Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

JDaniel4s Mom

growing & learning with him

Advent Calendar Ideas – 25 Blessings

By

25 Blessings Advent Countdown Activities for Kids

 

Every year my sister Shell sends my son an Advent calendar with chocolate pieces tuck behind its tiny doors. He loves it. JDaniel looks forward to hearing scripture verse behind each door while he is enjoying a piece of milk chocolate every morning. Why not come up with something special for us to do in the evening each night during Advent I thought  when the box delivering this year’s Advent calendar arrived. That is when the seed of thought for the Advent activity 25 Blessings started to grow.

I had to think through what I wanted our family to do for our 25 blessings and if it needed to be something beyond offering prayers of Thanksgiving. After thinking about it for awhile, I decided that I would offer up an area or person for us to be thankful for and a list of ways we could show our thanks for that area or person in our lives.

My family has been blessed in so many ways this year along with having many challenges. This year my husband lost his job and went back to school. I searched and searched for a job and found one at a wonderful school in early November. JDaniel started kindergarten and found going to school five days a week full time wasn’t something to dread.

We have been blessed with an amazing family, friends and church that has supported us with prayers, listening ears, and emotional support through the challenges we have encountered with all those changes. They have truly helped us is make it through this year.

There have been troubles with an aging house and cars. Thankfully our immediate family is aging well.  (My husband did back issues earlier this year, but it is much better.) Both our mom’s had health scares early in year and seem to be much better now. JDaniel’s  fall allergies seem to have disappeared and only his spring ones remain.

Why did I tell you all this before sharing my list? I thought it might help some of the things on my list make more sense.

Advent is truly I time for us remember those blessings and be thankful.

Here is the list of advent calendar ideas or  blessings and the day we will be rejoicing and remembering them:

  • Grandparents health
  • Births in our family and our church
  • Family returning from job assignments overseas
  • Good doctors and healthcare
  • Wonderful teachers at school
  • Learning to read
  • Wonderful coaches in soccer class
  • Our home
  • Clean Clothes
  • Kind neighbors
  • Friends to play with
  • Good food to eat
  • Cars that get us where we need to go
  • Awesome resources available at the library
  • Police and firemen that keep us safe.
  • Clean water to drink
  • Being able to freely worship
  • Allergies that seem to be lessening
  • Opportunity for my husband to learn a new SQL Server Database and Programming
  • Job for Mom (me)
  • Wonderful parks to explore and play in
  • People who remember our family in prayer
  • Words of encouragement and lessons from the Bible
  • Amazing friends
  • Memories of loving and laughing as a family
    25 Blessings Advent Countdown Activities for Kids

 

Here is my list of ways we can celebrate our advent calendar ideas or blessings:

 

  • Make a baked good to take to a person on the list we are thankful for.
  • Draw picture to send  to a person on the list we are thankful for.
  • Send a prayer of thanks
  • Donate some toys in their name to Miracle Hill
  • Donate books in their name to the local library
  • Take food to the food bank
  • Call a person on the list and give them thanks
  • Invite a person on our list to do something with our family
  • Look for someone during the day to do something kind for just as we had kind things done for us
  • Send a card or e-mail to family remember sharing something we are thankful or to give them thanks
  • Read a bible verse that talks about that area of thanks
  • List five things that make that area or person special
  • Share a special memory about that area or person
  • State a lesson you have learned from that person or event

You could easily adapt this to your family. Simply sit down and make a list of things you are thankful for or have blessed you. You will have 2 areas or people in no time at all. I tried to include things in the following areas:

  • Immediate family
  • Extended family
  • Health
  • Neighbors
  • Community helpers
  • Church members
  • Events that happened this year
  • Ways our basic needs have been met

Then all you need to do is come up with ways you want to rejoice in those blessings or advent calendar ideas. You are more than welcome to use our list of ways.

I printed out our blessings and ways to celebrate onto an envelope and index cards. They could have simply been written out.

Will you join me in this Advent activity of counting down 25 blessing? 
signature

(Visited 3,134 times, 1 visits today)

Comments

  5. This is amazing. My daughter gets an advent calendar every year from her non-Jewish grandparents. I love the idea of counting blessings and finding ways she can help us reach out to others.

  9. What a great idea and list! My kids love advent Calendars! Thanks for linking up to our Mommy Club Resources and Solutions linky party! I hope you stop by each week!

  15. This is just so so wonderful!!! I love this idea!! We do a blessings jar all year round, where we write down the blessings of the week every Sunday, and put them in this jar we keep on our shelf. I find it helps really establish the ‘habit’ of gratitude. I love all that you are doing with this project. Just wonderful!!
    I am also going to have my kids make “blessings jars” for all of our extended family members- I bought 15 jars, and glitter spray paint and ribbon. I am going to have them write several blessings to put in the jars according to each person- so that they can take out a blessing each day and revel in all that gratitude!
    I am right there with ya girl!! But I am completely impressed with all you have set out to do!!!

  26. I LOVE this idea and one I think I might just have to borrow for us to do too. Blessings come to us in so many ways, don’t they? Even through things that happen to us that aren’t very pleasant at the time. God truly does close one door at times but always opens a window in it’s place.

    Happy SITS Saturday,
    Regi

  28. I love this idea!

    What a great way to keep the focus where it should be!

    Praying for your husband!

    So glad you found something for yourself!

    I am really thankful our paths crossed in Blogland! You are really an amazing person!

    Hugs and A++++

  31. You are awesome…
    As a blogger, mom, wife and friend…
    I love the way you did this..
    Hope yall had a great Christmas!!!!!
    Thinking of you and hoping that the New Year is a great one for you!

  32. I love this idea! Turning the countdown to Christmas into a time for giving exemplifies what the season is about!

Categories

memberships

From the Past