24 Christmas Advent Calendar Ideas Using CONNETIX
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Let the Christmas countdown begin with a different kind of advent calendar. Here are 24 fun and exciting, family friendly ideas using your CONNETIX, to get you into the Christmas spirit and spend a little more quality time together!
1. Design Santa's Toy Workshop
Create a 2D or 3D workshop then work out the perimeter, area and/or volume of each space. Work together as a family, who is working on which part?
2. Christmas Scattergories
On separate tiles, write 5 categories that relate to Christmas (e.g. movies, songs, toys, something red or food) and display them. Then give everyone the same letter from the alphabet. Everyone has 2 minutes to write an original answer for each category. If an answer is repeated there’s no score. Repeat using the same categories but switch the letter. Whenever you win a round, take a tile from a spare pile. Then, at the end, build the highest tower with the tiles you’ve collected.
3. Letter Scramble
Write out different Christmas words by placing one letter on a new tile. Mix up the tiles and ask someone to unjumble the word. You might also like to set the tiles up as a domino race to tip the word over first and then see who can guess the word the quickest.
4. Guess the movie
Each person chooses a Christmas movie and draws a picture or writes a clue down on a tile. Players take turns to show their clue. The first person to guess the movie wins the point. If you win the round you get to keep the tiles. You could either win by having the most tiles at the end or using your tiles to create the most exciting design for something at the North Pole.
Shahnee is a primary school teacher who has a passion for supporting children to develop core literary and numeracy skills. She believes in creating a love for learning and fostering children's inquisitive, creative nature. She loves open ended play and believes it brings out everyone's inner child.
5. Create a Secret Message
Write a Christmas message for someone to decode. Include pictures, letters or numbers that correspond to each letter of the alphabet. Include the picture or number where the corresponding letter goes. Who can decode the message the quickest? The message might even be a recipe about how to make Christmas tree cake pops or something else delicious. It might even be your Santa Wish List!
6. Set up a scavenger hunt through the house
On separate tiles, write 5 categories that relate to Christmas (e.g. movies, songs, toys, something red or food) and display them. Then give everyone the same letter from the alphabet. Everyone has 2 minutes to write an original answer for each category. If an answer is repeated there’s no score. Repeat using the same categories but switch the letter. Whenever you win a round, take a tile from a spare pile. Then, at the end, build the highest tower with the tiles you’ve collected.
7. Character mix and match
Using rainbow colours for each of the body parts, draw at least 6 heads, bodies and legs of different Christmas characters on a new tile, or let each family member draw a different body part on different coloured tiles. Mix and match the characters so you have a new head, body and legs. Or you might like to oganise the heads, bodies and legs into a row of 6, then roll a dice to see which tile you can pick up. Who can complete 3 characters first? Which one is the funniest? Tell or write a short story about your new character.
8. Create an Elf catching device!
Explain to your family how it works! Set it up before you go to bed and check the next morning if it works. Are there any adjustments that need to be made? Think about how to make your device blend into its surroundings so the elf doesn’t think it’s a trap. You should think of including features to make sure the elf doesn’t escape. Don’t forget to leave the elf a snack so he or she isn’t hungry through the night.
9. Make a Christmas tangram
Using a range of tiles in different shapes and sizes, create different Christmas images such a Santa, an elf or a tree. You can also use some of the free resource cards for this. If you’re using the resources cards, turn it into a game by seeing who can create each tangram the quickest, or you might even like to add in a challenge and see if you can make each tangram into a 3D object. If there’s any Christmas themed tangrams we’ve missed create them, then tag us on social media!
10. Wordsearch
Create a wordsearch with different Christmas words. Place a new letter on each tile and list the words on a large tile. Don’t forget that words can go forwards, backwards, vertically and diagonally, and you can even use the same letter for multiple words. Get someone to solve it. If you’d like a challenge, time each person who completes the wordsearch to see who solves it the quickest.
11. Mirror Play
This one is about teamwork. Two people stand on either side of a window (so, one person is inside and one person is outside). Each person has the same number and coloured tiles. Place the same colour and shape tile at the same time against each other with the window in between. Can you build something without talking to each other? (Please note this might not work with double or triple glazed windows).
