Best kids advent calendars 2024: Chocolate or toy calendars little ones will love

As a child, there are few things more exciting than receiving your very own advent calendar, to help you count down the days to Christmas. If you are reading this round-up, it is likely that you now have your own children, or that you have kids in your life in some capacity - maybe as a parental guardian, as their fun aunt or uncle, or even their babysitter.

Whatever your reason for wanting to find the best advent calendars for the littles ones in your life will love, we have got you covered with our pick of the best kids advent calendars. We have even divided up our featured products into separate categories, so that you can use the links below to jump straight to the section that is most relevant to you. The obvious choice would be to buy your little munchkin a chocolate advent calendar, so that they can wake up with glee every morning and start their day off with a delicious (if not exactly nutritious) square of chocolate.

While a small piece of chocolate once a day during advent will hardly make your children’s teeth fall out, we also understand that some parents may prefer not to give out chocolate advent calendars, especially when the festive season is already so full of sugary treats. If that is the case for you, there is no need to worry, as there are tonnes of toy advent calendars to choose from too, which feature miniature action figures, stickers or buildable toys that can help your child to develop their creativity and design skills. We have even included an entire section of our round-up dedicated solely to Lego, one of the most enduringly popular activities for children (and some grown-ups too)!

Looking for the best kids advent calendars 2024 has to offer? Check out our top picks, ranging from chocolate filled calendars to ones featuring fun toys.

Chocolate Kids Advent Calendars

We’d argue that you never really tire of the excitement that an advent calendar brings (even as a grown-up), but this is especially true for kids. The chocolate advent calendars below offer up fun designs and recognisable brand names, so are sure to be embraced by little ones this festive season.

Hotel Chocolat ‘Up To Snow Good’ Advent Calendar

What: Advent calendars don’t come much cuter than this one! The calendar features 24 chocolate ‘sculptures’ and if you’re wondering about the need for that fancy name, it’s because these aren't your usual plain chocolate squares. Instead, they are mini chocolate slabs depicting festive figures like penguins and Father Christmas.
How much: £8.95
Buy it: Hotel Chocolat

Cadbury Heroes Advent Calendar

What: Are you the type of parent who doesn’t let the family crack open the Heroes sharing tub until Christmas Eve? Well, why not treat your little ones to a little early festive fun by buying a Heroes advent calendar? There are 24 chocolates to try, including favourites such as Twirl, Fudge and Creme Egg Twisted.
How much: £6.50
Buy it: Cadbury

Dairy Milk Advent Calendar

What: It doesn’t get much more classic than Dairy Milk. The chocolate brand’s advent calendar for 2024 will delight youngsters with its festive cartoon packaging, and you can even write the name of the recipient on the calendar, so that there’s no squabbling with siblings over whose is whose.
How much: £2.75
Buy it: Cadbury

Fortnum’s Children’s Chocolate Advent Calendar

What: It’s never too young to develop a taste for the finer things in life. This advent calendar, in the shape of Fortnum’s iconic Piccadilly store, is loaded with organic chocolates in the shape of Christmas trees, presents, and Father Christmas himself - if you can bear to eat him. This calendar goes right up to Christmas Day, when there’s an extra special treat.
How much: £25.95
Buy it: Fortnum & Mason

Lindt TEDDY Winter Wonderland Advent Calendar

What: This adorably-packaged teddy bear advent calendar from Lindt is choc-a-block full of Lindt fan-favourites. An assortment of white and milk chocolate keeps things interesting, as well as a mix of chocolate hearts, LINDOR minis, and behind one door, a full Lindt teddy.
How Much: £7.50
Buy it: Lindt

M&S Percy Pig Milk Chocolate Advent Calendar

What: Who doesn’t love a Percy Pig? And with this advent calendar for naughty and nice piglets, Percy is taking the chocolate world by storm with Percy-flavour chocs throughout the month. What that entails, we’re not quite sure - but there’s only one way to find out.
How much: £7
Buy it: Ocado

Toy Kids Advent Calendars

If you don’t love the idea of your child eating a square of chocolate first thing in the morning, why not try a toy advent calendar instead? These Christmas countdowns are filled with action figures, stickers and similar fun objects, with plenty of them modelled after some of the most popular children’s TV shows and video games too.

