It is that time of the year again when the Christmas advent calendars come out! Like most children Zac usually gets a chocolate advent calendar. But he seems to get so many chocolates and sweets at this time of the year, whether its from family and friends or Santas grottos. So I decided to look into alternatives to chocolate advent calendars.
I came across the Playmobil range of calendars which I thought looked great! They are a toy advent, recommended for ages 4+. Each day your child uncovers a new toy to add to the set. Playmobil have a huge range of these calendars, all with different themes including, Princesses, Nativity and Under the Sea. I chose to go for the Christmas Toy Shop Advent Calendar for Zac as I loved that it still had a Christmassy theme!
The toy advent calendars are of course a bit more expensive than your usual chocolate one. Prices start from £19.99 BUT you can get them in the sale after the 1st of December and because it isn’t perishable there is nothing stopping you putting one away for next year! I also think that even at full price it is pretty good value for money. Most Playmobil sets would cost you upwards of £25, with the calendars you get a whole set (89 pieces!) for just £19.99.
Each advent calendar comes with a cardboard backdrop to create your scene. It is flat packed but really easy to put together. It comes with instructions and you just bend along the lines and slot the pieces together.
There are 24 doors on the calendar – but actually 89 pieces to uncover. I like that there is more than 1 piece behind each door, as I imagine just having one toy on its own every day could be a little dull in the beginning! In our advent calendar their are characters to discover such as Santa and a snowman. But also lots of accessories and furniture such as and armchair, table, toys and a bike.
I think Zac is going to love this advent calendar. He will be excited to see which toy he gets every day – unlike usual advent calendars where you know you just get a chocolate. It is something that is an investment and will last as well. We can play with this all throughout December, and put it away to get out every year!
I hope you have found this blog useful and has given you some inspiration on alternative Advent Calendars for your children! Thank you for reading!
Happy Christmas!
