Review: Advent Blocks
Allow me to share my favorite thing our family did this December一something called Advent Blocks!
I discovered them in July 2021 and immediately ordered a set (tip: if you can, splurge for the “traditions” or “legacy” set, which comes in a beautiful wooden box). That December, our daughter was two and a bit too young to fully grasp the concept.
But this December, at age three, she loved it! Each night as Emily put our one-year-old to bed, my daughter and I did this together.
The Premise
Advent Blocks is a creative, engaging take on an Advent calendar. Each set features 27 blocks (25 for each day of December, plus two additional). You start by laying out all the blocks in a row, in numerical order from 1-25, on your hearth or some other prominent place in your house.
Every day, your kid turns one block to discover a picture一which represents a major story in the Bible (Adam and Eve, Noah, Joseph, etc). The stories work chronologically through the storyline of scripture, culminating in the arrival of Jesus. The accompanying booklet features a story to read, which paraphrases the biblical story in kid-friendly language.
Every day you’ also move the star block closer to December 25, as a visual way to build anticipation for the arrival of Jesus. There’s a few other fun elements and twists to the process, but just order a set and discover those things for yourself!
Modifications
Since I’m a teacher, editor, writer and pastor, I can’t resist the urge to tweak things. As I prepared to take my daughter through Advent Blocks, I realized the Bible story booklet is geared more toward upper elementary kids, not three-year-olds.
Additionally, as most parents or educators know, with young kids it’s all about visuals一whether props, pictures, kinesthetic activities (like hand motions), and repeating things back. Even for auditory learners, simply reading off a page一even if it’s well-written一isn’t riveting for a toddler.
I pulled from several resources to make the story time more exciting, including The Village Church’s excellent preschool curriculum (Old and New Testament), as well as their coloring pages. All free: thank you TVC! Their lessons include pictures, cues to have kids repeat things, and sometimes suggested props.
Here’s some samples:
When the stories aligned, I also read from the Jesus Storybook Bible instead of the Advent Block booklet, because let’s be honest, Sally Lloyd Jones is amazing (shout-out to Jago too, whose illustrations are also beautiful).
Each night I ended Advent Block time with a coloring page. If TVC didn’t have the right coloring page, I just Googled it.
Side note: it’s shocking how spammy kids coloring page sites are… what's up with that? Also, request to illustrators in that sphere: Can you create Bible coloring pages that aren’t creepy? Just a thought!
For any parent lacking artistic confidence, may I present exhibit A: Will’s stick figure art. Some nights I just told the Bible story from memory, and drew along with the narrative. My daughter loved it, and all you need is a piece of paper!
I recently ordered the Jesus Storybook Bible coloring book, so next year I’ll probably use that when it overlaps with the Advent Blocks stories.
Best part about coloring time: it’s a great moment to ask review questions about the Bible story. It’s amazing what toddlers can regurgitate after hearing a story once. I’d ask things like:
Was Pharaoh nice or mean? Did he listen to God? When Moses asked Pharaoh to let God’s people go, did he say yes or no? Who helped the Israelites get away from Egypt?
(remember, my daughter is three!)
Nightly Rhythm
Here’s the short version of what we did each evening:
Turn the Advent Block to discover the picture
Sit at kitchen table for Bible story
Do coloring page
Like a lot of fathers, I have a lot of “ought to’s” when it comes to discipling my kids, but busyness and distraction derail them. I’m a creative guy, so sometimes I overcomplicate things, when all that’s needed is a simple plan to stick to. Advent Blocks gives me a simple structure for teaching the Bible that allows room for creativity but also keeps me on track.
Build Anticipation
I remember the first time my parents told me about Star Wars. I was nine or ten, and they recounted seeing the movies in college. No joke, my mom imitated Darth Vader’s breathing and said something like: “He’s a great villain.” You better believe I was chomping at the bit to see Episode 4, and when I did, I ate it up.
If there’s one thing I recommend when it comes to Advent Blocks, it’s build anticipation. Don’t just pull out the box and order the kids to gather round. Create a sense of wonder. Spark curiosity. The incarnation, after all, is about the glorious arrival of God into space and time.
My daughter is insanely observant, so a few days before December began, I put the closed box of blocks on a windowsill. Almost immediately, she asked: What is that?
I explained it was something fun we were going to do together一something called “Advent Blocks”一and left it at that. Callie was in. For the next few nights, she asked religiously if tonight was the night Advent Blocks could start.
This isn’t manipulative. It’s stewarding the innocent wonder of our kids, nudging them toward the story of Jesus in a way that captures their hearts and minds.
Thankful for goodkind, the creators of Advent Books. They’re rolling out some great family discipleship activities that our hurried world is desperate for.