12. Make a puzzle
Lay your clear tiles into a grid. Place your CONNETIX on top of your grid to create a Christmas themed picture, then trace around these tiles using a chalk marker. Take off the top layer of tiles and leave them next to your puzzle. Ask someone to put your puzzle back together. If you want to make it more challenging, add some extra tiles with the tiles that make up the top layer to try and trick the other person.
13. Symmetrical pictures
Create one half of an image and get someone else to complete the opposite side, making sure it’s symmetrical. You might like to use the tangram images in the free resource to help you think of ideas or design your own. Your symmetrical pictures could be a snowflake, a bauble, a tree or even a Christmas hat!
14. 10 Second Rule
Take a stack of tiles and write a new Christmas category on each (e.g. foods, reindeer names, items in Santa’s workshop). Turn the stack upside down. The first player pulls up a tile, reads the category and has 10 seconds to name three things related to the category. If they fail, the next person gets to try. If you win you get to keep the tile and try to build the tallest row on the wall cornice, just like a bar graph.
15. Create a Maze for Santa
Your maze could be 2D or 3D, and include features such as bridges or blockages throughout. After building your maze, give someone instructions to help Santa navigate through it using directions such as left, right, flip, slide, turn, north, east, south or west. You could even be super creative and make a map of a country, pretending that Santa is delivering presents. Don’t forget to make sure he stops at your house!
16. Design Santa's sleigh
Remodel Santa’s sleigh so that it delivers all the presents in record time! How could you make it even faster? Does it have a turbo engine or an extra booster? Does it include a map and count down timer to ensure he stays on track delivering presents at record speed? Be as extravagant and creative as you can be, no idea is too out there for your design.
17. Decorate the Christmas tree using CONNETIX
Draw pretty patterns on tiles or join tiles together to make designs such as presents. Then add pipe cleaners, glitter, pom poms or other craft items you have around the house to make them even more beautiful. When you’re finished, add a piece of string through the rivet to hang them on the tree.
18. Christmas Memory
Draw a minimum of five different Christmas pictures on a new tile. Redraw each picture on another tile. Lay out all the tiles upside down. You might even need to double your tiles up so you can’t see the pictures shining through a single tile. Taking turns, each player flips over two tiles at a time to see if they’ve found a match. If they have, they can keep the pair, if not then turn them back over and the next player takes their turn. Don’t forget where each picture is hidden for your next turn.
19. Build a chimney using your ball run pack.
The goal is to build the tallest or longest chimney for Santa (aka, a ball) to race down. Grab out all your ball run pieces and make a fun chimney ride with lots of twists and turns. You might even like to build your chimney ball run into a house you’ve also created with your CONNETIX! For an extra challenge you can grab out a timer and see whose ball run is the quickest! Hopefully Santa doesn’t get stuck!
20. Race to the elves
Create a boardgame layout and draw a picture of an elf on the last tile. Write an equation or question written on some tiles. Roll a dice, move that number of spaces and solve the equation. If you are right, you can stay. Also add tiles that mean you can move forward or backwards. Perhaps even a ‘move back to start’ tile.
21. Create a building competition
Give each player the same number of tiles. Provide a building prompt (Christmas tree, presents, Santa etc.) and set a time. One person is the judge and will hand out points after each round. Who is the winner after three rounds?
22. Decorate some tiles as Christmas presents
Place them upright and add a number to each tile (larger tiles are lower points than small tiles). Now use a soft ball or bean bag and take turns trying to knock over as many presents as you can. Who has the most points after 3 rounds?
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23. Create a secret message
Ask everyone to write a message with blue texter and in swirly letters on a piece of paper. Now cover your message with red swirls, so you can’t read the message anymore. Swap your paper and use a red tile to reveal the message everyone wrote!
24. Just play and build!
What will you create? A Winter Wonderland, a Christmas market, a gingerbread house or even a snowman – CONNETIX will bring your Christmas-themed designs to life!
Merry Christmas! Enjoy your time with your family.
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