Have a playful Christmas countdown with the best toy-filled kids’ advent calendars

Sign up to our free weekly newsletter for insider tips and product reviews from our shopping expertsSign up for our free IndyBest emailAn advent calendar resting on a window ledge, or on the mantelpiece is a sure-fire sign that Christmas is just around the corner. In a similar vein to the inevitable ‘are we there yet?’ question on a long journey, family homes across the country reverberate with the constant questioning of ‘how many more sleeps until Christmas?’One way to encourage little ones to persevere is by opting for the ultimate Christmas countdown companion: the advent calendar. But these calendars don’t have to be filled with chocolate to put a smile on a child’s face. In fact, if you choose the right toy-filled advent calendar, the Christmas cheer will see your child way beyond the sugar-high alternative.While the price is considerably higher – particularly if you’ve more than one child to buy for – the toy-filled advent calendar can be the gift that keeps on giving, with the contents becoming treasured pieces for years to come, so see it as an investment.The market is flooded with advent options, but how do you find the right one? Hone in on your child’s passion – whether they are an art enthusiast, music admirer, or someone with a passion for ponies. If you opt for a theme or character they like, they’ll jump out of bed to open a calendar window each day.We also considered how easy the advent calendars were to open, as it’s more fun if kids can do it by themselves. But big on the agenda for us is the quality of the toy or gift behind the window, as that will ensure the contents are cherished and played with way beyond the month of December.How we testedChristmas came early for our mini testers, aged three, five and 12 years old. During the course of a month, we prized open doors, ripped cardboard windows and opened multiple boxes.The quality of the contents were under scrutiny, with collectables and long-lasting figures a priority for point scoring. Some toy-filled calendars consider the future and can become part of your family tradition – therefore sustainability was strongly considered. But we also searched for calendars that captured our mini testers’ attention, with self-constructing garnering extra points, giving parents some breathing space to organise other festive demands.The best kids’ advent calendars for 2022 are: Best overall kids’ advent calendar – Smiggle advent calendar: £17.50, Smiggle.co.ukBest kids’ advent calendar for role play – Baby Born Christmas advent calendar: £39.99, Zapfcreation.co.ukBest kids’ advent calendar for animal-lovers – Schleich farm world advent calendar: £29.99, Schleich-s.comBest kids’ advent calendar for creative play – Little Brian paint sticks advent calendar: £14.99, Amazon.co.ukBest kids’ advent calendar for clever design – Polly Pocket advent calendar: £21, Next.co.ukBest kids’ advent calendar for jewellery – Stych Accessories fruit salad advent calendar: £25, Stychaccessories.comBest kids’ advent calendar for building – Lego City advent calendar: £21.99, Lego.comBest kids’ advent calendar for exclusive extras – Roblox advent calendar 2022: £29.99, Smythstoys.comBest kids’ advent calendar for reusability – JoJo Maman Bebe The Nutcracker advent calendar: £35, Jojomamanbebe.co.ukBest kids’ advent calendar for collectables – Pokemon advent calendar 2022: £29.99, Smythstoys.comBest eco-friendly kids’ advent calendar – Play in Choc advent calendar: £49.95, Playinchoc.comWant to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.Already subscribed? Log inAustralian stationery brand Smiggle (that’s smile and giggle, for those who want to know) has a whopper of a calendar, in fact, it took up most of our windowsill, and it’s stocked to the rafters with 25 days’ worth of limited-edition favourites, from lanyards and keyrings, to glitter glue and scented stickers.Suitable for those aged six years plus, our stationery-loving tester took great joy in adding to her pencil case each day. To heighten the magic, you’ll also get chance to win a ‘lucky ticket’ in your calendar, with 20 hidden in the UK, which will see you winning a £250 Smiggle shopping spree.Continue reading…£17.50 Smiggle.co.ukBuy nowOur four-year-old tester is a committed mother to a whole clan of dollies, one of her favourites being her Baby Born – making this Christmas advent calendar a perfect way to count down to Christmas.Jam-packed with 24 festive-themed garments and accessories, the clothes were a highlight, particularly the two Christmas jumpers, jazzy gold leggings, and Santa hat. There’s even a Christmas stocking for Baby Born, so she can join in with the festivities. We were pleased to see entirely plastic-free packaging, but our little tester did require some assistance to open the windows.Continue reading…£39.99 Zapfcreation.co.ukBuy nowFriedrich Schleich founded his brand in 1935, and has been making detailed, authentic animal figures ever since. A great introduction to the brand, or like our Schleich superfan, a way to build on your current collection, the farm world advent calendar is a Christmas-countdown delight.Expect genuine excitement to open the next door, as the calendar contains nine farm world figurines and 15 farm toy accessories. You may question why the guinea pig is bigger than the dalmatian puppy, but that didn’t faze our little tester. From a horse and goat kid, to feeding bottle and vet box, our tester loved watching her farm develop. The windows are easy for small hands to open, but our only slight criticism is some of the numbers on the dark backgrounds were challenging to find (even for adults).Continue reading…£29.99 Schleich-s.comBuy nowLittle Brian is a parent’s dream product – no more