The first act on this calendar can happen at dinner: thank someone for one thing they did today. A ride home, a bedtime story, help finding a missing shoe—your child chooses what to name.
A kindness advent calendar counts down to Christmas with one small act of care each day. This free printable has 24 prompts for December 1–24, with ideas for kids ages 3–10 to try at home, at school, with neighbors, and with animals. Every act uses what you already have. Jump to: printable and 24 acts · using the calendar · ideas by age · kindness and rewards · school ideas · easy swaps
What are the 24 acts in the kindness advent calendar?
Download the calendar below. Its 24 numbered spaces each hold one small act, from setting out napkins to listening to a relative who lives far away. If you want a mix of crafts, games, and reading alongside these gestures, use our advent calendar printable. Print the calendar on US Letter or A4 paper, in landscape orientation, single-sided, at actual size. The black-and-white sheet works with an ordinary pencil; you can also read the prompts from the screen.
| December date | Small act to try together |
|---|---|
| 1 | Thank someone at home for one specific thing they did for you today. |
| 2 | Set out napkins for everyone sharing your meal. |
| 3 | Let someone else choose a game you will play together. |
| 4 | Draw a hello for a faraway relative; ask your grown-up to send it. |
| 5 | Thank a teacher or school helper for something you noticed them doing. |
| 6 | Greet a neighbor you know, with your grown-up beside you. |
| 7 | Let someone at home finish their story, then ask a question about it. |
| 8 | Help your grown-up refill your pet’s water bowl. |
| 9 | Invite a classmate to join a game and explain how to play. |
| 10 | Tidy one shared shelf together so everyone can find what belongs there. |
| 11 | Ask a faraway relative about a childhood game and listen to their answer. |
| 12 | Make a thank-you note on scrap paper for a neighbor; deliver it with your grown-up. |
| 13 | Offer someone a crayon or pencil you are ready to share. |
| 14 | Give a resting pet some quiet space by moving your game elsewhere. |
| 15 | Ask someone at home what would help and do one small part together. |
| 16 | Tell a sibling, cousin, or friend something you enjoy doing with them. |
| 17 | Put shared classroom supplies back where the next person can find them. |
| 18 | Tell a faraway relative one happy memory you share; your grown-up can pass it along. |
| 19 | Watch birds quietly from a window, giving them space to carry on. |
| 20 | Listen while a friend explains something they enjoy, then ask one question. |
| 21 | Offer to bring in a known neighbor’s empty recycling bin with your grown-up. |
| 22 | Leave a thank-you drawing for someone who helps at school. |
| 23 | Make space beside you for someone who wants to join a family activity. |
| 24 | Help clear unbreakable dishes after your family’s meal. |
Move school activities to school days and neighbor activities to a time you can go together. The faraway-family prompts can become words or drawings saved for the next call. A friend your family keeps in touch with can receive them, too.
Stay with your child for neighbor visits and animal care, and handle any difficult cutting yourself.
How do you use a kindness advent calendar?
Print it during the last week of November, so it is on the wall when December 1 arrives. Then begin with the number that matches today’s December date. Read it together, decide who could use that gesture, and choose a moment to try it. If you start on December 10, read number 10 and continue from there.
Put the sheet where you can read it comfortably together. At breakfast, you might choose a school prompt; after dinner, a listening or helping prompt may fit better. If you already have a nightly story from a book advent calendar, read the kindness idea at that same gathering.
Before offering help, ask what the other person wants. A neighbor may prefer to move their own bin. A classmate may want to keep drawing alone. Your child can accept the answer and choose another act. Help can also mean leaving someone’s project just as they arranged it.
You can mark the date after reading the prompt, whether you try it, change it, or leave it for another time. Keep that mark as a way to find your place. If siblings share the sheet, let one read or choose while another suggests how to help; switch roles tomorrow.
On December 24, the clearing-up prompt can fit around your family’s Christmas Eve traditions. Ask what needs putting away, choose something your child can carry comfortably, and work alongside them.
How can you adapt the acts of kindness by age?
