Need some Christmas inspiration? We’ve got 40 different Elf on the Shelf ideas to help you survive December!
There are few worse feelings in December than climbing into bed, finding yourself about to drift off into delicious sleep, before being jolted awake by the sick realisation that your Elf on the goddam Shelf is still in the same spot as it was that morning.
Now, I love Christmas and I love Christmas traditions, especially having kids at home, and, in truth, I do love the fun of Elf on the Shelf – but A WHOLE MONTH is a long time to figure out new and fun things to do with it AND remember to do it every night before you go to bed.
Well, this year, we have a toddler in the house and these days, once my head finally hits the pillow, the only thing I’m moving for is a crying little one or the sound of the smoke alarm. So, I’ve been a geek and planned out my 24 days already. And, to make things a little bit easier for you, I’m sharing them here in the hopes it might give YOU some inspiration (and less of those, ‘Oh sweet Jesus, I haven’t moved the elf’ moments). Plus, I’ve added in an extra sixteen to give you extra options!
I highly recommend putting on some Mariah Carey or Michael Bublé (or The Pogues, if you’re one of those people) and doing all your Christmas crafting at once, to avoid those late night mad dashes to find something clever to do with your elf. Good luck!
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1: The Advent Calendar Delivery
Yay! Dec 1 has arrived! It’s perfect timing to allow the elves to do the delivery of the advent calendar! Although, perhaps don’t have them touching the calendar like I have done in this photo, so you don’t have to run the risk of breaking one of the major elf rules (touching the elf) on day dot. I picked up this Pokemon Advent Calendar at Kmart for $24.
Also, if you’re getting the kids advent calendars, have you thought about getting your own? Here are some insane ones just for you!
2: The Toilet Roll Snowman
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow. If you want a stress-free set-up that takes very little prep, but is a total hit, this one is perfect. Just grab three toilet paper rolls, and two colouring felt tip markers – one in orange, one in black, and you have this SUPER easy, SUPER fast set up done!
3: Elf Plays a Board Game
One of our famiily’s favourite board games is Headbanz. This one was EASY but the kids loved it. I just got a piece of paper (it was late at night, so it was actually a discarded envelope!) a red felt-tip and a black pen. I coloured in a strip of paper red, then drew the little ‘I am a candy cane’ and taped the whole thing to his head. You could so easily do this with other boardgames too – maybe the elf is playing Connect 4, Monopoly, Guess Who?! or Operation (HOW GOOD WOULD THAT BE).
4: The Reindeer Have Escaped!
This is SO easy and so fun – you just need to get yourself a pack of Christmas stickers, or print out some Christmas pics – I chose Christmas Reindeer (I picked up these specific reindeer ones from Spotlight). Then, you just send your kids on a treasure hunt looking for the missing reindeer and make a little sign – maybe you keep the hunt to one room, or the whole house! I highly recommend doing this one on the weekend though, so you don’t add to the morning rush of trying to get everyone out the door ontime.
5. The Christmas Campout
I found this website – My Magical Moments – which makes little elf supplies! Here, we have the fire-pit ($4) to create a camping scene, with a toasted marshmallow ($3) and a sleeping bag. You can easily draw your own fire-pit though!
6. Elves Play Tic-Tac-Toe
If you have two elves in your family, this one is sure to be a winner! I made my naughts and crosses little bows (I picked up the Wonderland Bow/Ribbon 34 Piece Set in green, red and pearl from The Warehouse for $10), then got a piece of heavy paper, drew a little grid with a black felt pen and ruler and stuck my bows on (I actually just double-sided cellotaped them so that I can use the bows later), but you could just as easy whip this up in a jiffy just drawing your X and Os with a felt tip or sharpie.
7: Elf Goes Sledding
This one is surprisingly easy, but very cute! I just took two candy canes and affixed them (with clear tape) to a piece of cardboard, and voila, we have a sled. I’ve seen other people make the sled entirely of canes, but adding the cardboard makes it a bit easier to make and move – and you have a space for your elf’s legs. Perfect for sticking to a handrail or any fun slope you have in your house.
8: Up, Up & Away…
Another one that is super easy, but super effective – it just requires a little planning! I found this little letter balloon (with the first letter of my toddler’s name) for $1 at Kmart. I mean, you could go get it filled with helium, but it works well just blown up and stuck to the wall. I decorated mine with ribbon (I collect them off any presents anyone in the house gets over the year!) and a decoration to make it a bit more festive, then attached a piece of string to the elf. You could TOTALLY do this with a regular balloon though – which you’re more likely to have floating around the back of a drawer somewhere.
9: They’ll Ketchup With You Later
Try hiding your elf (or elves) in your pantry or fridge by disguising them in these little costumes, available to download free from the official Elf on the Shelf website. You can also make life easy by buying this 24-day offical Elf on the Shelf kit from Amazon.