Minecraft Advent Calendar

What: This Minecraft calendar is loaded with a whopping 52 different themes goodies - that's over two a day! - ranging from coasters and decals to magnets, playing cards, decorations and even a jigsaw puzzle. It's more than enough to keep even the most Minecraft-obsessed child busy over the festive period, and even better, the whole calendar is plastic-free.
How much: £30
Buy it: Menkind

Hot Wheels Advent Calendar

What: Do you have a future racing driver on your hands? Fuel their ambition with this Hot Wheels calendar, which allows kiddies to build their own North Pole inspired ‘test track’. The calendar also includes a handful of Hot Wheels cars to keep them entertained for hours on end.
How much: £19.99
Buy it: Smyths Toys

Pokemon Advent Calendar

What: Whether your kids love the Pokemon franchise or you’re a die-hard fan who wants to introduce them to it, they are bound to fall in love with this Pokemon advent calendar. Behind each door, you will find either one of 16 Pokémon battle figures or one of eight holiday-themed accessories. You gotta catch ‘em all!
How much: £44.99
Buy it: Wonderland Models

Meri Meri Kids' necklace and charm advent calendar

What: Not strictly a toy calendar, but if you’re not a fan of the amount of waste which accompanies Christmas, this advent calendar offers a gift that won’t be cast aside after the Christmas season ends. Inside this sweet gingham jewellery box is a necklace with 17 enamel charms, and six tassels for your child to construct a necklace they can wear again and again.
How much: £65
Buy it: Selfridges

Polly Pocket Advent Calendar

What: Inside this gingerbread house-shaped calendar hides a winter wonderland playset. Kids can open the doors to a new Christmas-themed toy each day of the month, including a Christmas tree with ornaments, a cash desk to buy gifts at, and even a Polly car to zoom the dolls around in.
How much: £20.99
Buy it: Mattel

Disney Frozen Advent Calendar

What: If your child is a Frozen fanatic, you’ll be hard pressed to find a more exciting advent calendar for them. This calendar will launch your kid into the Christmas spirit with their favourite Frozen characters, with Anna and Elsa small dolls behind the its doors, alongside everyone’s favourite companions Olaf the snowman and Sven the reindeer.
How much: £29.99
Buy it: John Lewis

Lego Kids Advent Calendars

Yes, that’s right, Lego advent calendars are so popular that they are deserving of their very own section. Below, you will find a handful of calendars which feature Lego versions of your child’s favourite books, TV shows and films, so they can really get creative this Christmas.

Lego Friends Advent Calendar

What: Lego lovers will be thrilled with this interactive advent calendar, which allows juniors to get their creative juices flowing. Inside, there are five Lego Friends as well as various festive-themed buildable toys, including a Christmas tree and a stocking.
How much: £19.99
Buy it: Boots

Lego City Advent Calendar

What: Another Lego option for 2024 is the Lego City Advent Calendar, which depicts a snowy winter village. There are 24 compartments to open, with each one featuring either a miniature figurine or a buildable toy, such as a snowman, jolly skiiers and even Father Christmas himself.
How much: £19.99
Buy it: Smyths Toys

Lego Harry Potter Advent Calendar

What: Combining two childhood favourites - Lego and Harry Potter - is always going to be a winning combination. Behind the doors of this advent calendar, you will find miniature action figures and buildable toys, all of which will keep young wizards and witches entertained throughout the festive season.
How much: £29.99
Buy it: Smyths Toys

Lego Spider-Man Marvel Advent Calendar

What: Budding superheroes can count down to Christmas with this years' Lego Marvel advent calendar, a fun Spider-Man-themed calendar. Behind each door lies a miniature action figure or a buildable toy from the Spider-Man films, including Green Goblin, a snow Spider-Ham, and Spider-Man himself.
How much: £29.99
Buy it: Smyths Toys

Now that you’ve got the kids sorted, treat yourself to our pick of the best food and drink advent calendars for 2024.