The meaning of Advent explained for children

When houses and streets gleam festively in the dark, when home smells enticingly of cookies and, finally, finally the first little door on the Advent calendar can be opened, then the anticipation for Christmas with each day.

Children especially enjoy Advent with all its customs and secrets. But what exactly is it all about? We go together with you on journey of discovery to the origins of Advent.

Children and adults alike will find the meaning of Advent clearly explained on this page. Because whoever understands its meaning can better grasp the magic of this special time and celebrating the festive traditions together with the whole family brings even more joy.

Why do we celebrate Advent?

Advent mit Kindern | Weihnachtsstimmung mit vier Kerzen im Glas

Advent is the time of anticipation. We look forward to the approaching Christmas celebration. Even in its original Christian meaning, Advent is a time of anticipation. The Latin word "adventus" means "arrival" and refers to the preparations of Christians for the imminent birth of Jesus, the arrival of the Son of God.

According to Protestant and Catholic tradition, Advent always begins on the eve of the first Advent Sunday and ends on Christmas Eve. There are always four Advent Sundays. Each Sunday another candle may be lit on the Advent wreath. Because the beginning is tied to a movable Sunday, but the end to a fixed calendar date, the length of the Advent season varies from year to year.It can last between 22 and 28 days

. The earliest possible date for the first Advent Sunday falls on November 27, the latest date is December 3.

Traditions & customs: what makes Advent special with children

Advent mit Kindern | Mädchen bastelt Nikolaus und Pferd aus Tonpapier

During the Christmas and Advent season there are many lovely traditions and customs. Some have established themselves over the centuries, others over the years within individual families. Surely you also have some rituals that make Advent with your children something very special. Moments that bring you even closer together as a family and the family togetherness strengthen. They don't have to be spectacular activities. Much more important is to push everyday hectic aside for a moment and to consciously enjoy the pre-Christmas season.

Advent wreath

According to the Bible, with Christ the light came into the world, therefore in classic Advent customs the light is at the center: on the Advent wreath the light shines a little brighter with each Advent Sunday and each additional candle that is lit.

Make the Advent Sundays a bit more festive and gather as a family around the Advent wreath with a delicious cup of tea and cookies.

Buy an Advent calendar

Advent mit Kindern | Kind zeigt auf Adventskalender aus kleinen Säckchen

Without the classic Advent calendar it probably doesn't work without it, but it doesn't have to. Children love opening the 24 little doors. The calendar not only provides a sweet surprise every day; it also visualizes the waiting for Christmas and helps count the days until Christmas Eve. Already more than 160 years ago, children sweetened the wait for Christmas with the first homemade Advent calendars.

Make an Advent calendar

Already over 160 years ago children, according to history, sweetened the wait for Christmas with the first homemade Advent calendars – that still works today.

Advent mit Kindern | Kind steht mit Nikolausmütze vor dem Adventskalender

Whether with toilet paper rolls or little linen bags – your creativity knows no bounds. There are also numerous options for filling them.

Ideas for crafting an Advent calendar

Both sweets as well as nice little things – like stickers or mini toys – make children's hearts beat faster. This applies to store-bought or homemade Advent calendars. But the most fun is crafting together with the kids.

Nativity play or Christmas fairy tale

Advent mit Kindern | HABA Weihnachtskrippe steht auf einem Tisch

During Advent, in many towns and churches Christmas fairy tales for children are performed. Often these are traditional fairy tales or stories, but there are also many modern performances for children of almost any age.

Another popular custom is the traditional nativity play during Advent. As early as the Middle Ages, the Christmas story was performed as a religious play in the church. You can also wonderfully set up a nativity scene at home with small figurines.

Christmas songs

Advent mit Kindern | Familie zusammen auf Sofa zu Weihnachten

With the right songs, you will definitely get into the Christmas spirit. Centuries ago, in churches classic Christmas carols were sung. Today there are numerous Christmas songs in a wide variety of genres. There are also beautiful children's songs.

Sit together comfortably on a dark Advent day and sing a few songs. Often children already know the lyrics and melodies of well-known Christmas songs already from school or kindergarten.

But a CD or playlist of Christmas songs also ensures that the little ones will soon be able to sing along to their favorite songs.

