Advent Calendar Fillers: A DIY Advent Calendar for Toddler Boys, No Candy
Some links in this post are affiliate links. If you buy through one, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only share things I would put in my own cart.
I wanted an advent calendar for my toddler this year that didn't start every December morning with chocolate before breakfast. A wooden one with drawers gets refilled every year, so the only real job is the fillers. Instead of buying 24 separate tiny things, I bought a handful of multipacks and split them across the days. One safari animal in this drawer, one mini can of Play-Doh in the next, a tiny board book every few days, and all of it keeps getting played with long after the 25th.
Juegoal Red Advent Calendar with 24 Drawers
Real wood, red and white, with 24 numbered drawers in mixed sizes, so the bigger fillers go in the bigger drawers. It stands about 14.6 inches tall and goes back in the closet with the ornaments for next year.
$36.99Shop it
Terra by Battat Wild Animal Figurines, 60 Mini Safari Figures
Sixty little giraffes, lions, zebras and elephants is two or three a day for the whole month, and they move straight into the sensory bin and the bath once December is over.
$9.99Shop it
My Little Library: Christmas, 12 Mini Board Books
Twelve tiny board books about Santa, reindeer and snowmen, one every other day, and the keepsake box with a handle keeps them together after Christmas.
$10.60Shop it
Play-Doh 42-Pack of 1-Ounce Cans
The one-ounce cans fit in even the smallest drawers, and 42 of them fills the calendar with plenty left over for stockings.
$16.99Shop it
CAT Construction Die Cast Metal 3 Pack
A metal steam roller, wheel loader and excavator. I'm saving these for the last three days, when he's most excited about what's behind each drawer.
$12.99Shop it
Kalysky 3 Pack Christmas Reusable Sticker Books
Three handled sticker books with Santa, snowman and reindeer scenes, and the stickers peel off and go back on, so one book lasts a lot more than one afternoon.
$9.99Shop it
Common questions
- What can I put in an advent calendar for a toddler besides candy?
- Small toys that come in multipacks work best: mini animal figures, one-ounce Play-Doh cans, tiny board books, stickers and small vehicles. You split each pack across several days, so you aren't buying 24 different things.
- How much does it cost to fill a DIY advent calendar for kids?
- The wooden calendar and the five filler packs in this post come to just under $100 together, and the calendar gets reused every year after that.
- Are these advent calendar fillers okay for a 2 year old?
- Check the age on each listing. The Terra animals and the CAT trucks are listed for ages 3 and up, so for a younger toddler, stay close while he plays with those or use more board books and Play-Doh in their drawers.
Some mornings he cares more about opening the drawer than what's inside it, and I'm fine with that.