Advent Calendars Without Sweets for Children: The Best Options!

I have been searching for a beautiful advent calendar without sweets for children for my soon-to-be 4-year-old daughter. In this post, I would like to share my tips for the most beautiful advent calendars for girls and boys that I found during my research. I completely understand if not every mother has the time or desire to create a homemade advent calendar for her child. Even with a store-bought advent calendar, children can have a lot of joy, and it doesn’t always have to be the calorie-rich version with chocolate. There are many lovely advent calendars without sweets for children.

Advent Calendars Without Sweets for Children

As a child, I always had an advent calendar with chocolate, and that was perfectly sufficient. But if parents today want to give their children an advent calendar without sweets, there are many alternatives with toys or books. The selection of advent calendars for children has grown, and I have compiled a few beautiful advent calendar ideas for children: from toddlers to school-aged kids, there is something suitable for every age group.

Why an Advent Calendar Without Sweets Makes Sense

• Less sugar is better for teeth
• Creative surprises stimulate children’s curiosity and anticipation instead of just snacking
• The contents are often more sustainable (e.g., toys, craft materials) because they can be reused instead of being daily discarded packaging waste

What to Consider When Buying or Filling

• Pay attention to age-appropriate contents: No small parts for toddlers
• Set a budget, as the calendars can be more expensive relative to their contents
• Theme selection: Toys, books, or craft kits instead of sweets
• Consider the packaging and materials used: Eco-friendly, without excessive plastic

1) Playmobil Advent Calendar for Children Aged 1.5 Years and Up

Last year, my daughter had the Playmobil 123 advent calendar, which is suitable for toddlers aged 1.5 years. Now at 3 years old, or almost 4, she is already ready for the Playmobil advent calendar for older children aged 4 and up. She loves Playmobil, and as a mother, I also really like the Playmobil advent calendars. I think this is a meaningful advent calendar that children will enjoy for a long time and that expands the Playmobil collection.

2) Advent Calendars with Books

Advent calendars with books beautify the pre-Christmas season with their Christmas stories and increase children’s anticipation for Christmas Eve. Some of the advent calendars also contain books with everyday stories outside the Christmas theme, so children will still enjoy the little books even after Christmas.

The most successful and popular book advent calendar on the market is probably the one with Pixi books. We are also big fans of Pixi books. However, there are also a few nice alternatives to the Pixi advent calendar, such as the Wimmel advent calendar.

3) Advent Calendars with Schleich Animals

Schleich animals are very popular with children. The Schleich horse advent calendar will surely delight little horse fans. And for dinosaur fans, there is the Schleich advent calendar with dinosaurs.

4) Leo Lausemaus Advent Calendar

Little children love Leo Lausemaus, and my daughter is no exception. The advent box with 24 Leo Lausemaus stories was given to my daughter for her birthday when she was two years old. At that time, she was still a bit too young for the stories, but now at three years old, they are already more exciting for her.

5) Play-Doh Advent Calendar for Children Aged 3 and Up

My daughter loves to mold and can never have enough supplies. The Play-Doh advent calendar for children aged 3 and up includes five cans of dough and plenty of accessories.

6) Lego Advent Calendar for Children Aged 5 and Up

For older children who enjoy building with Lego, there are also great advent calendars from Lego. From Lego Friends to Star Wars, Harry Potter, Disney, and Minecraft, the selection is vast and covers various interests.

7) Interactive Advent Calendar from tiptoi for Children Aged 4 and Up

This advent calendar with Christmas songs and poems is a lovely gift for children who already have the tiptoi pen. Behind the doors are great surprises, such as games, puzzles, craft materials, and more.

8) Kosmos Advent Calendar for Children Aged 8 and Up

The Kosmos advent calendar is for children aged 8 and up. For children who enjoy experimenting, the Kosmos experiment kit advent calendar is great, as it includes 24 experiments for the Christmas season. For those who prefer exciting detective stories, the 3 question marks advent calendar or the 3 exclamation marks advent calendar will be a hit.

9) GEOlino Advent Calendar for Children Aged 8 and Up

With the GEOlino advent calendar, school children can try out 24 small, exciting experiments from chemistry, physics, and biology.

My Conclusion

There are many advent calendars without chocolate or other sweets for children. However, one usually has to dig a bit deeper into their pockets, as they are not exactly cheap. I am wavering between the Playmobil and tiptoi advent calendars for my daughter.

My tip: If you don’t mind not having the latest edition, you can sometimes find great bargains after Christmas and save the calendar for the next year. That’s what I did with the Playmobil advent calendar.

Alternatively, you can also fill an advent calendar for children yourself. It’s worth investing in a [amazon link="B07XGZWDZ4" title="fill-your-own advent calendar"] especially if you plan to gift a homemade advent calendar every year. You could buy a set of Lego or Playmobil and then divide it among the individual doors. This often turns out to be cheaper than buying a ready-made advent calendar. If you also shop ahead when the products are on sale, you can save money.

Are you still looking for a gift idea for your children for Christmas? Then my post with tips for gifts for 3-year-old girls and boys might help you out!

What advent calendar are you giving your children? With or without sweets? Do you make one yourself or buy a ready-made advent calendar without sweets for children?