10: Elf and His Minions
Sure, it may not be a Christmas movie, but we’ve watched ALL the Despicable Me movies in this house, so I didn’t need to look up a pic of the minions as a reference to draw these. It’s a super easy, super fast one for when you need Elfing done and dusted ASAP
11: Elf in Disguise
Lots of folks sell Christmas Novelty Bottle Jumpers (yip, they’re seriously a thing) – and, it turns out, they’re not only dirt cheap but make a great disguise for your elf! (Then, you can still reuse them to gift someone a bottle of vino at Christmas – maybe just don’t let the kids see?!)
12. Elf Pranks Your Framed Photos
This one is surprisingly easy, but really effective! I grabbed some Santa hat stickers and put them on a framed wedding photo. Otherwise grab some googly eyes (The Warehouse has big bags of them for under $2) and then get a nice framed photo of someone and put the googly eyes over the top of their normal eyes. Looks insane and the kids love it! (Just make sure you have glass in the frame so you’re not actually ruining your photo!)
13: Elf Goes Bowling
Here’s another one from the folks at My Magical Moments – it’s $7 for the pins and bowling ball.
14: Picasso Elf
Grab one of your kids colouring in books and have your elf draw or paint in it! Or, you can go for the OTT version – I got this Wonderland DIY Canvas Paint Set from the Warehouse for $5 and it’s the perfect size for an elf. It comes with the cute canvas, mini paints, paintbrush and a guide – there’s this gingerbread design as well as a Christmas tree and festive dinosaur.
15. The Candy Cane Hunt
Okay, for this one you just need six candy canes (or however many you want to hide) then stash them around the house and make a little sign. I completed this look with accessories I bought last Christmas – The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition Scout Elves at Play Tools and Tips Kit – which included this chair, little novelty signs, climbing boots, a grappling hook and a whole bunch of stuff! You definitely don’t need all this hoopla for a treasure hunt though – just have one of your elves write down a note saying it’s treasure hunt time!
16. Elf on the Shelf Underwater!
Head to the official Elf on the Shelf website and download these free printables! There’s loads of different underwater costumes to choose from, and little images to include. Last year I put the elves on the bathroom sink and double-sided taped the other decorations to the mirror. This one takes some pre-planning to print the stuff out and then cut them out, but it’s totally worth it and was one of the kids’ favourites last year.
17: Toilet Paper Countdown
This was one that I got up in the middle of the night and did one year when I realised I had forgotten all about the elves. I just got a roll of toilet paper and wrote how many sleeps until Christmas. You can just leave it anywhere – or, that time I put the elf in the middle of the toiler roll and made it look like the elf had rolled from the top of the stairs, leaving a trail of toilet paper down the staircase. Total winner.
18. Hidden Banana Elves
This one is one of my faves – it’s a little banana suit $5 from My Magical Moments. They also have a cute watermelon suit, but that looked like it could get pretty messy if I replicated this set-up! If you wanted to make your own version of this – with either fabric or just paper, it wouldn’t be too tricky to make either.
19: The Elves Go On Holiday
Maybe your kids have Barbies or Little People or some other toy that includes some travel items like a plane, or suitcases, or lounge chairs that you could set up a little ‘going on holiday’ scene? I picked up these cute extras from Spotlight – they’re technically scrapbooking stickers but there’s a little passport, camera and suitcases.
20. Elf Spa Pamper Day
Elves are busy creatures – they deserve a break! Create a makeshift bath (maybe using your sink?) and fill it with cotton balls. Then let your elves relax – we printed out our elf a little magazine to read (it’s amazing – it has lots of different stories and a fashion shoot inside!) – print yours’ out here from the official Elf on the Shelf website. Last year I used a little bottle of Elf Shake bubble bath from Lush, but this year I’d go for a little bottle of Snow Fairy ($15 for 100ml) to leave behind.
21: Hanging Out On The Christmas Tree
Try hiding your elf in your Christmas Tree, or using a decoration on your tree for the elf to hang off, hug or interact with! I picked up this little Gingerbread Bag ($5 from the Warehouse) that I’m using to stash my elf in and hang from the tree.
22. Elves Bake Cookies
I went all out and got my Elf his own miniature baking set (My Magical Moments $17), but you could let your elf loose in your kitchen with regular sized appliances!
23: Elf Reads a Bedtime Story
This one is pretty quick. I made my elf some rather dodgy reading glasses by cutting them out of paper then colouring them in with a vivid and taping them in place. Grab a book – bonus points for a little one – and you’re done! I got my book from an old advent calendar – I love these Disney Storybook Collection Advent Calendars (Mighty Ape $39.95) that come with 24 miniature little books telling new twists on Christmas tales, based on Disney/Pixar movies.
24: It’s Taco Tuesday!
If your family does taco Tuesdays, why not get your Elf in on the act too! You can download this free printable from the official Elf on the Shelf website. You just need to cut out the shapes (and either glue the truck to card, or print it onto card paper!). Taco about cute!
25: Elf Collects Blocks (And Eats Them!)
Create a little set-up using Duplo, Lego, or those blocks you probably still have hanging around if your family shopped at Countdown! The little fruit and veges were the perfect size for my elf, and I used a utensil set from My Magical Moments to serve them up to Eric the Elf in.
