We wanted to start an Advent Calendar tradition for our 4 year old daughter. Unfortunately, she's experienced some cavities lately so we didn't want to do a calendar that had chocolate in each daily square. I looked at the ones with toys, and a lot of those were really expensive. So while researching other options, I found a couple of moms that had blogs describing how they created an Advent calendar with activities. The activities can be fun for the family, and emphasize holiday fun, learning and / or giving. So we jumped all over that idea.We purchased this calendar and we're originally going to surprise my daughter with the completed calendar, but it looked like it would be something that she would like to do as well, so we described the tradition and built the calendar as a family. It is well-made, easy and fun to assemble, and really makes a nice Christmas decoration. After we assembled it as a family, my wife and I stuffed it with pieces of paper describing each activity. We did things like:- Call grandmom and grandpop and tell them how much you love them- Bake Christmas cookies with Daddy- Donate one of your favorite toys to a child who doesn't have many toys- Watch a Christmas movie with Mommy and Daddyetc.So now she is excited about finding out each day's activity.The calendar is so easy to figure out that we never read the instructions. But here is one tip for you. We first put the colored circles on each of the daily pockets. We then realized that some of the numbers for specific days were the same color as the circle we put on that day. So we had to peel some off and move them to another spot. The adhesive is really good, so this didn't present too much of a problem. But it would be better to put the numbers on the circles first, then put them in the appropriate order on the calendar. Better to not have to pull off the circles so they're not weakened in any way.This is a new traditional that will live on for years to come.I'd definitely recommend the calendar and the alternative to chocolate filled calendars (tho you can put candy in this one too if you want).Wow, I was super impressed with this kit! It was just the right amount of effort for my almost 5 year old. I had to peel off the stickers because they were tricky to do, but he was able to put them on himself with minimal guidance from me. And not that this is super academically useful, but there was value in him practicing counting the higher numbers, talking about color patterns, etc. Originally I had planned to glue it for longevity but decided that seemed too fussy in the moment. Honestly I think this will hold up ok even without glue because the stickers weren't coming off easily even when I tried--I guess we'll see next year though! Just be sure to follow the picture and put the circles on as the picture shows or else stick the numbers on the circles first (before affixing the circles on the tree), because that ensures that you won't put the same color number on the same color circle or have same color circles next to each other. The pockets are small (max of a couple inches square, with not a lot of slack in the pocket for stuffing), and be aware that some are smaller than others. I've been filling each day with tiny candies (suckers, tootsie rolls, etc), little toys (think gumball machine size, you really can't get large things in there), and notes discussing activities we'll do (make hot chocolate, watch a holiday movie, make a card for someone, etc). It's been a great way to emphasize the idea that Christmas isn't just about gifts. If you go into this knowing that it's a kids project, not a gorgeous heirloom-quality piece, and that the pockets are meant for TINY stuff, I think you'll enjoy this kit as much as we did.It's OK. Bought for a 2.5 year old for his first conscious countdown to Xmas. First off, it's definitely a pain to put together. If you have an older child (5+), I suppose putting it together could be an activity in and of itself, but in my case I had to put it together myself and it was a pain (lots of tiny pieces). But it is fairly straightforward (just tedious) to put together. All the pieces come precisely cut (you just have to punch them out of the felt sheets) and have adhesive backing, so you just have to assemble. However, the bigger issue is that the pockets are really tiny. If you anticipate putting just paper clues or a single tiny piece of candy in each pocket, then it's fine. But I wanted to be able to put a small toy or item in each one, and the pockets are just too small. Instead we just point at the numbers on the three and then I give him the toy or item separately. The play value for the tree itself, once it has already been put together, is pretty limited, since the pieces are all backed with adhesive and so aren't designed to be moved around, so it's not really that functional. I ended up just permanently attaching the numbers with the adhesive, and adding little velcro tabs onto the other pieces (presents, bear, candy cane, etc.) so that they could be moved around and repositioned, but the play value is still limited.In retrospect, I wish I'd bought a slightly nicer, pre-assembled one with repositionable pieces and bigger pockets that was more functional as an actual play tree and advent calendar.Loved making this. I filled with treats for my two boys, some sweet ones but most written on paper which they loved. Sturdy and hangs well on the wall. Really colourfu decoration addition for Christmas.Not bad at all. Kids had a great time making this!! Needs some parent help if your kids r under 6 but was a fun family craft. My only complaint is that some of the pockets are a bit small. So far has held up for 3 christmas's with many more to go.Did this with my 4 year old... Takes. A little long to do so she lost interest part way through but it's a very nice item. Exactly as on box.. Good material..all pieces are sticky bad feltGreat craft for the little onesIts great to have when your kids have food allergies as you can fill it yourself with treats that are safe. It was a lot of fun to decorate as well.