Count down to Christmas with this fun (free) Santa’s beard countdown calendar—when Santa’s beard’s full, Christmas is here! This easy cotton ball craft is such a cute way for kids to keep track of how many days are left until Christmas.
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This Santa’s beard countdown craft is such an adorable way to count down to Christmas! We’ve been doing it for a couple of years now and our kids have had so much fun with.
The concept is really simple: add one cotton ball to Santa’s beard every day of December until his beard is full. Once it’s full, Santa will come to visit.
Grab the free printable below and use it to make your own DIY advent calendar at home with your kids!
Related: The ULTIMATE List of Advent Calendar Fillers (for Kids & Adults)
Required Materials
Here’s what you’ll need to make this adorable cotton ball countdown craft with your kids:
- My free Santa’s beard advent calendar printable, which you can download at the bottom of this article (no sign-up required)
- Cardboard
- Glue stick
- Cotton balls
- Liquid glue
Note: We glued our calendar to a piece of cardboard and used liquid glue to add the cotton balls. But if you would like to make this template reusable, try laminating it and attaching the cotton balls with adhesive tape!
How to Use This Santa’s Beard Advent Calendar (Step-by-Step)
1. Print Template
Start by printing out the template on US Letter-sized (8.5 x 11 inches) paper or cardstock. There are two variations to choose from, so print out whichever version works best for you.
2. Glue Template to Cardboard
Grab a stick of glue and use it to glue the template to a piece of cardboard that is the same size as the sheet of paper. (You’ll need to cut it down to size.)
If possible, I recommend using part of a cardboard box, but the cardboard from a cereal box can also work, in a pinch. The goal is to give the advent calendar a sturdy background so that it can support the weight of 24 cotton balls.
3. Add Cotton Balls
Our kids loved the fact that this Christmas countdown had a crafty component!
Once you’ve finished setting up the calendar, have your children glue one cotton ball to Santa’s beard, on the circle that corresponds to the date, every day of December.
When Santa’s cotton ball beard is completely full, that means it is Christmas Eve, and Santa will be visiting your house that night!
Download the Free Countdown Template (PDF)
Download each version of this adorable Santa’s beard countdown calendar by clicking on the corresponding download link (no sign-up required):
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SANTA’S BEARD CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN – VERSION 1
{DOWNLOAD LINK}
SANTA’S BEARD CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN – VERSION 2
Please note that these worksheets are for personal and school use ONLY and cannot be redistributed or resold. (You can read our full printables terms of use here.)
Related Christmas Printables for Kids
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