Celebrating Advent with Children

Advent is a welcome opportunity to pause now and then and spend cozy time with the family. Everyday life is stressful enough, especially in the run-up to Christmas – we have a few ideas on how you can experience the Advent season festively and with lots of fun together with your children.

Baking Christmas cookies

Christmas baked goods are among the first Christmas preparations in almost all families. Let your child bake to their heart's content and feel free to turn a blind eye if the cookies don't look quite as perfect as usual. The anticipation for the celebration increases all the more with every cut-out cookie. You are welcome to get creative when baking with your children for Christmas: in addition to cookies in typical cut-out shapes, you can also place them on the baking sheet in fun, individual designs.

Advent crafts

Festive Christmas decorations are simply part of Advent. It's especially nice to make the Christmas decorations yourself with the children. These can be both beautiful Christmas stars and Christmas lanterns for candles. Maybe you can also create small gifts for friends and family – making Christmas gifts increases the anticipation for the celebration.

Writing wish lists

Presents are the most important thing about Christmas for children, and the Christmas wish list is therefore an integral part of Advent. Create a nice wish list together with the kids and send it to Santa Claus.

Christmas story time

Cuddling up and reading a story aloud is especially lovely in the dark season. Light a few candles, make yourselves comfortable, and read Christmas stories or poems together. You can also read the Christian Christmas story so that your child learns the actual background of Christmas.

Donations

Giving is as much a part of Christmas as receiving. And it's a good opportunity to tell children that not everyone can expect a full table of gifts on Christmas Eve. Sort through toys and clothes you and your child no longer need together and bring them to one of the many aid organizations. After all, Christmas is about charity.

Activities for the pre-Christmas season

Time with the family becomes even cozier when it gets colder outside. Are you looking for inspiration to make the Advent season especially wonderful with children? Here are great ideas to further boost your anticipation for Christmas:

Read a Christmas story together or invent your own: Children love immersing themselves in other worlds or imagining them on their own!
Go for a winter walk: Discover the winter world with your kids – maybe it will even snow!
Discover animal tracks in the snow: When it snows where you are, the little ones will be amazed when they can match the tracks in the snow to animals.
Build an animal feeding station: Build, for example, a feeding station for birds in winter.
Go ice skating: A great outing for the whole family – and a good exercise for balance too!
Write an Advent journal: During the pre-Christmas season there are so many lovely moments that it's worth writing them all down! How about a notebook where the children can write about special Advent delights daily or every week?

Mindfulness in Advent with Children

Not only for us adults, but also for the little ones, the pre-Christmas season can sometimes be stressful. Mindfulness helps even in these times Relaxation and calm to find. Try these 3 small, child-friendly mindfulness exercises:

Light a candle together and sit quietly for a few minutes and breathe calmly.
Say thank you – Sit together and talk about a special experience from the year that you are thankful for.
Listen mindfully to an Advent or Christmas song – Can you hear specific instruments or sounds? Perk up your ears and dive into the world of music!

Frequently asked questions about Advent with children

What is important during Advent?

Besides well-known traditions and Advent customs, one thing is particularly important during the Advent season: The time spent together as a family. In this preparatory phase for the big Christmas celebration you can decide together, which customs are of great importance to you and in what form you would like to carry them out.

Whether lighting the candles on the Advent wreath, practicing the Christmas carols for the celebration, or small crafts with which you can better teach your children the meaning of Advent — you yourselves decide how to best spend this contemplative time.

Who decided that the church year begins on the first Sunday of Advent?

The church determines the Christian calendar and thus also the scheduling of church festivals. Initially the celebrations of Easter and Christmas were established and, accordingly, other holidays around them were planned.

Why does Advent last four Sundays?

In early medieval Christianity, fasting was observed during Advent, which was to be ordained between St. Martin's Day on November 11 and the original Christmas date on January 6.The fasting period lasted between three to eight weeks. As the Church Father Gregory I disliked the unequal tradition, he fixed the period at four weeks in the 7th century, which has been retained to this day.

Furthermore, the four Sundays were, according to contemporary belief, symbolic of the 4,000 years, which people had to wait after the Fall in Paradise for the arrival of the 'Redeemer'. The number four is also the number that was ascribed to the world in the Old Testament. Thus it is also found in the four seasons, elements, and cardinal virtues.