Advent begins on Sunday, November 30th this year. Does your family need ideas for preparing your hearts for Jesus this Advent? Or, perhaps you are a catechist hoping to spread the joy of the Advent season to your students with some awesome Catholic Advent activities.
Either way, we have so many amazing Advent articles packed with resources that we decided to round them up in this post! Be sure to grab a cozy beverage (and a pen and paper!) and enjoy these beautiful Advent activities and resources from our archives.
Catholic Advent Activities and Lesson Plans
7 Ways to Observe Advent with Children
If you would like to add a more reflective or penitential note to your family’s Advent observance, check out the seven ideas below to get you started. Choose one (or two), gather what you will need, and start a new family tradition!
Advent JOY Lesson
The third Sunday of Advent is Gaudete Sunday. Gaudete means joy. Gather with your faith formation groups or your family on December 14, 2025 for Gaudete Sunday and celebrate with JOY! Here is the outline and activities. The birthday cake for Jesus is beautifully symbolic (and tasty!)
Catholic Advent Ideas for Families
Our large family has many precious memories of celebrating Advent together. We wanted to keep the focus on the season of waiting – rather than the season of “I want this or I want that.” The marketing for toys, dolls, games, etc. was just as intense in those pre-technology years as it is now; so we had several ways to get the family to focus on waiting for the arrival of Jesus.
Catholic Advent Wreaths: Easy DIYs and Crafts for Kids
Advent is a beautiful time for preparing our hearts in anticipation of the Birth of Christ at Christmas! Here are 10+ easy and fun DIY Catholic Advent Wreaths for you to do with your kids and students.
An Advent Meditation to Use
The tradition continues today. Many religious programs are reenacting the “living” nativity within churches, prayer gardens, and church halls. It’s a beautiful physical reminder of the divine embracing the world. And, yet, after all these years, the story is taken for granted and the message becomes mundane though, each year, the season of Advent is a reminder not to fall victim to everyday monotony when viewing the face of God.
It was with these thoughts that I wrote the following meditation which I offer to all of you trying to reach the mind, hearts, and souls of our young Catholics in our religious ed programs this Advent season.
Miraculous Mothers
This post is a must read for teachers and parents during Advent! It has tons of biblical and theological truths all laid out for you to teach kids about the prophecies of Jesus’ birth, the conception and birth of St. John the Baptist, the Annunciation, the Visitation, Jesus as a descendent of King David, the Jesse tree, and more! I love learning about the bible from Christian Leblanc!
Round Up of Advent and Christmas Activities from Holy Heroes
Recently, I had the wonderful opportunity to chat with Clara Davison – the brand manager of Holy Heroes. Clara gave me the scoop on all of the free resources and beautiful Advent and Christmas activities from Holy Heroes this year. I am sure you will find something on this list for everyone on YOUR list to help prepare and celebrate for the birth of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!
Free Advent Puppet Script
Here is an adorable, fun and meaningful free Advent puppet script from Lisa Mladnich! Be sure to also check out our archive of free puppet scripts here.
Advent Puppet Script
Here is a sweet Advent puppet script, which Lisa wrote years ago. It can be performed easily by any adult or teen. In fact, any child who reads well can perform them!
The Immaculate Conception and Marian Typology
Advent is the perfect time to learn about Our Blessed Mother! The Feast of the Immaculate Conception is on December 8th (a Holy Day of Obligation!). Here are some of our popular posts on the Blessed Virgin Mary for this season.
Having a Holier Advent as we Honor the Feast of the Immaculate Conception (December 8th) All Month
Mary remained free of sin for her entire life. Honoring her purity is a calming antidote to the sometimes garish bustle of December, and a complementary devotion to our usual Advent activities culminating in the festive splendor of Christmas. We turn to Our Lady this Advent and ask that she will guide the ways we wait for, plan for, and celebrate the birth of her Son, Our Lord.
Mary in the Catechism: the Four Marian Dogmas
Immacu-what?
Check out this post by Sarah Reinhard with ideas and activities for teaching and learning about the Immaculate Conception. Now, let’s all say a Hail Mary for our catechetical work and lean back into Mary’s arms. She’s the best one to carry us, after all, and she’s sure to lead us to her Son.
Pitchers 5: The Sinless Tummy
Don’t let the simple drawings fool you! This post is packed with rich theology from Christian Leblanc to help you teach the Immaculate Conception to your children and students.
XmaSnax
Another gem from Christian Leblanc (and a follow up to his other highlighted posts). It also includes an introduction on Mary as the New Eve. Here is an excerpt:
“Hey, it’s almost Christmas; what season is it? Winter? Not yet. Fall? No, I mean what Church season? Advent. Yes, which means Arrival. I was thinking this week about the first Advent, when Mary was waddling around [I do so] with a huge stomach, saying, “Joseph, I am so ready to have this baby.” I always considered Advent being a time of expectation, like “O come, O come, Em-ma-a-an-u-el,” but never really thought about Mary being tired of waiting and wanting to get it done. That’s how my wife and daughter-in-law are; I think all mothers have their own personal Advent season every time they are pregnant.”
Marian Typology- Mary as the New Eve!
Advent is the perfect time for teaching children about Marian typology in the Old Testament – specifically how Mary is the New Eve! Here is another post to dive deeper into the incredible world of Marian Typology. Enjoy this fascinating and informative post from one of our new and talented contributors – Jennifer Breidenbach. Jennifer is a wife, homeschooling mother, teacher, and curriculum designer. Be sure to download her free Marian Typology lesson plan in the post!
Keeping Advent Peaceful, Prayerful, and Joyful
Finally, we have some resources for YOU! Fill your cup with peace and joy so that peace and joy can overflow to those around you this Advent season.
Three Secrets that Lead to Advent Joy, Not Exhaustion
Advent comes from the Latin word, “adventus,” which means “coming.” Jesus is coming, we know, and there is much to do! But life can be intensely stressful, noisy, and draining, especially when we are caught up in the material demands of the Christmas season. Here are three easy ways to weed out unnecessary distractions and plant our hearts firmly in Advent.
Living Advent: How to Cope with the Awkwardness of the First Week
For those of us who work for the Church, in ministry, or in catechesis this is an especially busy time of year. The thought of finding and contemplating the silence of Advent and the Nativity only leaves us jealous of the Holy Family. Here are a few tips that might be helpful for me and for you when it is difficult to live Advent.
This post originally appeared on AmazingCatechists.com on Nov 15, 2024, and has been updated.
If you make a purchase via a link on this site, we may receive a small commission. There will be no added cost to you. Thank you!
