper rolls into the shape of a Christmas tree

Try using the formation (from the top)

1

2

3

4

5

6

5

This creates the Christmas tree shape that you can see here in the pictures. You may notice, we are using 26 toilet paper rolls here which is more than the 24 you would normally use for an advent calendar. This is to give enough space to create a balanced Christmas tree shape, so the tube at the top is empty and there is a DAY 25 included on this design on advent calendar.

How to join the toilet paper rolls together

Either a stapler or a hot glue gun will work for this, so go with your preference. You need them to be attached together really well in order for the advent calendar to remain stable, so using less powerful glues like PVA glue would not be enough for this step.

Once they are all attached together into the Christmas tree shape, add extra stability by adding a layer of tape around the outside edges to hold it firm.

Next, you’re ready to glue down the green construction paper all around the sides. You can use a glue stick for this step, and then glue another layer of green tissue paper on the top.

To cover the front of each toilet paper roll tube, punch out large circles or cut them by hand, and glue on to the front of each of the tubes.

The spaces inside each tube will be filled with surprises and treats, so when making the calendar with the kids you can leave the back open so that you can fill it up later when they are not around, and then just cover over the back with another layer of green construction paper.

Punch out circles in a variety of colors to add extra detail, and you can add punched out shapes like snowflakes and stars to add more christmas tree vibes.

Use a marker pen such as a felt tip pen or a sharpie to write the numbers for each of the spaces.

Mix them up so that each day, the kids need to find the correct space. This is more fun than writing every day in order.

We hope you enjoyed this how to make an easy advent calendar tutorial and are inspired to give this craft a go with the kids!

Fill each space with a craft or activity from our printable craft and activity Advent calendar

More Christmas Crafts for Kids

If you’re looking for more Christmas craft inspiration for December, or for the festive season, you are going to love these ideas.

Have fun making your own Christmas Eve box with the kids

Make salt dough Christmas tree ornaments to use again and again each year

Make cute personalised photo ornaments to hang in the Christmas tree, using left over Christmas wrapping paper

Try these fun and cute Christmas color by number printables

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Thanks so much!

Enjoy, happy crafting and merry Christmas!