Advent Books and Resources

As we come into the Advent season, our family uses this time to turn our hearts to Jesus and celebrating the anticipation of His arrival. And we also like to have fun with Christmas traditions and holiday fun! This list of Advent books and resources is a bit of both – the fun and the reflective.

This post contains affiliate links

Advent books and resources we love

Before you read through this list, I need to make an important disclaimer: if the idea of adding any of these advent books and resources is stressful, don’t do it! Simply reading through the story of Jesus in the Bible and setting your eyes on Him is enough. You also don’t have to do any of these countdowns, books, or guides in their entirety. You can add one or two activities into your season, or none at all.

Countdowns

Grab a huge, FREE printable list of Christmas and winter books:

Christmas Countdown with 25 Days of Kindness Cards and holiday bucket list printable from my shop

Christmas Giving & Fun Pack

$4.00

Add to cart

This gorgeous wooden Advent countdown wreath from The Keeping Company is a beautiful way to mark the passing of each day of the Advent season (there are also extensions to use it for Lent).

Advent Conversation Cards from Kids Read Truth

Free Advent Cards from Swaggers Gather

Crew & Co Advent Cards – these are designed to use with the Jesus Storybook Bible

Free December Bucket List and Kids’ Holiday Calendar from This Pilgrim Life

Daily Advent Books

Unwrapping the Greatest Gift: A Family Celebration of Christmas by Ann Voskamp – this is one of our favorites

Unwrapping the Names of Jesus

Emmanuel: an Invitation to Prepare Him Room by Ruth Chou Simons – this one is a personal favorite; it’s written for adults, but it could also be used with your older kids.

From the Cradle to the Cross – Advent and Lent daily devotional from The Keeping Company

Guides

Advent Story Collection from Beautiful Feet Books

The Case of the Unknown Messiah from Heidi Lee Anderson – this one has two different options for different ages (1-6yo or 7-12yo) and is a super fun, interactive way to explore the Christmas story.

Foretold – a Family Advent Guide from Kindle Togetherness – this guide from my friend Sarah Ruth that looks incredible

Slow + Sacred Advent from Jennifer Naraki – we’ve used pieces of this over the years

Truth in the Tinsel – we used for several years when our kids were little

A Nest for a Savior – this is a book that has a built in 12 day interactive activity guide

Resources

Make Your Own Advent Beeswax Candles Kit

DIY Advent Calendar – I made an used this Advent calendar for years. We used it with Truth in the Tinsel when my kids were little (and it was sadly destroyed in a move!), but it can be used with any of the countdowns linked above.

Here are a few fun printable activities that can be added to an Advent countdown calendar, for easy things to do on a day you don’t want something complicated.