With summer comes our annual trip to Walt Disney World Resort. With that, it’s time to start thinking about magical ways to count down the days until we return “home.” Even with the assistance of apps on our phones, we still enjoy counting down at home in our own way. We started doing this a couple years ago as a way to get my then toddler son excited about heading down and it seems like the activities and countdowns have gotten not only increasingly more creative but more elaborate as the years have gone on. So how do we countdown to the big trip? Here are a few ideas to get you and your family ready to visit the Happiest Place on Earth:

The Candy Countdown:

This was the way it all started; pick whatever candy of your choosing and fill a transparent container. For us it was jellybeans and later M&Ms. We typically start around day 100 and each day we took the piece of desired candy and ate it. It was great when my son couldn’t count yet because he could see the candy disappear little by little.

The Chalkboard Countdown:

An easy no fuss idea. There are plenty chalkboard ideas on Pinterest anywhere from making your own with chalkboard paint to simple premade ones. My husband took it in to his own hands last summer and designed the artwork of the board while my son and I changed the days till every morning. This definitely is a simple and cheap solution.

The Puzzle Countdown:

If you frequent Walt Disney World as often as we have, then you probably have several pictures throughout the years lying around. Why not turn one of those really great pictures in to a puzzle (with the number of puzzle pieces matching the days you have left before you depart)? Hang it around the house and take off a puzzle piece one by one. Or you could put a piece on each day. Either way by the end of the countdown, you will have a masterpiece before you head out!

The Movie Countdown:

Count the weeks that you have until that magical trip, stack a selection of Disney movies up so they are visible to everyone. Then every Saturday night, sit down and watch one. The last movie you could save until the night before. Easy, fun and what better way to spend a Saturday night then with a Disney movie and some of your favorite characters at home?

The Loops Countdown:

Our Disney Countdown 2015 edition

Our Disney Countdown 2015 edition

This one requires a little bit of prep time and some construction paper and a lot of space on a wall. But the idea is to loop paper rings together signaling the amount of days to go. We strung 7 loops together to represent a week and then hung each “week” separately on a long string that hung on the wall. This is the way we are counting down this year. Bonus, we have now gone so often, we are using those handy MagicBands to signal the end of each week. Despite the extra work, I think this has become the family’s favorite countdown so far as my son enjoys seeing the weeks become fewer and fewer as well.

With so many options out there, no one way is the right way to countdown to that big day. Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter are great for coming up with ideas. The key is to have fun and build anticipation until it comes.

Happy Counting!

How do you countdown to your vacation?

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