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Reverse Advent Calendar: How to Do One With Kids
Start a reverse advent calendar with your child: what to donate, how to explain it and when to deliver your box before Christmas.
How does a reverse advent calendar work?
To make a reverse advent calendar, add one requested donation to a box each day, then deliver it to your food bank by its deadline. Your child can choose the item and mark off the day, as Leeds North & West Foodbank suggests. Check the collection date before deciding when to start. Put an empty box beside the kitchen table to get started.
You're counting contributions instead of opening doors for treats. A cardboard box and a paper calendar are enough. It can sit alongside your usual calendar or our Advent calendar activities for kids.
When should your box reach the food bank?
Work backwards from your local food bank's collection deadline if you want donations to arrive before Christmas. Don't automatically wait until Christmas Eve. Ask where donations go and when someone will be there to receive them, then choose your family's collection days around that handover.
Derby's 2026 collection starts on 6 November. Its campaign timetable runs to 30 November, with boxes due by 4 December 2026. That's a local example, not a nationwide deadline.
Use Trussell's donation page to find local details. Write the address, opening hours and deadline on your calendar.
Which donations should you choose?
Choose from the food bank's current request list, within a budget you can afford. Needs vary, so use these reverse advent calendar ideas as a starting point, not a compulsory shopping list. Buy the donations during your usual shop rather than making a daily trip.
Leeds North & West Foodbank's suggestions include:
- Tins: fish, meat, soup, fruit or vegetables.
- Dry foods: rice, pasta or cereal.
- Drinks: long-life milk, long-life fruit juice, tea or coffee.
- Extras: pasta sauce, biscuits or rice pudding.
Choose sealed food with dates beyond your handover. Keep the original labels: Food Standards Agency guidance explains that these carry storage and allergen information. Don't include food past its use-by date.
How do you explain the box to a four-year-old?
Explain that you're sharing food with people who need it, using the item in front of you. Keep the conversation about helping, without comparing your child's dinner with somebody else's. You don't need a sad story or a lecture about how grateful they should be.
Try: "Some people don't have enough money for the food they need. The food bank helps them. We're choosing something from its list to share."
If they ask who'll get it, say you don't know. Don't invent a family or promise the whole box will go to another child.
What can your child do each day?
Once the shopping is done, keep the daily part small: choose, check, name, pack, mark and pause. Draw a square for each collection day. These six actions are a suggested one-minute ritual, with roughly 10 seconds for each; conversation can take longer.
1. Choose today's item
"Shall we add the soup or the cereal today?" Offer a choice between items you've already selected from the request list. If your child wants something else, look at whether it's requested before agreeing. They can choose the order without having to plan the shopping or spend their own money.
2. Let the grown-up check
"I'll check the packet and its date before we pack it." Keep the adult job brief. If your child wants to help, they can point to the label while you read it. Put anything you're unsure about aside, then choose a different item rather than turning the moment into a lesson.
3. Name what you're sharing
"We're adding rice today." Name the food and let your child say something about it if they want to. If they announce that they hate rice, you can simply say that people like different things. There's no need to persuade them to eat it or produce a thoughtful answer.
4. Add it to the box
"Put it here, next to yesterday's donation." Let your child place the item or point to its spot while you do the lifting. If arranging the packets becomes the interesting bit, leave time for that another day. Today's job is just to add the food you've chosen together.
5. Mark today's square
"Would you like to tick the square or draw the food?" A pencil mark is enough; decorating is optional. If they draw across several squares, carry on. You're recording what's been added, not testing neatness, counting or handwriting. You can write the item's name underneath if they ask you to.
6. Finish with a quiet pause
"That's today's giving done." Sit together for a quiet moment, then get on with tea or whatever comes next. If your child has nothing to say, let that be the finish. There's no gratitude speech to practise, and no need to ask how helping has made them feel.
Does it really take only a minute?
About a minute is a target for adding an item, not for the whole project. Shopping, making the calendar and delivering the box happen separately. Allow longer if your child wants to talk or draw. On a rushed evening, choosing the item and putting it in are enough.
You can buy everything together and keep the daily choosing separate. There's no need for daily spending.
What if money's tight or your child says no?
Make the collection smaller, pause it or choose a free way to help. Don't take food your household needs to fill a calendar square. If your family uses a food bank, you don't owe a donation or an explanation. Receiving help doesn't create a debt to repay.
For a child who refuses, offer a different job: marking the calendar, choosing where the box goes or watching you add the item. Leave another invitation for tomorrow.
If siblings disagree, alternate who chooses and who marks. After a missed day, resume without doubling the shopping. Our kindness activities for kids include ways to help without buying donations.
How do you keep it going until handover?
Pick a familiar moment, such as before tea, and leave the calendar where you'll see it. Keep the donations together so they don't drift back into the kitchen cupboard. After a gap, return to the next square; you don't need to restart or fill every space.
Before delivery, check the opening hours again and let your child choose a small job, such as holding the list. A grown-up carries the finished box.
If you're also planning a movement activity for Advent evenings, explore our mats, with 15 numbered poses laser-engraved into the surface.
Frequently asked questions
Can you do a reverse advent calendar for a charity other than a food bank?
Yes, if the charity agrees to the collection first. Ask what it can accept and when to deliver, then build your calendar around those requests. Let your child help choose the cause, but check the practical details before buying anything. Different charities need different donations.
What should you not put in a food bank box?
For this cupboard collection, leave out opened packets, homemade dishes and anything that needs a fridge. Follow the food bank's own requests for everything else. If you're unsure about a product, put it aside and ask before donating rather than guessing while packing the box.
Is it OK to start late?
Yes. Start with the days and budget you've got, then agree a handover date with the food bank. You don't need to buy extra items to catch up. If its Christmas deadline has passed, ask when it next wants donations and leave festive deadlines out of the plan.
How can a class do a reverse advent calendar?
Use a shared box and an optional contribution, rather than asking every family to buy something every day. Give everyone a role, such as drawing the calendar, ticking a square or helping write the collection sign. A grown-up should coordinate the request list and delivery with the food bank.
