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Safety first: Always supervise little ones, and skip small parts for kids who still put things in their mouths. Please read our play safety notes before you start.
Key takeaways
- 24 acts in three age bands: 8 for ages 2 to 3 (no reading), 8 for ages 4 to 5, 8 for ages 6 to 8. Mix or match to your kids.
- No candy, no toys, no cost. The only supplies are paper, a glue stick or clips, and whatever is already in the house.
- Print on cardstock, cut the dashed lines, then hang the cards in envelopes, on twine or on the calendar sheet.
- A grown-up stays with kids for the stove, scissors, walks and small items like coins and birdseed.
- Teachers may print the set for their own class; classroom swaps are listed below.
In this post22 sections
- How a kindness advent calendar for kids works (and why not candy)
- Acts of kindness for toddlers (ages 2 to 3, no reading needed)
- 1. Three hugs, a wave and "I love you" (cards 1, 2 and 6)
- 2. Feed the birds (card 4)
- 3. Toy pickup race and table helper (cards 3 and 8)
- Acts of kindness for preschoolers (ages 4 to 5)
- 4. Draw a picture for a grandparent and mail it (card 9)
- 5. Make a warm drink for a grown-up (card 13)
- 6. Read a book to someone smaller (card 14)
- Acts of kindness for ages 6 to 8
- 7. Write a thank-you note to a helper (card 17)
- 8. Pick up litter on a walk (card 18)
- 9. Giving jar and the mitten sort (cards 20 and 21)
- Classroom and school kindness calendar ideas
- DIY ways to hang the cards (envelopes, twine, pocket calendar)
- 10. 24 numbered envelopes on the wall
- 11. Twine and mini clothespins
- 12. The calendar sheet (free, page 5 or 9)
- Print and prep the free 24 card set
- Giving back as a family: the bigger acts for weekends
- Supplies for the kindness advent calendar
- FAQ
How a kindness advent calendar for kids works (and why not candy)
Every morning from December 1 to 24, your child opens or flips one card and does the act on it that day. The act is small on purpose: give three hugs, feed the birds, hold the door. Small means it happens, and a thing that happens 24 days in a row teaches more than one big charity project that happens once. Candy calendars run on the same daily habit, but the reward is the sugar. A kindness calendar makes the act itself the thing kids look forward to, mostly because you do it with them.
Each card in this set has a picture, a short line of text, a grown-up note with a concrete way to do it, and an age band so you can tell at a glance which cards are for your toddler and which are for your second grader. It is the free version of the sets that sell for $8 to $12 on craft marketplaces, drawn for this site with simple art and no characters.
Download the free kindness advent calendar cards (PDF, 9 pages). No sign-up needed, and teachers may print copies for their own class. Pages 2 to 5 are the color cards and calendar sheet; pages 6 to 9 are the same set in low ink.
Acts of kindness for toddlers (ages 2 to 3, no reading needed)
Cards 1 to 8 are teal. A 2 year old cannot plan a kind act, but they can copy one, so every toddler card is something you do alongside them: hugs, waving, feeding birds, gentle hands with a pet, helping set the table. You read the card, they look at the picture, and then you both do it. If your toddler is 3 and already helpful, mix in a few orange cards.
1Three hugs, a wave and "I love you" (cards 1, 2 and 6)
These three cards are the easiest and the ones toddlers ask to repeat. Count the hugs out loud on fingers, wave at a neighbor or the mail carrier from the window, and go around the dinner table saying "I love you" with a high five. The point is the words and the counting, not the act.
Ages: 2 to 3.
Prep: none.
Mess: none.
Supplies: the card.
Safety: none. Stuffed animals and pets count as hug recipients; let a pet walk away if it wants to.
2Feed the birds (card 4)
Scatter a handful of birdseed or dry oats on a windowsill, a deck rail or a patch of ground you can see from a window, then watch for visitors at breakfast. Toddlers love the scattering part; the watching part is where you talk about animals needing food in winter too.
Ages: 2 to 3 (fine up to 8).
Prep: 1 minute.
Mess: low, outdoors.
Supplies: a small cup of birdseed or oats.
Safety: birdseed is a choking hazard under 3, so pour it into their hand yourself and keep the bag out of reach. Wash hands after.
One small bag covers the card plus a month of window watching; oats from the pantry work too.
3Toy pickup race and table helper (cards 3 and 8)
Put on one song and race the toys back into the bin before it ends; that is card 3. Card 8 is napkins and spoons at dinner, one per chair, which doubles as counting practice. Both are jobs a 2 year old can finish, which is what makes them feel like kindness and not a chore.
Ages: 2 to 3.
Prep: none.
Mess: none, it removes mess.
Supplies: toy bin, napkins, spoons.
Safety: hand out spoons and napkins only; knives and glasses stay with the grown-up.
