Advent calendar with Rudolph reindeers

Advent calendar with Rudolph reindeers

This year, I decided to give our old advent calendar a break and make for kids a new one. I focused on a typical kid’s project, i.e. an advent calendar with Rudolph reindeers. In the post, you’ll find nose and horn templates ready to print, so all you need are coffee filters and twine. Making a calendar is easy, but requires patience in cutting out all elements 🙂

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Supplies

  • 24 coffee filters – preferably brown, so you would save one day of work. If you buy white, do not worry, kids will be very happy to dye them for you
  • Printed horns and noses (2 sets of horns and one set of noses)
  • Twine
  • Black pen
  • Scissors
  • Glue
  • Hole punch
  • Stick or hanger
supplies for advent calendar with Rudolph reindeers

Printouts

Download the appropriate templates. If you want to print in color and cut straight from the printouts, download the first 2 files. However, if you need a template that you copy on colored paper, download the last file.

Initial step – filter dyeing

If, like me, you have white filters, they should be dyed brown. It is worth involving children in this activity, mine were delighted. For dyeing, you only need a few bags of black tea, from which make a strong essence. Dip each filter and hang it to dry.

Preparing to dye filters
Farbowanie filtrów
Drying filters at sunset

Unfortunately, after drying, the filters are very wrinkled, so you should iron them. You can iron filters directly.

Dry but wrinkled filters
Filter before and after ironing

Making of the advent calendar with Rudolph reindeer

You need 48 horns and 24 noses, so print 2 sets of reindeer horns and one set of noses.

Unfortunately, every element needs to be cut out. As for horn I cut 2 at a time, there is of course the risk that it will be uneven, but you can always cut a bit more inside the shape. With this amount, small bugs will not be visible.

Reindeers' elements cut out

Then create 24 reindeers. Glue the corners to each filter and the nose on the bottom.

Reindeer with nose and horns

In the next step, cut a hole for hanging and draw the eyes.

Reindeer are waiting for eyes and hanging holes
Ready reindeers for the Advent calendar

Once you have all your reindeer ready, proceed to hang them on a stick or hanger. Tie each reindeer. You can put them in order or mix numbers so that kids have to look for the right day.

Hanging reindeers
Hanged reindeers

The advent calendar with Rudolph reindeer is ready. Fill all reindeers on the last day of November. You can use be sweets, tiny toys or tasks. It all depends on the kid’s age and your invention. One more time we will have sweets. I fill one reindeer per day. Otherwise all the sweets would disappear on the first day.

If you’re looking for more ideas for Christmas decorations, you’ll find them in the Christmas section.

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