Kids' Advent Wreath- Free Printables

*** Update: Click here to get the printable in Spanish and here in Dutch!

This year at our CCD Family Advent Night, we decided that we would focus on the meaning of the Advent Wreath and have the kids make their own to take home.  I will post pictures of how we make that work for a group, but I wanted to make sure to share the printables before the first week of Advent. Here is how I put them all together:

1. Print out the three page printable.  I like to have kids color before cutting, so they don't have to worry so much about staying in the lines or tearing edges while coloring.  I colored the flames and the holly with marker to make them more vibrant, and colored the actual candle with crayon so that the words would be more visible.

Side Note: Do you know the Christian meaning of holly?  The prickly leaves remind us of Christ's crown of thorns, and the red berries symbolize the blood He shed.

 2.  Then cut out the candles.

 3.  Next, wrap the candle printables around a toilet paper tube.  (Note: if you or your school are not big on using toilet paper rolls, you can use paper towel rolls cut down or a cylinder of card stock.)

I first taped the printable on the little tab (which has a reminder about which Sunday of Advent it is for) and then taped the opposite edge.  There is also a Scripture verse on each candle from the Sunday readings this year.

 4.  The candle flames can be lit or unlit.  Here is the Hope candle lit...

 ...or you can gently fold and push the flame inside the tube...

 ...where it isn't visible.

 I also made a Christ Candle to use during the Octave of Christmas.

5. The candles could just be set on/in an evergreen wreath on a table, or you can make a wreath to put it all together.  I used a paper plate- green would have been great, but white is what I had.  I traced a glass to make the circle in the middle and then drew four Xs that were about 1 3/4" in length.

6.  The I cut out the circle and the Xs.  I would recommend this job for adults or older kids only.  Scissors work, but an xacto knife is better.

 7.  If you have a green plate, you could stop here, or you can add the leaves as decoration.  One of the printables has holly & berries that you can use.

 I also cut out some simple leaves from green paper:

8.  Glue the leave and the berries on the plate, not covering up the Xs that you cut out.

 9.  Next, add some glue on those Xs and put the candle on top of it.  To stabilize it and make the glue stick, roll up a strip of cardstock (mine was about 8" long), put a little glue on it, and stick it on the inside of the Xs. Let it unfurl and it will help everything stick together as it dries.

 10.  Let it all dry and use it to count down the weeks as we wait for the coming of Christ!

Another cute idea: A former coworker sent me the pictures of her kindergartners making these wreaths and she added battery operated tea lights to them!  She said she used the rolled cardstock inside (that was holding the candle to the plate) tall enough that the tea lights could rest on at the top.  Love it!

Click here for the free printable: