Advent Coloring Pages

So, here’s what happened.

It was Halloween.

I had just picked the kids up from school. And I realized that we had ZERO candy to hand out to trick or treaters, so I made a quick stop at Walmart.

I walk in there with all 4 kids and we are amazed to see a huge crane right inside the main door.

We stop to look because who are we to pass up free entertainment?

After a moment we realize that the crane and a whole team of people are busy taking down the Halloween decorations, so they can immediately put up Christmas decorations.

On Halloween day!

The kids were, of course, thrilled.

As soon as we got home they momentarily lost interest in Halloween and instead started to beg to put up our Christmas tree.

When I said no they countered, “but it’s Christmas at Walmart, why can’t it be Christmas here?”

Why can’t it be Christmas here? Because it isn’t Christmas yet!

And it won’t be Christmas until December 25th–nearly TWO MONTHS after the date we saw them hanging decorations and setting up an enormous blow-up tree at our local Walmart.

Each year we as Catholic Mothers fight the battle of Advent. How do we protect and promote this season when the whole world is already celebrating Christmas? How do we teach our children to wait…and how do we have the discipline to wait for ourselves?

I don’t have all of the answers, but I am determined to help, sisters!

I have spent a lot of time over the years putting together a TON of Advent ideas for Catholic Families, and I just put together another one: ADVENT COLORING PAGES FOR MOM AND ME.

You can find the materials for this project, and MANY other Catholic projects in the Catholic Family Digital Resource Library. To get instant access, and join a thriving community of over 10,000 Catholic Parents, just enter your email address.

Coloring continues to be an activity that the kids love and I enjoy doing with them.

It is simple, enjoyable, and a great time for discussion. For this reason, I put together a simple Advent Coloring Book for Catholic Kids.

The book is full of fun things to color that keeps a child’s mind in Advent.

It also has some simple explanations that can be read together to explain why we wait and what we can learn about God through waiting.

The image below includes pictures of the pages for the first week of Advent.

In the coloring book for kids, each week of Advent is assigned a virtue God wants to teach us: Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love.

The pages for that week of advent explore that virtue and a symbol assigned to that virtue. For hope, we look at the symbol of a candle, for peace a wreath, for joy a star, and for love a gift.

Each week concludes with a little prayer and once your family arrives at Christmas the children are encouraged to present their Advent Coloring Book, and all the waiting for the kids, to Baby Jesus as a gift.

But what about the moms? We need help waiting too, right?

Well, at least I do!

Advent is a wonderful time to slow down and recommit ourselves to our prayer routines. It is also a wonderful time to spend more time in God’s word.

A few years ago I got into coloring to help me stay in and reflect on God’s word. I wish I was naturally talented enough to write out scripture verses in beautiful calligraphy. But I’m not–and I’m not disciplined enough to learn how!

Instead, I like the gentle, easy approach to coloring. Which is why I created a set of coloring pages for the 2018 Advent Season.

This set includes 24 pages to color (since Advent is 24 days long this year). Each page features a verse from that day’s Gospel. As well as a floral element that you can color as you reflect.

This year I also added the full citation for that day’s Gospel reading and many times to write your thoughts during prayer.

Like the Advent Coloring Book for Kids, the Advent Scripture Coloring and Reflection pages for Mom are digital products. Once you purchase them for $7 you will be able to save them and print them. As many times as you like.

Once again, you can find the materials for this project, and MANY other Catholic projects in the Catholic Family Digital Resource Library. To get instant access, and join a thriving community of over 10,000 Catholic Parents, just enter your email address

I hope these actives are helpful as you fight the battle of Advent. I am excited to use them in my own home, with my kids, and during my morning prayer time.

Keep it up, sister!

Your sister in the small things,