The Christmas season can be chaotic—but it doesn’t have to drown out God’s presence. That’s why Advent is a beautiful invitation: to pause, remember, and prepare our hearts for the arrival of Jesus. In this post, I’m sharing 12 of the best Advent devotionals for families—ones that bring Scripture, reflection, and meaningful moments right into your December days. Whether your kids are little or growing up fast, may this list help your family gather, worship, and savor the true joy of the season.
So get the hot chocolate ready, gather the kids around the table, light the candles, and begin creating a meaningful family Advent tradition.
Why Advent Devotionals Matter for Families
While you may see a chocolate Advent calendar or a lego Advent calendar serving as a countdown to Christmas in the secular world, for the church the Advent season is more than just a countdown to Christmas.
The word Advent means arrival. It is the time Christians set aside to focus on the arrival of God’s promised Son, the birth of Jesus Christ.
During the month of December followers of Jesus around the world reflect on the nativity story and what the birth of Christ means for our faith. The 4 Sundays leading up to Christmas Day are the Sundays of Advent. It technically begins four Sundays before Christmas.
How to Choose the Right Advent Devotional for Your Family
I tried to pick a wide variety of options for these family advent devotionals. Some are more “open-and-go” and others require a bit of preparation. Ask yourself the follow questions to help decide which Advent devotional is right for your family.
What age is the median age of my kids? I tend to aim for the tool that will most engage my middle child for family devotionals. If you have a big gap in age or understanding there are options that have an older child/adult section and a younger child section. Also, grab a nativity or Christmas coloring pages to keep little ones hands engaged during your Advent time.
How often do I want to do Advent? Some devotionals are set up for weekly engagement others are meant to be used 5 days a week or every day leading up to Christmas.
Do I want something that is easy or something more hands-on? Some Advent devotionals have crafts, games–a whole set up. Others, you just open up and read. What’s your capacity? What’s your style? What will best engage your kids?
Don’t be afraid to change if your Advent devotional isn’t a good fit.
A couple years ago I purchased an Advent devotional that I was sooo excited about. On the first night I realized it wasn’t going to work for our kids. So I simply put it in the Christmas book basket and we saved it to use another year when the kids were older.
Remember as well that you can order multiple options from Amazon, get your hands on them yourself, keep what looks like the best fit, and return the options you don’t want to use.
How to set up your Advent wreath
Traditionally the family gathers around an advent wreath with four candles in the wreath and one candle in the center. These candles represent Jesus Christ as the light of the world. Traditionally, three outer candles are dark purple, one is a lavender and the center candle is white.
Although you may enjoy a traditional Advent wreath you can also use any five candles and be as creative or simple as you like for your family or church. Currently my family uses 4 votive candles I picked up at the Target dollar spot and one larger candle in a rustic wooden tray surrounded by greenery and jingle bells.
A simple Advent devotional example
The first Sunday of Advent only one candle is lit. The second two are lit and one added each Sunday until finally, all the candles are lit on Christmas day.
Generally there are special Advent readings reflecting on attributes of God or elements of the Christmas story the whole family reads together while the candles remain lit. Sometimes Christmas carols are sung, a short prayer is said, and then at the end– the lit Advent candle(s) is blown out.
The following Advent devotionals are perfect to incorporate in your family’s Advent time to make it really meaningful and impactful for your kids!
The 12 Best Advent Devotionals for Families
Here are my favorite family advent devotional books! Each one contains daily readings and a weekly reading you can do as a family. Some also include activities, songs, discussion questions and recipes.
This is the Advent devotional my family used when I was a kid! It is a classic and has great questions for both younger children and older kids/adults. I love that it is simple to read and also includes a memory verse and song ideas for your Advent devotional time.
You can also look at creating your own ornaments that go along with each day’s devotionals or buy a completed set on Etsy!
This family devotional contains four weeks of daily devotionals for you to read as a family, beginning on the fourth Sunday before Christmas and ending on Christmas Day.
This little book is designed for families with children of all ages (and attention spans), providing intentionally brief yet theologically rich and enjoyable content. The Daily Grace Co. also offers some cute Christmas ornaments and Christmas Advent Wall Calendar to use that corresponds with this devo.
Written in Ann’s beautiful prose, but accessible for families this gorgeous keepsake book has daily Scripture readings, discussion questions, meaningful activities, and downloadable ornaments to help your children understand and appreciate the gift of Jesus this Christmas season!