messy painting sessions with your mini artists, thanks to its paint sticks: water soluble, child-friendly solid paint that twists up and down just like a glue stick. Before you start opening the doors, this calendar comes with seven A3 Christmas-themed colouring-in sheets and three fun activity sheets featuring a Santa maze, festive word search and more.But it’s what’s behind the doors that bring these sheets to life – 24 different surprises with a variety of paint sticks to collect. With a wonderful mix of face paint sticks, mini paint sticks, chunkie and (the latest addition from the brand) scribble paint sticks, for finer strokes, each day will inspire creativity. Both our younger testers took to these products so well, and the activity sheets captured their attention and enabled them to showcase their talent. Not only will this calendar instil some festive spirit, you’re ultimately left with a collection of great artistic tools too.Continue reading…£14.99 Amazon.co.ukBuy nowWe had a good dose of nostalgia with the Polly Pocket advent calendar. Both our testers are big fans of the micro toy, and took it in turns to reveal the 25 surprise gifts hiding behind the doors. The doors are easy for little hands to navigate, and there’s a selection of treats waiting, from puppies and penguins to Polly and Shani dolls.Once you’ve opened all 25 doors, it’s time to play with the new additions in the winter wonderland house provided. There are four floors and eight rooms, which saw our mini testers storytelling for hours, with obligatory bickering about which room the micro Christmas tree should go in. It’s the perfect Christmas distraction that will get plenty of play after the big day.Continue reading…Have a child who loves jewellery and all things shiny? Girl’s accessory brand Stych’s fruit salad advent calendar is the perfect sparkly stimulant to control the Christmas countdown frenzy.Number one kickstarts the jewellery journey with a golden-link bracelet, then behind the further 23 doors there are brightly coloured trinkets to collect – 12 colourful charms and 11 pin badges. The whimsical jewels are fun, fancy and great quality – featuring rainbows, lemons and strawberries, and smiley faces. Given the size of the bracelet – although you can make it tighter by using the links – we’d suggest this for eight years plus.Continue reading…£25 Stychaccessories.comBuy nowLego’s release of calendars has become a big deal, with new editions being launched each year, and our 12-year-old Lego-lover was beside herself to get acquainted with 2022’s Lego City advent calendar. Coming with 287 pieces, this calendar is a total joy for mini brick-building fanatics. Behind the 24 windows are fun mini builds, popular Lego City Adventures TV characters and fun accessories, all boasting the high quality you’d expect from the Danish super brand. You can also fold down the snowy winter wonderland playmat for a festive ready-for-action scene. At just over £20, we’re sure the contents of this calendar will be played with for years to come.Continue reading…It was unlikely that our Roblox-obsessed 12-year-old tester was going to be disappointed by the novelty of a Roblox advent calendar in her clutches, but actually, we were all impressed with the selection and quality of the contents. The online gaming phenomenon shows no sign of waning, and we’re confident this calendar will be a hit with fellow gaming buffs.Behind the doors, you’ll discover a holiday twist on popular Roblox figures and paraphernalia, such as Santa, a Christmas tree, gingerbread man, and a reindeer – but the best bit is you can mix and match parts to make your own unique Roblox characters.Continue reading…£29.99 Smythstoys.comBuy nowNothing says yuletide like The Nutcracker, and this inspired advent calendar by JoJo Maman Bebe is just the ticket for injecting some festive cheer.Unlike others we tested, this set comes with sturdy carboard drawers – 24 of them – housing adorable wooden figurines. That means this advent calendar can become part of your family’s Christmas traditions, being used for countless Christmases in the future. Both our testers enjoyed playing with the figures, to create their own festive scenes. The quality of this advent calendar is undeniable – a stunning storytelling prompt and fabulously festive.Continue reading…£35 Jojomamanbebe.co.ukBuy nowYou can catch ’em all – well, 16 battle figurines and eight accessories – with the 2022 Pokemon advent calendar. For those who are passionate about Pokemon, the calendar is a fabulous way to count down to Christmas. Exclusive to the latest edition of the calendar is the sparkly finish to the battle figures – our 12-year-old tester approved. Plus, the mini figures are 5cm tall making them the perfect playing size for smaller hands, and the accessories are all festive-themed to get young ones in the Christmas spirit.Continue reading…£29.99 Smythstoys.comBuy nowOK, we may be cheating here, as eating chocolate was involved when testing this advent calendar, but the chocolate is 100 per cent organic and dairy-, nut-, gluten- and soy-free, so we have bent the rules for the Play in Choc advent calendar. This calendar is the best of both worlds, as, behind the 24 windows, alongside two chocolate squares, you’ll find a fun 3D festive toy and accompanying fact card. The toy has to be put together, which our testers enjoyed – keeping them occupied while they gobbled up the chocolate. The cardboard sleeve doubles up as a landscape for the newly made toys too.We can’t deny the price tag is on the steep side, but we commend the Play in Choc advent calendar for being plastic-free, zero waste and 100 per cent recyclable – even the chocolate wrapper is made using home-compostable materials.Continue reading…£49.95 Playinchoc.comBuy now