17 of the best family Advent calendars to share for the Christmas countdown

If you want something a little longer-lasting than chocolate treats, try this kit. With 92 pieces to unpack, this calendar tells a charming story of Christmas in the bakery. One reviewer said, "Playmobil is so much fun. My son has lots of sets and this set was perfect for him over Christmas/Advent; he really enjoyed opening it up each morning and still plays with it regularly, 4 months later." Plus, we love that there's also multiple kitchen accessories a real biscuit stamp and cookie cutters, so you can all get baking together. However, another reviewer did add that it includes, "only small objects. Not great for 3 year olds."

We're big fans of Mr Men and Little Miss so we were excited to see they have their very own advent calendar! It features 24 individual stories for you and your child to reveal during the Christmas countdown so you can curl up and read stories such as Mr Tickle Saves the Day and Little Miss Sunshine Cheers Everyone Up. One reviewer said: "this is an excellent idea for an advent calendar, and I am so excited for my little boy to receive this. I grew up with these books, but had no idea that the advent calendar would have familiar characters with an array of new stories. Perfect for children who are perhaps too young for chocolate, or are young book lovers." Ideal for sharing, young children will love opening the calendar and then you can read the story together. Do bear in mind that the print is quite small and one reviewer commented, "the words are so small you need a magnifying glass to read them."

We love this advent calendar for its cathartic brain training in the form of puzzling! Behind each of the 24 doors sits a 50-piece puzzle to put together. Once completed, each puzzle can be slotted together to reveal a bigger picture. This will keep both big and little kids busy all Christmas. One reviewer said, "we enjoyed this as an easy way to come together and play a family game. The winner got to open a present which turned out to be "A Christmas Story" which we all watched afterwards. The 4 year old didn't want to stop playing and threw a fit! You know it's a good game when that happens." While another reviewer added, "a lovely jigsaw, quality is good and we are enjoying a different sort of Advent calendar!" This is a great advent calendar to share as a family but do note that the pieces are small so may not be suitable for babies or toddlers.

Does your family enjoy completing puzzles together? By opening this fun Christmas Advent calendar, you can piece together a puzzle to reveal a Disney game board to play together on Christmas day. This will appeal to all ages and especially fans of Disney. One reviewer said, "my little girl loved this advent calendar - 16 figures and lots of puzzle pieces. She really enjoyed putting the puzzle together on Xmas day and plays with the figurines daily. Toy advent calendars are great for kids who love figure play. We're very happy!" However one reviewer commented, "it's a lovely idea to have an advent calendar that turns into a board game once all the windows are opened. The only problem is that the figurines are very fragile, my daughter managed to break a couple already. Nothing that super glue won't fix but still I'd expect them to last longer."

Kick off your countdown to Christmas with Thornton's Santa Advent calendar. This calendar is packed with 12 different chocolates for you to try and enjoy. From the classic pearls to caramels, there's lots to discover and all the family will enjoy sharing the chocolates. One reviewer said, "I have bought Thorntons chocolates for years (only as a treat), so I had to try the Advent calendar. These are some of the best advents I have bought, the selection of chocolates with the chocolate pearls were great." While this is a great sharing advent calendar check for any food allergies because it won't be suitable for anyone with a dairy or soya intolerance.

The Tea Advent calendar by Bird and Blend Tea is packed with their new Christmas tea blends as well as some traditional favourites, all selected by their tea mixologists. There are two bags a day behind each window so both you and your other half can enjoy them. You can also choose between a regular or a caffeine-free version. One reviewer said, "I purchased the tea advent calendar last year and I loved it, so I bought it again this year. I can't wait to drink the tea. It's such a brilliant idea, the flavours were amazing. Thank you for bringing this on the market, I hope you'll do it every year, keeping the same price. Last year I had a sheet with 'meet the team' which was a very lovely personal touch. I also like the handwritten message on the card. Very lovely and makes it special." This is a great advent calendar for parents to share but because it only includes teabags, it won't be suitable for children.

Made to last and the perfect gift from parents or grandparents, we love this traditional rustic wooden calendar. Fill the boxes with small gifts and you can reuse the calendar year after year. One reviewer said, "we decorated this for my 2.5 year old niece. My daughters and I (15 and 12) loved it. We bought so many mini toys - window sticker snowflake and a pair of sticker earrings and a chocolate! What more could you want every day in December as a 2 year old! The boxes are small. But it was great fun to find mini presents. Loved it. Lovely product." However, another reviewer commented, "smaller than expected, drawers too small for sweets."

