For parents

A Christmas Carol Advent Reading Plan for Kids (Free, Dec 1–24)

Three pages a day, one question a day, and Scrooge’s happy Christmas morning lands right on Christmas Eve.

By Sean Lee · October 27, 2026

How to use this plan

Our retelling of A Christmas Carol has 72 pages in nine short chapters, which divides neatly into 24 days of three pages each. Start on December 1 and you’ll finish with Scrooge’s merriest Christmas on December 24, just in time for your own.

• Keep it short: one sitting of about ten minutes a day, at breakfast, after school or at bedtime.
• Read aloud as a family. Take turns, and let confident readers (8–9) read a page to everyone.
• Ask the day’s question after reading, or try the tiny activity. There are no wrong answers.
• On weekends, add a small family kindness, like making a card for a neighbor or sorting toys to give away.
• Missed a day? Simply read six pages the next day. The plan is meant to be cozy, not a chore.

Print the free A Christmas Carol character cards before December 1. Children love to hold up the right card when Marley, Fred or one of the three spirits appears.

Week 1: December 1–7

• Day 1 (pages 1–3, Chapter 1): Scrooge keeps the coal locked away, even on Christmas Eve. How would you make a cold room cozy?
• Day 2 (pages 4–6, Chapter 1): Fred invites his grumpy uncle to Christmas dinner anyway. Who would you invite to a holiday meal?
• Day 3 (pages 7–9, Chapters 1–2): Two gentlemen ask Scrooge to help families with no food or heat. What is one way our family could help someone this winter?
• Day 4 (pages 10–12, Chapter 2): Marley’s ghost wears a chain made of cash boxes and keys. Make a paper chain where each link is something you love that money can’t buy.
• Day 5 (pages 13–15, Chapter 2): Marley comes to warn Scrooge so he still has a chance to change. Has anyone ever given you a second chance?
• Day 6 (pages 16–18, Chapters 2–3): The first spirit arrives in a flash of warm light, holding a branch of holly. Draw what your own Christmas spirit would carry.
• Day 7 (pages 19–21, Chapter 3): Scrooge sees himself as a lonely boy left at school for the holidays. What could you do if you saw someone sitting alone?

Week 2: December 8–14

• Day 8 (pages 22–24, Chapter 3): Scrooge’s little sister, Fan, races in to bring him home for Christmas. Who makes you feel happy to come home?
• Day 9 (pages 25–27, Chapter 4): Mr. Fezziwig turns his warehouse into a ballroom. Push back the chairs and have a two-minute family dance.
• Day 10 (pages 28–30, Chapter 4): Scrooge remembers how happy his kind old master made everyone. What is a kindness that cost nothing but meant a lot to you?
• Day 11 (pages 31–33, Chapters 4–5): Belle tells young Scrooge he has started to love gold more than people. Why do you think that made her sad?
• Day 12 (pages 34–36, Chapter 5): Scrooge’s room becomes a green forest piled with a giant feast. Make a list of the foods you would add to the pile.
• Day 13 (pages 37–39, Chapter 5): The Ghost of Christmas Present helps two grumpy workmen make up. What helps you make up after an argument?
• Day 14 (pages 40–42, Chapters 5–6): Mrs. Cratchit adds bright ribbons to her patched dress, and Tiny Tim rides home on his father’s shoulders. What small thing makes an ordinary day feel special?

Week 3: December 15–21

• Day 15 (pages 43–45, Chapter 6): The Cratchits share a small goose and a plum pudding, and Bob raises his cup to his family. Make a family toast at dinner tonight. (Scrooge worries about Tiny Tim here, so this is a good moment for a cuddle.)
• Day 16 (pages 46–48, Chapter 6): Fred laughs about his uncle but decides to keep inviting him every year. Why do you think Fred doesn’t give up?
• Day 17 (pages 49–51, Chapter 7): The third spirit is quiet and cloaked, and only points. It’s a little spooky, so sit close. Then play a game of saying something without any words.
• Day 18 (pages 52–54, Chapter 7): Scrooge sees a lonely man whom nobody misses. What makes someone a good friend?
• Day 19 (pages 55–57, Chapters 7–8): The Cratchit family is sad and quiet, and they hold each other close. How do we take care of each other when someone feels sad? (Remind young listeners that these are only shadows of what might happen, and that the story isn’t finished yet.)
• Day 20 (pages 58–60, Chapter 8): Scrooge realizes the lonely man was a warning about himself, and cries out that he has changed. What is one thing you would like to get better at?
• Day 21 (pages 61–63, Chapter 8): Scrooge makes a solemn promise to keep Christmas in his heart all year. Draw or write a promise of one kind thing you will do before Christmas.

Week 4: December 22–24

• Day 22 (pages 64–66, Chapters 8–9): Scrooge wakes up safe in his own bed and is so happy he puts his trousers on inside out. Act out the happiest morning dance you can.
• Day 23 (pages 67–69, Chapter 9): Scrooge sends the giant prize turkey to the Cratchits as a secret. Why is a secret kindness so much fun?
• Day 24 (pages 70–72, Chapter 9): Scrooge goes to Fred’s dinner, surprises Bob, and Tiny Tim grows strong and happy. Which change in Scrooge did you like best?

Christmas morning

On Christmas Day, do one thing the way Scrooge did on his happy morning. Pick a family kindness together and do it as a team.

• Deliver a plate of treats or a homemade card to a neighbor, like Scrooge’s surprise for the Cratchits.
• Call or video-chat a relative you don’t see often, the way Scrooge finally knocks on Fred’s door.
• Choose a toy, book or warm coat to give away, or pick a local food bank to help this winter.
• Write thank-you notes to the people who make your days a little warmer, like Fezziwig did for his workers.

For more, our free A Christmas Carol printables (on the book’s page below) include character cards, a unit study and discussion questions for every chapter, and our parent’s guide, A Christmas Carol for Kids, covers the characters, the spirits and how to handle the spookier parts.