This one is a best suited for upper Elementary and above. My kids really love the illustrations, but some of the readings get long for younger or more active children.
Advent is the perfect time for families to gather together and celebrate the birth of Jesus. Using pictures of Jesus from Isaiah’s prophecies ―the Light, the Branch, the Shepherd, and the Savior― brings to life the true meaning of Christmas.
This is another highly interactive book with ideas for crafts, activities, service projects, and baking recipes. One of my kids favorite parts was the Going Deeper Questions that explored topics like “Who is Saint Nicholas?” and “Was Jesus really born in a barn?”
This practical family advent devotional lays out step by step devotions for families that are interactive with songs, coloring pages, Scripture readings and devotional readings each day leading up to Christmas! I love that there are so many elements to help incorporate lots of different learning styles, but you can always keep it simple too.
This is a great read for families with middle school or older children who are looking for something a bit more challenging. “Combining in-depth historical research with cheerfully irreverent humor and a dash of cutting-edge guesswork, Nick Page shows us how many of the things we believe about Christmas are actually a load of old baubles – and helps us get back to something real and true beneath all the wrapping.”
This book will stir up some great discussions with your older kids as they begin to own their own faith!
My family and church loves the Jesus Storybook Bible and the way it weaves the promise of a Rescuer into many familiar Bible stories. The author offers an amazing Advent devotional plan with a reading guide, printable ornaments, coloring pages and activity ideas.
This Advent family devotional help families explore why Jesus came. Each day has Scripture reading, application questions, and journaling space for both writing and drawing. This book is larger (more coloring book size) and great for helping kids respond to what they are hearing about Christmas!
This beautifully illustrated and photographed cookbook/devotional is perfect for your little baker! Each recipe includes a short devotional, prayer, Scripture verses, questions to ask while baking together and while you eat discussion prompts!
This is definitely a more involved Advent devotional with crafts and baking opportunities. It would also be a great resource for homeschool families and creative Sunday school or church small group Advent lessons!
Each of the 25 days highlights a different person, place, or object from the Christmas story—from the prophet Isaiah to Baby Jesus, from the Christmas star to the gift of frankincense. All devotions include an easy-to-read story, character trait, activity, and more—each designed to reinforce the main theme of the day.
This is a great options for older preschoolers and elementary age kids.
As your kids get a little older it can be harder to hold their attention, this 10 minute family style devotions feature graphic novel illustrations. Each day has the big idea, orienting questions, and Scripture reading. Optional questions and activities can help your family dive deeper!
I especially love the discussion questions were divided into age groups from 3s and 4s to teens–perfect for big families!
Perfect for those who are short on time but still want to use Advent to learn more about Jesus. The Christmas Promise Advent calendar includes a short booklet of daily devotionals as well as lift-the-flap calendar with illustrations from The Christmas Promise Storybook!
More Christmas ideas like this one
As you gather with your family this Advent, remember that the little moments—reading together, praying together, waiting together—are shaping hearts for Jesus. If you’re looking for even more faith-filled traditions here are some great ideas.
Advent isn’t about perfection—it’s about preparation. Whether your devotional time feels picture-perfect or a little messy (hello, spilled cocoa and candle wax), every moment you set aside for Jesus is shaping your family’s hearts. Keep it simple, keep it meaningful, and keep pointing back to Him.
Other Advent Resources for Families
Hands-On Tools for Little Ones
Fisher Price Nativity Set — Love this for little hands to explore the Christmas story for themselves. If you have toddlers or preschoolers bring this nativity into your Advent time to give their busy little hands something to do while they listen!
Jesse Tree Ornaments — There are lots of options for creating Jesse Tree ornaments, but these felt ones are beautiful. There are display options available from the shop as well.
Advent Wall Calendar — This gorgeous calendar features 25 pockets—one for each day—and a stunning floral design you’ll love. Fill them with candy, scripture, or a surprise!
The Advent Adventure Ornaments — 26 beautiful ornaments will help you keep Christ at the center of your holiday season, anticipating Christmas while you use them with The Daily Grace Co.’s Advent Wall Calendar, or they can simply be hung as ornaments on your tree. Each ornament corresponds to a day in the family Advent devotional, The Advent Adventure, and highlights a truth that will point your family to the greatest gift ever: Jesus!
Traditional Advent Wreath — This traditional Advent wreath will make your Advent devotional time memorable as you light more and more candles the closer you get to Christmas.
