Want to end squabbles between siblings over who gets to put up the advent ornament each day? How about making personal advent calendars so each kid can have one? This is also a great quick project for classrooms, scout packs, make and takes at holiday bazaars, or just a good fun craft activity to do with your children at home. You could also use it as a December reward chart, cute classroom decorations, or just decorations for your little one’s bedroom. You could also adapt this project to make simple Christmas cards with your kids.

I used a tree doily (a pack of 20 for $1 at the dollar store), and some holiday foam stickers (also from the dollar store) to make a quick advent calendar for my 2 year-old son. You can also just cut a tree out of construction paper if you can’t find the doilies, or don’t want to purchase them.

Supplies:

• Construction paper
• Tree doily or green construction paper
• Christmas-themed stickers (24)
• Glue stick
• Scissors, if needed

To make:

• glue a doily on a complementary colored background paper.

• Gluing tip: I used a glue stick. Apply with a light hand, especially if it’s one of those stiff/sticky glue sticks, or you’ll tear the doily. I used the edge of the glue stick and applied it in long strokes along each edge and in the middle. To affix to paper, smooth doily lightly out from center onto paper.

For an advent calendar:

• stick one sticker on tree per day (number the stickers, if desired).

Heather Mann is a regular contributor at Make and Takes. She’s is the mother of three boys, ages 3, almost 2, and newborn. She publishes Dollar Store Crafts, a daily blog devoted to hip crafting at dollar store prices, and CraftFail, a community blog that encourages crafters to share their not-so-successful craft attempts.