kids encyclopedia robot

Advent calendar facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Geheimnis der Weihnacht3f
An Advent calendar with a nativity scene behind the 24th door.

An Advent calendar is a special calendar that helps you count down the days until Christmas. Most of them start on December 1st. Some might even include the last few days of November. This is because of the Christian season called Advent. Advent calendars were first used by German Lutherans in the 1800s. Today, many Christians around the world enjoy them.

What Advent Calendars Look Like

Diciembre
An Advent calendar with a picture of Santa riding his sleigh

Advent calendars often have pictures on them. These pictures might show a Christian nativity scene, Santa Claus, or a winter landscape. But there are also many other designs! You can find calendars with themes like sports or technology. They can be made from different materials, such as paper, wood, or even fabric.

Most Advent calendars are like large cards. They are usually shaped like a rectangle. These cards have small "windows" that you can open. There are typically 24 windows. Each window represents one day from December 1st until the day before Christmas.

How to Use an Advent Calendar

You open one window each day. For example, on December 16th, you would open the window with the number '16' on it. Behind each window, you might find different surprises. These can include pictures, short poems, or even a piece of chocolate!

Some calendars have Bible verses or a prayer behind the windows. Christians use these to celebrate Advent as part of their religion. Other Advent calendars might have puzzles or games hidden behind the windows.

Different Kinds of Calendars

There are many unique types of Advent calendars. Some are made online, like on social media. Some towns even create "living" Advent calendars. In these, different buildings or windows in a town light up each day.

Related pages

Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Calendario de Adviento para niños

kids search engine
Advent calendar Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.