How could we miss Cadbury's off of the list? If your favourite chocolate is Cadbury's, you're bound to love waking up every morning knowing you have a Hero waiting for you and we are sure all the family will too. Filled with all the Heroes miniatures, you'll no longer hate waking up in the dark mornings during the lead-up to Christmas! One reviewer said, "Cadbury Chocolate is one of the better flavoured chocolates available for the money. This Cadbury Advent calendar was excellent at providing several tasty chocolate treats for 24 days before the holiday. Each day provides a small chocolate candy with a good variety of samples." However, you might find a few repeats so don't expect a different chocolate each day. But if you love them all then repeats won't be a problem!

This advent, why not remind your kids of all the happy memories they've made that year with a Personalised Advent Calendar? Each morning, they'll get to open a window and discover a photo taken through the year, prompting them to remember what they were doing, where they were, and hopefully start some lovely conversations about the experience! And for those that need their daily chocolate fix, there are also options with Kinder, Ferrero and Tony's Chocolonely chocolates behind each door too.

This fantastic advent calendar is packed with 24 acts of kindness for your family to do. Specifically designed to be sustainable, it can be used year after year to get your whole family into the Christmas spirit. One reviewer said, "a good quality product with brilliant ideas for the family. My kids love it." We love that it comes complete with a traditional tartan ribbon, ready to hang and can be personalised with your family's name. Although it is important to note that the eraser is not included.

Of course, we couldn't leave the pets out! If you have a pooch at home, they'll love this Lily's Kitchen Advent calendar. Arabella Horspool, our commercial content writer says, "my dogs range from 15 years old to 8 months and all of them were excited by the treats in the Lily's Kitchen Dog Advent Calendar. There's a nice variety of snacks inside which contain no-added sugar and the texture isn't too tough for them to chew. I absolutely love the festive packaging design!" We love that it features three of their popular grain-free dog treats: Bedtime Biscuits, Rise & Shines and Cheese & Apple Training Treats. While it might not be suitable for all the family, it will certainly be popular with your furry friends. However, some treats so slip behind the packaging into other windows.

Made from organic cotton, we love this advent calendar which features pretty festive pockets you can fill yourself. This can be customised to include treats for all the family from toiletries to sweets, you can fill it with something for everyone to share. Plus, it is reusable so you can use year after year. The fabric offers flexibility for different size gifts and it will look lovely hung up in your home in the run up to Christmas.

Start your healthy eating resolutions early with this great 'grow your own' calendar. Each day you receive vegetable, salad or herb seeds so you can get prepared for the new year well in time. Plus it will be fun for all the family to try and grow (and eat) your own veg. Little ones will love helping in the garden and it might encourage them to eat their greens. One reviewer said, "I bought this for my daughter. Chocolate calendars are all eaten by 1st December so I try to get something different." While another added, "I cannot wait to get planting all these amazing seeds. Great price for great quality seeds. Packaging was great." However, while it is a great calendar to prepare for the new it doesn't have the most festive appearance for displaying during December.

We love these Christmas advent jars which really do tell the real story of the meaning of Christmas. They are perfect for all the family, each day you get a different Bible verse depicting the story of the birth of Jesus, and they can be read by all the family. One reviewer said, "the jars are exactly as described. I purchased two, one for a gift and one to keep." Some reviewers commented that the paper notes are not coated so perhaps a bit flimsy, but for true Christmas spirit this is a great Advent calendar. Plus the jars look lovely as home decor too.

Enjoy family memories every day in December with this bespoke photo Advent calendar. All the family will enjoy opening the box to find a photo for the day which can then be pegged up on the jute provided to create a personalised bunting. One reviewer said, "beautifully presented & lovely quality. Our family loved receiving their photo advent. Such a unique, thoughtful idea!" However, do bear in mind that the person ordering the Advent calendar has to upload the photos to be included so the photos will not be a surprise for them, but still enjoyable.

Little ones will love having a festive picture to colour every day, although we think the big kids will also enjoy the calm some Christmas colouring will bring in the chaos of the festive season. One reviewer said, "my son loves to colour and this is the perfect Advent calendar for him. He loves colouring the picture before school each morning, can't wait to see it completed. He loves the fact it has his name on it and that he was able to colour in his name as well." The Advent calendar can also be personalised with a family name for an extra special touch. Made from card, it is not reusable but could make a lovely decoration the next year.

Love Christmas movies? You won't forget the popcorn with this fun festive Advent calendar which has a different flavour popcorn for each day of December. As a great alternative to the traditional chocolate Advent calendars, this one has 175g of popcorn each day, plus it is designed to open up like a giant Christmas storybook and tell the story of Joe Popcorn's kitchens at Christmas. So not only is it tasty for all the family but it looks great too.