December 1 is coming up quickly, and if you're still looking for an Advent calendar for your kids, we've got some great ones at The Rocking Horse this year!
Toy Advent calendars have become incredibly popular, and there are so many options beyond the traditional chocolate calendar. LEGO, squishies, magnetic tiles, trains, puzzles, little animals... there's something for just about every interest.
We've rounded up some of our favourite Advent calendars for kids in 2026, including options for toddlers, older kids, and even grown-ups. Here's what we'd recommend based on what your child loves to play with.
For the Kid Who Loves Trains: BRIO Advent Calendar 2026
If you've got a little train enthusiast at home, the BRIO Advent Calendar 2026 is a great choice!
Behind the 24 doors, kids will find Santa and Mrs. Claus, an engine, wagon, horse, wooden track pieces, a wooden spruce, and plenty of little accessories to add to their railway.
What we really like about this calendar is that all the pieces are compatible with BRIO World. If your child already has a BRIO train set, they can add everything to their existing tracks and keep playing long after Christmas.
It's also a great way to start a BRIO collection!
Best for: Kids who love wooden trains, railway sets, and imaginative play.
For the Kid Who Loves Building: MAGNA-TILES microMAGS Advent Calendar
MAGNA-TILES fans, this one's for you!
The MAGNA-TILES microMAGS Advent Calendar gives kids something new to add to their magnetic tile creations each day, with pieces that come together to create a festive train adventure.
There are also exclusive figures with interchangeable heads, bodies, and headpieces, so kids can mix and match to make their own characters.
And because microMAGS work with other MAGNA-TILES sets, everything can be added to their collection once the holidays are over.
Best for: Kids ages 3+ who love MAGNA-TILES, magnetic building toys, and creating their own designs.
SHOP THE MAGNA-TILES ADVENT CALENDAR
For the LEGO Kid: LEGO Advent Calendars
It's hard to go wrong with a LEGO Advent Calendar.
This year we have four new 2026 calendars to choose from: LEGO City, LEGO Friends, LEGO Marvel and LEGO Star Wars.
The LEGO City Advent Calendar is a particularly good choice for younger builders ages 5+. It takes kids to Santa's workshop, with Santa, Mrs. Claus, elves, a baby reindeer and little Christmas builds to make throughout December.
The LEGO Friends Advent Calendar is a fun choice for kids who love animals, characters and imaginative play. With festive mini builds and accessories to discover each day, it's a great way to add some Christmas fun to their LEGO Friends collection.
For superhero fans, the LEGO Marvel Advent Calendar includes Spider-Man, Iron Man, Captain America, Wolverine, Ghost-Spider and Doctor Doom, plus lots of very silly Christmas builds.
And the LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar is all about The Mandalorian this year, with Mando, Grogu, Moff Gideon and plenty of Star Wars creatures and mini vehicles.
A great pick for: Kids who already love LEGO and want something they can keep building and playing with long after Christmas.
For the Kid Who Loves to Make Things: Build-A-Bot Advent Calendar
This is one of the more unusual Advent calendars we have this year.
Instead of opening 24 completely separate toys, kids slowly collect the pieces they need to build three robots.
Each day reveals either a robot piece or a sticker, and by Christmas they'll have three complete little bots.
We love the idea of an Advent calendar slowly working towards something. It makes opening each door feel like part of a bigger project.
A great pick for: Curious kids ages 3+ who love building, tinkering and figuring out how things go together.
SHOP THE BUILD-A-BOT ADVENT CALENDAR
For Little Kids: Richard Scarry's Best Advent Calendar Ever!
This is such a sweet Advent calendar for younger children!
Richard Scarry's Best Advent Calendar Ever! includes 25 pop-out ornaments featuring colourful Busytown characters like Lowly Worm, Huckle Cat, Sally Cat, Hilda Hippo and Mr. Frumble.
Each day, kids can pop out a new ornament and hang it on the Christmas tree using the included gold cord. They can also use them to decorate a wreath or make a festive garland!
One of our favourite things about this calendar is that it's reusable. Once Christmas is over, you can tuck the ornaments away and bring them out again next December. It's a lovely option for families who want an Advent calendar they can enjoy year after year.
A great pick for: Younger kids ages 2–6, families looking for a reusable Advent calendar, and little ones who love helping decorate for Christmas.
SHOP THE RICHARD SCARRY ADVENT CALENDAR
For Older Kids and Grown-Ups: Ravensburger Puzzle Advent Calendar
Advent calendars aren't just for little kids.
The Ravensburger Puzzle Advent Calendar contains 24 separate 54-piece puzzles, so you get a completely new mini puzzle every day leading up to Christmas.
The theme is Christmas Around the World, with each puzzle taking you somewhere different.
This could be a lovely December ritual for an older child, teenager or adult who likes to sit down with a puzzle in the evening.
A great pick for: Puzzle lovers ages 12+, teens, adults and families who want a quiet daily Christmas activity.
SHOP THE RAVENSBURGER PUZZLE ADVENT CALENDAR
So, How Do You Choose the Best Advent Calendar?
Our biggest piece of advice is to think about what your child already loves playing with.
If they're constantly building, choose something like LEGO or MAGNA-TILES. If their BRIO train set lives permanently on the living room floor, adding 24 new BRIO pieces will probably be much more exciting than 24 unrelated surprises.
For kids who love animals or imaginative play, the Schleich calendars are a great choice. Younger children might enjoy the Richard Scarry calendar, especially if they love helping decorate the Christmas tree. And for older kids who enjoy puzzles or hands-on activities, a calendar that gives them something to work on each day can be a lot of fun.
We also like to think about what happens to the calendar after December 24.
Some of our favourites are the ones that become part of the child's regular toys once Christmas is over. The BRIO pieces go into their train set, the MAGNA-TILES join their builds, and the LEGO minifigures and mini builds get mixed into their LEGO collection.
And with reusable options like the Richard Scarry calendar, you can pack everything away and bring it out again next Christmas!
When Should You Buy an Advent Calendar?
Earlier than you might think.
Advent calendars start on December 1, which means they're one Christmas item you really don't want to leave until the middle of December.
The most popular ones can also disappear well before then. Our NeeDoh Squishmas Advent Calendar has already sold out for 2026, and we're still a long way from December.
If there's a particular calendar you know your child would love, we recommend getting it while it's available and hiding it away until December 1.
You can shop all of our 2026 Advent Calendars online or visit us at The Rocking Horse in downtown Kingston.
We ship across Canada, too, so you don't have to be local to start your Christmas countdown with us.