Acts of kindness for preschoolers (ages 4 to 5)
Cards 9 to 16 are orange. A 4 or 5 year old can draw, carry, pour with help and remember one instruction, so these acts reach outside the house: a picture for a grandparent, a phone call, a flower for a friend, reading to someone smaller. They still need you next to them for the kettle and the scissors.
4Draw a picture for a grandparent and mail it (card 9)
A real envelope with a real stamp is the whole event for a preschooler. Have them draw, you write one line they dictate, then walk to the mailbox together. If grandparents are far, text a photo and call so they can hear the reaction.
Ages: 4 to 5.
Prep: none.
Mess: none.
Supplies: paper, crayons, an envelope, a stamp.
Safety: none; this is a table activity plus a walk with a grown-up.
5Make a warm drink for a grown-up (card 13)
Your child picks the mug, spoons in the cocoa mix, stirs after you add the milk, and carries it (half full) to whoever is working or tired. The carrying is the kindness. Pair it with card 11, a chore that is not theirs, by wiping the table afterward.
Ages: 4 to 5.
Prep: 2 minutes.
Mess: low.
Supplies: a mug, cocoa mix, milk, a spoon.
Safety: a grown-up heats and pours; the child stirs and carries a warm, not hot, half-full mug.
6Read a book to someone smaller (card 14)
A 5 year old who cannot read yet can still "read" a picture book to a baby sibling, the dog or a row of stuffed animals, telling the story from the pictures. Card 15, lining up the family shoes in pairs by the door, is the fallback for a day with no audience.
Ages: 4 to 5.
Prep: none.
Mess: none.
Supplies: a picture book, a listener.
Safety: stay in the room if the listener is a baby; no board books on a baby's face.
- Pull the orange cards first if your child is 4 or 5, then add two or three green ones on weekends when you have time to help.
Acts of kindness for ages 6 to 8
Cards 17 to 24 are green. By 6, kids can write a few lines, walk a block with a bag, keep a rule all day and understand that someone else needs mittens. These acts ask for a little effort and a little memory, which is why they land. If your 8 year old finds them easy, let them run the calendar for a younger sibling.
7Write a thank-you note to a helper (card 17)
Bus driver, crossing guard, teacher, coach, the neighbor who shovels. Three lines is enough: who, what they did, thank you. Your child writes, you address, they deliver. This is the card most families end up repeating in January.
Ages: 6 to 8.
Prep: none.
Mess: none.
Supplies: a notecard or folded paper, a pencil, an envelope.
Safety: none.
Cards 17 and 24 plus every thank-you note after the holidays.
8Pick up litter on a walk (card 18)
One block, one bag, gloves on. Your child spots and grabs the paper and cans; you hold the bag and say no to anything sharp, wet or glass. Count the pieces at the end and talk about where they would have ended up.
Ages: 6 to 8.
Prep: 2 minutes.
Mess: low, hands washed after.
Supplies: kids' gardening gloves, a grocery bag.
Safety: a grown-up holds the bag and handles anything sharp or glass; wash hands as soon as you get home.
The litter walk, and every yard job after it.
9Giving jar and the mitten sort (cards 20 and 21)
Card 20 is a coin in a jar every day until Christmas, then choosing together where the money goes (a food bank or an animal shelter are easy for kids to picture). Card 21 is sorting the hat and mitten basket for anything outgrown and bagging it for a donation bin. Keep this one about clothes so it does not overlap with a toy declutter.
Ages: 6 to 8.
Prep: 5 minutes.
Mess: low.
Supplies: a clean jar, coins, the mitten basket, a bag.
Safety: coins are a choking hazard for children under 3, so the jar lives on a high shelf if a toddler is in the house.
Classroom and school kindness calendar ideas
The same cards work on a classroom wall with the home-only acts swapped out. Pin the calendar sheet to a bulletin board, clip a card to each square and flip one at morning meeting. Teachers may print the set for their own class, and the low-ink pages 6 to 9 copy cleanly on a school copier.
Eight classroom swaps for the home acts
If your classroom has an elf, the classroom elf on the shelf ideas post has the elf hand out the day's card.
DIY ways to hang the cards (envelopes, twine, pocket calendar)
The cards are 3.5 by 5 inches, which is close to a standard A1 mini envelope and small enough to peg on twine. Pick the one that matches the time you have. If you want a bigger container, how to make a DIY advent calendar for kids has three builds the cards slide into, and advent calendar fillers that are not candy covers what else to tuck in beside them.
1024 numbered envelopes on the wall
Write 1 to 24 on mini envelopes, slip one card in each, and tape them to a wall or door in a tree shape (one at the top, then two, three, four, and so on). Kids open the day's envelope, do the act, and tape the card inside the envelope flap so the tree fills with pictures by Christmas Eve.
Ages: 2 to 8.
Prep: 20 minutes.
Mess: none.
Supplies: 24 mini envelopes, a marker, tape.
Safety: hang the envelopes at kid height but keep tape and the marker with the grown-up for toddlers.