Change the part your child takes on. These age bands are editorial suggestions for sharing the calendar; use whichever version fits their interests and the help they want today.
Ages 3–4: offer a small, visible job
You read the prompt and prepare what is needed. Your child can place a napkin beside each plate, choose a crayon to offer, or make marks on a note while you write their words. Stay beside them and take part yourself.
Let a thank-you sound like your child. In NAEYC’s “Raising a Thankful Child,” Julie A. Riess encourages adults to help children find their own meaning in appreciation and to model it sincerely. You might thank your child for carrying the napkins and say where you will put their drawing.
Ages 5–7: share the words and the decision
Your child can choose the recipient, dictate a message, or write a few familiar words. On day 12, ask what the neighbor did that they want to thank them for. You arrange the visit; your child decides what goes on the note.
For a larger picture, choose one of the Christmas coloring pages and leave room to add a personal message. Scrap paper works just as well. Keep the child’s own wording, even if the spelling needs your help.
Ages 8–10: let them plan and follow through
Invite your child to rearrange prompts around school and family plans. They might arrange a call through you, explain a game to a classmate, or ask a neighbor which small task would be useful. You handle adult arrangements and help carry out anything you have agreed to together.
An older sibling can participate in their own right. Give them a choice of recipient or task, alongside any help they choose to offer a younger child.
How can you talk about kindness and rewards?
Keep the conversation on the person receiving the gesture: “What would help?” and, afterward, “Did that work for them?” Harvard’s Making Caring Common guide recommends routine opportunities to care for others and treating everyday helping as an ordinary responsibility, without rewards. Say a sincere thank-you when your child helps, and keep the calendar separate from prizes, points, or decisions about Christmas presents. If your family writes a letter to Santa, the wishes can stand on their own. On a tired or upset day, offer your child care as well: “I’ll help you put these away, then we can rest.” Choose another prompt together when they are ready.
How can teachers use the calendar at school?
Choose one shared prompt for a school day and adapt the recipient to your class. Day 2 can mean placing napkins for snack; day 17 can mean returning crayons to a spot everyone can reach. Read the prompt aloud so participation is open to children who are still learning to read.
Use pairs or a small group for a shared job. One child can point out where the supplies belong while another carries the box. If you keep a class record, write down the action the group tried, such as “We made room at the art table.” Keep children’s names and individual totals off the display.
Give children a choice about sharing personal experiences afterward. Someone may want to draw what happened; another may prefer to listen. A child who is upset can ask an adult for support. Your classroom’s usual help with conflict still applies throughout the countdown.
What can you swap when a prompt doesn’t fit?
For a household without pets: use the bird-watching prompt or help care for a plant you already have. Sesame Workshop’s “Experimenting With Kindness” suggests plant care as a way to practice caring for living things. You check whether the plant needs water; your child can help if it does.
During school break: replace a classmate with a cousin, friend, or person at home. Shared supplies can be the family’s crayons or board-game pieces. If a neighbor’s bin is too big or you live in an apartment, offer a greeting or note instead.
When your child prefers quieter contact: a drawing, dictated message, or place made at the table can carry the gesture. Let each person choose whether they want a hug, a conversation, or company.
Idunn’s take
At Idunn, we want to nurture curiosity in children and in the adults sharing the page. With this calendar, that curiosity turns toward the people nearby: what they enjoy, what they need, and what they want to tell us. Start with today’s prompt and let your child choose whom to think about.
Sources
- Making Caring Common, Harvard Graduate School of Education. “7 Tips for Raising Caring Kids”, 2018; last reviewed November 2022. Section 4: everyday opportunities for caring, responsibilities, and rewards.
- Riess, Julie A. “Raising a Thankful Child”. National Association for the Education of Young Children, undated. Children’s own expressions of gratitude and adults’ example.
- Sesame Workshop. “Experimenting With Kindness”, undated. Caring for plants as an activity for young children.
Sources checked October 15, 2026. The 24 prompts, age adaptations, and classroom ideas are Idunn editorial suggestions.
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