Advent calendar for kids: how to fill it with real little toys

Filling an Advent calendar yourself means choosing what your child will discover every morning for twenty-four days. Here is our box-by-box method, with concrete ideas taken from our selection of small-budget items.

Why fill your calendar yourself

Ready-made calendars pose two problems. The first is the content: chocolates in every box, or plastic figurines that will no longer be used once Christmas is over. The second is the age: most are designed for four or five-year-olds, with small parts that are not suitable for younger children.

By filling it yourself, you choose objects that will still be in use in January, you control the budget, and you can slip in boxes that cost nothing but mean a lot.

The 24-box method

Rather than looking for twenty-four different gifts, we advise you to divide the boxes into four categories:

• A collection to build (about 10 boxes): each day, a new piece completes a set. On 24 December, the child has a real, complete toy.
• Sets to share across several boxes (about 8 boxes): a set of crayons or a pack of bath toys can be spread over several days.
• A few "big boxes" (2 or 3): a slightly richer activity, ideal for weekends or the 24th.
• "Moment" boxes (2 or 3): a little note announcing an outing, an extra story or a batch of biscuits to bake together.

This split avoids the clutter effect and gives the calendar a common thread that the child will eagerly await.

Idea no. 1: building a market day after day

This is our favourite idea, and the one that works best. Each morning, the child discovers a wooden fruit, vegetable or grocery item. As the days go by, their play kitchen fills up, and on 24 December they have enough to run a real little market.

The German brand Erzi is perfect for this: its wooden foods are sold individually, often for around 2 euros, with a realism and finish you won't find in plastic play kitchens.

Erzi wooden food

For a balanced first market, mix fruits, vegetables and groceries: the strawberry and the slice of bread (€1.20), the lemon and the block of butter (€1.59), the carrot and the tomato (€2.00), the jar of strawberry jam (€2.39). For special days, the box of six eggs (€4.79) is always a hit.

Some pieces are small: check the age stated on each product page before putting them in a toddler's calendar.

Budget: about €20 for 10 boxes. See all Erzi wooden food

Idea no. 2: sets to spread over several days

This is the trick that lowers the budget without lowering the quality. A multi-piece set is spread over several boxes, and the child completes their collection day by day.

Bath crayons, Tiger Tribe

Eight crayons for drawing on the sides of the bath, which wash off with water. Two crayons per box, and that's four mornings sorted. The evening bath becomes a little creative appointment throughout December.

Price: €8.99. Discover the bath crayons

Light-up bath cubes, Glo Pals

Cubes that light up on contact with water, sold in packs of four. One cube per box, and bath time turns into a light show. They come in several colours, which also makes it easy to please two children with two different packs.

Price: €11.99 per pack of 4. See all Glo Pals

Stickers, Janod

A pack of large farm animal stickers or large vehicle stickers (€5.99) fits easily into a box. The large formats are easy for little hands to peel off.

Idea no. 3: big boxes for weekends

Two or three slightly more generous boxes add depth to the calendar. Save them for weekends, when you have time to play together, or for 24 December to help wait until the evening.

Magnéti'stories, Janod

A small board book that opens onto scenes to compose with magnets. Flat format, perfect for a box, and the child will come back to it long after Christmas. Available in farm, construction site, firefighter and unicorn versions.

Price: €9.99. Discover Magnéti'stories

Magic water painting, Tiger Tribe

Water, a brush, and the colours appear. No mess, no preparation: it's the ideal activity for a December Sunday morning. The Farm magic water painting is €10.50.

More big box ideas

The Little Dutch Jim Vehicles water colouring book (€9.95), the Filibabba Dreamy Adventurers kaleidoscope (€6.99) or a 15-piece Plus-Plus BIG tube (€9.99), designed for the hands of children under three.

Idea no. 4: boxes that cost nothing

These are often the ones children remember most. A small folded piece of paper in the box announces the day's plan: we're baking Christmas biscuits, we're going to see the lights, we're reading an extra story tonight, we're decorating the tree, we're building a den in the living room.

Two or three boxes of this kind are enough. They break the "one day, one object" rhythm and remind us that Advent is also a time of waiting that we share.

At Maison Canailles, we love calendars that tell a story. The ones where each box prepares for the next, and where nothing ends up forgotten at the back of a drawer on 26 December.

An example of a complete calendar for about €75

Here is a split that works very well from about two and a half years old:

• 10 boxes: ten Erzi wooden food items to build the market (about €20)
• 4 boxes: Tiger Tribe bath crayons, two per box (€8.99)
• 4 boxes: Glo Pals light-up cubes, one per box (€11.99)
• 2 boxes: two packs of large Janod stickers (€11.98)
• 2 big boxes: one Magnéti'stories and one magic water painting (€20.49)
• 2 moment boxes: an outing and a biscuit-baking session (€0)

Total: 24 boxes for about 75 euros, with items that will continue to be used all year round. All these products can be found in our small budgets collection.

When to prepare your calendar

Ideally from the end of October or the first fortnight of November. This gives you time to receive orders, choose the packaging and fill the boxes calmly, away from the December rush. Small items sold individually also sell out very quickly as Christmas approaches.

Frequently asked questions

What should I put in an Advent calendar for a 2-year-old?

At two, choose objects without small parts: bath toys, large-format stickers, board books, building pieces designed for children under three. "Moment" boxes work very well at this age, because the child mainly enjoys the morning ritual.

How do I make an Advent calendar without chocolate?

That is the whole point of filling it yourself. Small toys, creative activities and shared moments are great substitutes for chocolate, and the child keeps something from each day. You can also reserve chocolate for just a few boxes.

How much should I spend on a homemade Advent calendar?

Between 50 and 100 euros depending on the content. The method of spreading sets over several days and using "moment" boxes makes it possible to stay around 75 euros for a complete, quality calendar.

From what age should you give an Advent calendar?

From two years old, the child understands the ritual of opening a box each morning. Before that, they mainly enjoy the object without grasping the idea of a countdown. Around three or four years old, they start counting the days until Christmas, and that is when the magic really happens.

To go further

Find all our small-budget ideas in the small budgets collection, and all the wooden food in our play kitchen collection. For the big gift on the 25th, our Christmas guides await you: from 0 to 1 year, from 1 to 2 years and from 3 to 4 years. And to find out what suits each age, read our guide which toy to give by age.