A Simple Family Advent Activity

Maria Riley shares an easy way to prepare our families’ hearts for Christmas. 

Advent is a beautiful time of year. We learn to wait in hopeful expectation for the coming of Jesus, both in remembering his earthly birth and looking forward to when he will come again.  

For our kids, focusing on the true meaning of the season of Advent can be challenging. The sparkle of new toys and clothes draws their attention away from the true meaning of the season. We moms can get overwhelmed by the number of gifts we have to buy and parties we have to coordinate. Advent can start to feel like nothing more than a countdown to Christmas.  

The Manger Activity  

A super-simple way to refocus our families on the season of Advent is with the Manger Activity. All you need is a manger for Jesus and some yellow construction paper.  

I’m a girl mom, so we use a baby doll cradle. If you don’t have one of those, you can use a basket or even repurpose one of those shipping boxes that appear regularly on your doorstep. Remember, Jesus came to earth in the most humble conditions. I think He wouldn’t mind having His place prepared in a used box.   

Cut the yellow construction paper into strips. These are pieces of “hay” to prepare Jesus’ manger. Every day of Advent, each of the members of your family will write one good deed they did. This might be something like praying for someone, sharing, holding the door for a stranger, or doing someone else’s chore.  

Then place the strips of paper in Jesus’ manger as the hay. The more good deeds that are added, the better prepared is his bed! Throughout the season of Advent, you and your family will see how your acts of selfless love turn His manger into a cozy bed, ready for Him to arrive on Christmas.  

Variations on This Activity 

For the youngest kids, simply saying something like “I love you, Jesus!” as they place the hay in the manger is perfect. For tweens and teens, challenge them to not repeat a good deed the entire season. They will have to get creative with their generous acts.  

We stick to just one per person per day, usually right after dinner. Of course there are days we forget, and I remind myself to not let perfect get in the way of spiritual growth for my family. You could do this once per week on Sundays if daily is too much. 

Even if this is done as a one-time activity, your family will experience a beautiful visual of how our kind deeds become an invitation for Jesus to rest in our hearts and in our homes. 

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Copyright 2025 Maria Riley
Images: Canva