The 24 envelope wall tree; the cards fit without folding.
11Twine and mini clothespins
String a length of twine across a window, a mantel or along a hallway wall and peg the 24 cards in order with mini wooden clothespins, picture side in. Each morning your child unpegs one, flips it to picture side out and pegs it back. By Christmas Eve the whole line shows pictures.
Ages: 3 to 8.
Prep: 10 minutes.
Mess: none.
Supplies: twine, 24 mini clothespins, two hooks or tape.
Safety: mini clothespins are a choking hazard under 3 and a pinch hazard for everyone; hang the line above toddler reach and let a grown-up unpeg for the under 3s.
The twine line, plus a hundred future art displays.
12The calendar sheet (free, page 5 or 9)
The lowest-prep option is already in the PDF. Glue, tape or paper-clip one card face down onto each numbered square, flip it when the act is done, and let your child add a sticker to the square. Tape the sheet to the fridge and the whole thing is done in 10 minutes.
Ages: 2 to 8.
Prep: 10 minutes.
Mess: none.
Supplies: the calendar sheet, a glue stick or 24 paper clips, stickers.
Safety: paper clips are a choking hazard under 3; use a glue stick or tape for toddler households.
Print and prep the free 24 card set
Print at 100 percent scale so the cards keep their size. Cardstock makes the cards stiff enough to peg and flip; plain paper is fine inside envelopes. Cut along the dashed lines with a paper trimmer or scissors, which takes about five minutes for all three pages.
| Version | Pages | Best for | Paper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Color cards plus calendar | 2 to 5 | Home use, twine line, wall tree | White cardstock |
| Low-ink cards plus calendar | 6 to 9 | Classrooms, school copiers, kids who color the icons | Plain paper or cardstock |
| Cover sheet only | 1 | The how-to and age legend for a grandparent or sitter | Plain paper |
Giving back as a family: the bigger acts for weekends
The 24 cards stay small on purpose. If you have a free Saturday in December, swap one card for a bigger act the whole family does together, and keep it to one or two so it stays a treat and not a second calendar.
Four weekend acts that fit kids 2 to 8
Supplies for the kindness advent calendar
Supplies for the kindness advent calendar cards
- Most used
White cardstock, 110 lb
Typically $10 to $20 per pack
Stiff cards that peg, flip and survive 24 days.
Check price on Amazon for White cardstock, 110 lb -
Kraft mini envelopes, A1 size, 50 pack
Typically $8 to $14
The numbered envelope wall tree.
Check price on Amazon for Kraft mini envelopes, A1 size, 50 pack -
Mini wooden clothespins, 100 pack
Typically $5 to $9
The twine line across a mantel or window.
Check price on Amazon for Mini wooden clothespins, 100 pack -
Blank notecards with envelopes, 50 pack
Typically $8 to $14
Thank-you notes and the neighbor note, cards 17 and 24.
Check price on Amazon for Blank notecards with envelopes, 50 pack -
Kids gardening gloves
Typically $6 to $12
The litter walk, card 18.
Check price on Amazon for Kids gardening gloves -
Wild bird seed, small bag
Typically $8 to $15
Feed the birds, card 4, and the weekend pine cone feeder.
Check price on Amazon for Wild bird seed, small bag
Print the set this week, cut the cards on a quiet evening, and pick your hanging method by how much wall you have. For the rest of the countdown, Christmas countdown ideas for kids has activity-a-day cards that mix well with these.
Frequently asked questions
What is a kindness advent calendar?
An advent calendar where each of the 24 days holds a small kind act to do instead of a chocolate or a toy. Kids open or flip one card a day from December 1 to 24 and do the act that day, usually with a parent. The free set on this page is 24 printable picture cards plus a calendar sheet to put them on.
What are good acts of kindness for a 3 year old?
Acts they can copy from you: give three hugs, wave at a neighbor, feed the birds, help set the table, put toys away to a song, be gentle with a pet, help stir a treat for someone. Cards 1 to 8 in the free set are all of these, with pictures so no reading is needed.
How do you make a kindness advent calendar?
Print the 24 cards on cardstock, cut them apart, then either glue them face down on the numbered calendar sheet, slip them into 24 numbered mini envelopes taped to a wall, or peg them on a line of twine with mini clothespins. All three take 10 to 20 minutes.
What acts of kindness can kids do at school?
Hold the door for the class behind you, write a class thank-you note to the custodian or bus driver, pick up every scrap before lunch, read to a younger buddy class, line up boots in pairs, say one kind thing about a classmate at circle, bring in outgrown mittens for the donation box, and let someone else go first in line.
Can toddlers do a kindness advent calendar?
Yes, if the acts are things they do with you rather than on their own, and the cards use pictures. The teal cards in this set are built for ages 2 to 3: no reading, no small parts, and every act takes under five minutes with a grown-up alongside.
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