Activities
How to Make a Sticker Advent Calendar
By Sticker Flux ·
A sticker advent calendar swaps the usual chocolate or small toy for a daily sticker reveal, which costs far less to put together and gives children a design to collect, swap, or stick onto a page as December counts down. Twenty four small designs is a manageable project spread over a few printing sessions rather than one long sitting.
Planning twenty four small designs
Rather than designing twenty four completely unrelated stickers, pick three or four small categories, such as ornaments, snow-themed animals, treats and simple shapes, and rotate through them across the month. This keeps the overall set visually connected while still giving each day something new to find behind its number.
The seasonal shapes covered in DIY winter holiday stickers are a useful starting point for the icon categories, and developing the calendar’s motifs in [Sticker Flux sticker design app](/) lets you explore motifs for the calendar; use a reference palette and line style to tie the full set together.
Printing, cutting and numbering the set
Print the full set across a few sheets, following an efficient layout like the one in print multiple stickers on one sheet, and cut each design apart before sorting them into day order. Numbering matters more here than in most sticker projects, since a mixed up pile ruins the daily reveal if a child peeks ahead by accident.
A simple way to keep order is writing the day number lightly on the back of each sticker's backing paper before placing it into its pocket or envelope, so even if the pile gets shuffled while assembling the calendar, each sticker can be matched back to its correct day.
Choosing a format to hold the daily stickers
Small numbered envelopes pinned to a ribbon, a pocket-style fabric calendar, or even a simple grid of folded paper flaps all work as a home for the daily sticker. The format matters less than making sure each pocket is clearly numbered and sized to hold a single small sticker without crushing it.
If the calendar is meant to be reused next year, keep this year's stickers as a reference sheet and design a fresh set for the following December, since repeating the exact same twenty-four designs removes some of the surprise for a child who remembers last year's reveal. Families who keep the calendar year after year often look forward to seeing which small design theme gets chosen next, long after the stickers from the first year have been used.
Further reading
Create your own stickers in Sticker Flux
Related guides
DIY Winter Holiday Stickers for Gift Wrap, Cards, and Seasonal Journals