26: Who is In The Stocking?
If you’ve got a Christmas Stocking, hide an elf in them! Or, you can pick up these mini stockings with Christmas designs for $3 a pop at The Warehouse – they’re the perfect size for an elf!
27: Counting Down!
This little sign and chair is from that crazy set I bought – but you can easily craft your own countdown, reminding your little ones how many sleeps are left to go!
28: Elf Makes An Entrance
I went all out and splurged for an official Elf on the Shelf Santaverse Elf Door from Amazon. (Here’s another great prop book from Amazon to help out!!) It comes with this pretty magical door and then four different ‘scenes’ inside. When you put it up against a wall it is pretty special, but, there’s also a bunch of unofficial elf doors online, so have a look. This could be a good first day back addition, where your Elf arrives through the magical door and then the door stays right until Christmas when the portal back to Santa disappears?
29. Elves go Fishing
I live in a household full of fishermen and budding fisherman, so this one is a surefire hit. This fishing reel with a fish hooked to the end of it, is not only cute, but it works – you can reel that fish in! (My Magical Moments $4). Otherwise, just grab a stick (cut down a chopstick?) and some cotton thread, (wrap it around it), cut out a little fish and you’re done!
30: Elf Borrows Rudolph!
I keep an eye out in the lead up to Christmas for any novelty balloons I can find. They make for excellent Christmas decorations around the house – aaaaaand, just grab some ribbon for reins, and let your elf have a ride! You can pick up similar (actually, cuter!) reindeer balloons online at The Party Room ($14.99), My Party Box ($15.74) or Balloons 4 U ($10.99). Or, get an official Elf on the Shelf reindeer from Amazon.
31: Send Your Elf On A Shopping Spree
Okay, I don’t actually know whether i should recommend this one. I thought YAY, this is a free, maybe easy one? And it nearly drove me insane. But, if you’re patient, you just go to the official Elf on the Shelf site and download the free template for the shopping bags here. It’s super cute, but, it does involve a lot of cutting out, cellotaping, creating little holes, threading string through and then having a menty B. Approach with caution – or just get some regular human size shopping bags?
32: Elf Steals the Candy Canes
Ok, I’ve used my grappling hook and the suction boots from the kit, but you can just suspend your elf with ribbon or thread. Lower him down so it looks like he’s trying to sneak off with something – maybe grapes from your fruit bowl? A decoration from the tree? A little stash of candy canes?
33: Elves in a Twist
Set up your elf (or elves!) for a game of Twister! I printed this design off from The Gingerbread House!
34: Elves go to space
This ridiculously cute rocketship is from My Magical Moments ($6) – if you have multiple elves they also have an astronaut and an alien. I’ve also seen some pretty great astronaut suits crafted just out of tinfoil, so no pressure to go large here!
35: Elf Lights Up Your Name
I found these little lights for $3 at Kmart and include a battery – grab one with your kid’s initial(s) for the elf to leave behind. They make a cute little nightlight too.
36: Perform Some Elf Magic!
Ok, this is an easy one AND better still it will take care of TWO days for you! So, step one: your elf informs your child it’s time to do some elf magic. You can either draw a candy cane, which will later by magic turn into a real candy cane – or use a small candy cane on the first day, which will then turn into a giant candy cane for the next day.
Start with your first candy cane (either drawn, or mini), get some magic elf dust (i.e. glitter, or better still, Fairy Dust ($22 from Lush) and add the instructions that your child needs to sprinkle the glitter to help the elf perform some magic – the results of which they will see the next morning.
The next morning… voila! Replace out the drawn or mini candy cane with a real life candy cane!
(HINT: only do this one when you HAVE a candy cane in the house. The first time I did this I drew a little candy cane on a piece of paper, left it with instructions next to the elf along with some glitter – aka magic elf dust – to sprinkle. I thought it would buy me a day, then I’d place the candy cane in its place the next day! Only, I forgot about the whole damn thing and had to go out the next night to emergency buy a candy cane).
37: A Treat from Mrs Claus
This is another of those little signs from the kit I bought, but heck, you can easily just write your own sign. Then, add a bit of baking, or a treat and you’re done. I picked up this official Elf on the Shelf lollipop at the checkout at The Warehouse!
38: Elves Start a Band
Got some musical instruments in your home? You’ve got everything you need to help your elves to start a band!
39: Elf Borrows Santa’s Sleigh
I have slowly been building up some (weird?) Christmas paraphernalia over the years – maybe you have too? I’m sorry to say I don’t know where I got this sleigh serving platter from, but if you have a Christmas box, have a hunt around. Are there any decorations you could repurpose for an elf to use?
40: Get a Good Sleep!
This is a great one for Christmas Eve – It’s show-time! Our little elf is getting some zzzzz’s for the big day and reminding the little people in our house to do the same. Barbie beds or doll beds you have at home can do the trick, or I got this one at My Magical Moments ($15, complete with a Santa duvet and pillows)
