As Christmas quickly approaches, I wanted to create something to help Catholic kids celebrate Advent and prepare for Christmas. I love creating Catholic lapbooks because they are interactive and organize all of the information in fun flip books. They make a great reference tool that students can use for years to come.
This Catholic Advent Lapbook is no exception. It organizes all of the information and helps children to learn about the saints who have feast days during Advent, the Holy Day of Obligation we celebrate in December, the O Antiphons that are prayed at the end of the season and the Nativity Story.
I've created different levels of this lapbook from the most simplistic option where students basically just color and listen as they are read the different sections by an adult, to the most independent version where a lot is left blank and students will need to do the research and fill out the parts of the lapbook.
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Check out the different sections that are included in this Catholic Advent Lapbook. And yes this is a specifically Catholic lapbook. While I know other Christians celebrate Advent, this addresses saints, feast days, holy days, etc. that are part of the Catholic tradition.
Advent Wreath
It wouldn't be Advent without a wreath, right? I've created a wreath that goes right in the middle of the lapbook that students can color. Each week they can color an additional candle and draw a flame. There are also borders and banners that they can color too to personalize their lapbook and make it their own. I chose to color mine with all purples and pinks to stick with Advent, versus more of the reds and greens you see for Christmas. I wanted students to really focus on this season of Advent and not rush to Christmas too soon.
Saints to Celebrate During Advent
The saints included are:
- December 3 - St. Francis Xavier
- December 6 - St. Nicholas
- December 7 - St. Ambrose
- December 9 - St. Juan Diego
- December 12 - Our Lady of Guadalupe
- December 13 - St. Lucy
For a more interactive version designed for older students, try the blank flip book. In this version you still have the saint's name at the bottom and a picture of the saint, but everything else is blank except for the words Feast, Patron, and 3 Facts. Students will need to research the saint and add the necessary information. You can use the easier version as a guide for their research or have them use books, websites, videos or these podcasts to learn about the included saints.
The saints listed above are the only saints included. This is NOT every saint that has a feast day during Advent. Depending on when Advent falls, other saints may potentially have feast days during Advent, but I wanted to include saints that are included during Advent every single year.
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Holy Day of Obligation
December 8 is The Feast of the Immaculate Conception and is considered a Holy Day of Obligation in the Catholic Church. Because of this, it deserved its own section. For the simplified level, it is just something students can color that day before or after attending Mass. It is a reminder that we celebrate and honor Mary who was conceived without sin in preparation for carrying our Lord and savior in her sinless body.
There is also a blank version that can go under the heart flap. Designed for older students, they will need to do the research (or have a discussion with you) to figure out the details of this Holy Day of Obligation.
O Antiphons
The O Antiphons are a series of prayers read or sung during evening prayer on specific days during Advent. They are verses taken from the book of Isaiah in the Old Testament that express longing for the coming of Christ. They are different titles for Messiah. Some of these may be familiar if you know the song O Come, O Come Emmanuel.
This is created as a flip book so on the correct date, lift the flap and read the prayer underneath. You could also look for options to hear a recording of it sung. (Note: Translations and wording can vary on these prayers.) Read/sing and pray each prayer in anticipation of the coming Messiah.
The Birth of Jesus Mini Book
Practice telling and retelling the story of the birth of Jesus using this mini book that is hooked together like an accordion to make it pop out of the Advent lapbook.
With the Nativity story mini accordion book, there are four options depending on the level of your students and how much you want them to do on their own. This makes it easy to scaffold and differentiate. You can easily create lapbooks at different levels depending on the needs of your students. This is also ideal for homeschool families, so everyone can participate at their own level. 
Option 1: Has the pictures and the story. They just need to color the pictures.
Option 2: Has the words. Students will need to draw the pictures to match.
Option 3: Has the pictures. Students will need to write the words to match.
Option 4: Blank - students will need to write and draw to tell the story of the birth of Jesus.
Interested in grabbing this Advent Lapbook to use in your classroom or at home with your children? You can find it here.