It’s that time of the year again… Whether it’s your first year doing it, or one of many, once your kids know about elf they will not only expect it served up every morning, but they want even more fun and imaginative ideas each day. Which let’s face it, can be no easy task when you have everything else to juggle!
I’ve pulled together over 40 fun elf on the shelf ideas for holiday magic, and to do a little bit of the heavy work for you so you can spend more time with the kids, and relaxing in the evening.
Screenshot your fave ideas, pin for later or create them on the spot, moms and dads, you’ve got it this festive season!
41 Elf on the Shelf Ideas to Make This Christmas Magical
1.Elf Spa Day
This idea is so cute and adorable, give elf a spa day! Use a little flannel for it to lie on, add a small washcloth and wrap tissue around it’s head, adding cucumber slices to the eyes (made from green paper), and don’t forget the foot spa!
To create a foot spa, use a small ramekin dish and fill with gummy sweets or white marshmallows. Add a battery operated tea light for cozy vibes.
2. Rock Climbing Adventure
Those pesky elves are always taking on some kind of adventure, this time they started playing around with the tape and quickly realised just how sticky this stuff is!
Affix the elf with a series of pieces of tape, writing onto it ‘don’t play with tape!’.
3. Elf Sandwich Anyone?
Oh no, the elf has been left unattended in the kitchen. It tried to make the kids a sandwich but ended up becoming an elf sandwich!
Use two slices of bread, sandwiching elf in the centre and cutting out a small section for its head to sit through. Lie it down on the plate, ready for breakfast!
4. Zipline Journey
String a piece of yarn or dental floss across a room and have your elf ziplining on a candy cane, small toy, or insert them into a empty toilet roll for a funny look like the below!
5. Cereal Bowl
Poor elf couldn’t find a bowl for its cereal, but don’t worry it found something better instead!
This toilet bowl cereal is one of the funniest ideas that kids will love. To recreate this look, with the toilet seat upright, add clingfilm all the way across the bowl completely covering it. Add a few layers to avoid anything slipping down. Then fill the bowl with cereal and position elf on the seat with a spoon at the ready!
6. Let Me In!
If elf is returning for another year, make the 1st of December this one! Add a little scarf to elf and attach it to the outside of the window looking in with some tape.
Add a little note to its hand such as, ‘I’m back! Let me in, it’s COLD!
7. Toilet Accident!
If your kids love toilet humour, they will love this, although slightly disgusting at the same time!
Elf has had an accident! Position elf over the toilet roll holder, smearing Nutella spread or something similar on the toilet paper below.
8. Cane You Find 7 More?
Elf on the shelf ideas can become little activities for kids as well, especially if you’re looking for little tasks to entertain them during the holidays.
Sit elf with a candy cane and leave a message to see if your kids can find 7 more, hide them throughout the house for them to complete the challenge.
9. You’ve Got Mail!
Here’s another fab idea to reintroduce elf into your kids lives during December.
This DIY little postage box is super cute with elf coming out of the letterbox. Add some balloons to the top with the wording ‘I’m Back!’.
10. Flossing Fun
Oops, it looks like the elves got confused with the flossing! They had the best intentions at heart but have got a little tangled up.
Leave the culprit of floss on the side and use it to wrap the elves up, leave a little message to them for the kids to help!
11. Egg Art
Draw funny faces or designs on eggs using a Sharpie, and have your elf sitting with the markers, taking credit for their work.
12. Elf Jail
Oh no! Elf has got locked up over night in candy cane jail.
Use a cardboard box to recreate this, cutting out a front window like the below image. Use candy canes looped into the top of the box to create the bars.
13. All Aboard!
Have a train track positioned around the tree? What fun it is for the elves!
This is another lovely way to celebrate their return on the 1st of December, truly arriving in style and leaving a note for the kids.
14. Apple Caterpillar
This crafty little idea is easy to recreate and you probably already have everything to hand for this one.
Position apples in a row to create a caterpillar looking body, add googly eyes or draw a face on the front apple, add ears with cocktail sticks and mini marshmallows on the end. Add elf to the front apple to make it look like he’s riding the caterpillar.
15. Sponge Cake
How kind of elf to cook up a cake whilst the kids slept, oh wait…
Elf doesn’t realise this isn’t the normal type of sponge cake. For this fun elf on the shelf idea, add a sponge to the plate, adding sprinkles to the top, make sure elf leaves a note to let the kids know what it’s made!
16. Another Toilet Accident!
This funny elf accident is another in a long list of toilet humour ideas! Get elf sitting on a plate of pees with its hand over its mouth, add the below message to the plate. Giggles are guaranteed!
17. Clean Your Room!
A great idea to get your kids to clean their room! The poor elves came to check in but the room was so messy and they ended up having an accident.
Put them on the stairs and wrap tissue around their heads and legs to look like they’re all bandaged up.
18. Kisses
Who doesn’t love a box of chocolate kisses! Elf has got confused and dressed up like one too.
Wrap elf in some tin foil and add a little sign or piece of paper with ‘Kisses’ written on it, position him next to a tub of them and scatter kisses throughout.
19. Reindeer Sled Race
Elf has to go back to see Santa, doing it the only way he knows how!
Sit elf in a little basket or a mini sled decoration, using twine to loop round to look like reins. Line up 6 cars and add brown pipe cleaners to look like little reindeer antlers.
20. Mirror Writing
Let elf leave a fun message on a mirror for the kids to see first thing in the morning. Add a little positive quote or anything funny.
Don’t forget to sit elf nearby with a lipstick or pen in hand!
21. Paint the nails
This one involves dad and it’s one the kids will find hilarious, paint dad’s toenails or get him to do them himself!
Leave elf with a nail varnish bottle and a note that says something like, “I left your dad a funny treat. Go find him now and look at his feet, he he!’.
22. Picture Doodling
Elf fancies leaving a little message, or funny drawing on one of the kids photos, the only problem is, elf can’t reach!
Stack tins on top of each other and place elf on top until it can see, leave a sharpie marker pen and some doodles on the photo.
23. Christmas Is Here
If it’s the first year you’re doing elf on the shelf for your little ones, this is such a lovely way to announce the arrival of elf.
Add a little elf sized door above your trim, with little boots and tiny footprints using flour. Add a Christmas Is Here message, either craft one yourself or buy from a store such as Etsy.
24. Making Snow Angels
I love this idea! So simple and fun. Sprinkle some flour or powdered sugar on the counter and have your elf lying in it, with “snow angel” marks around them.
Add a written note with ‘snow angels’ on it and position it next to elf.
25. Games Night!
If your kids love a games night, elf will too!
Setup elf with one of your other kids toys to make it look like they’re playing a game together, connect 4 is a fun idea to try it with.
26. Elf in a Jar
Put your elf in a large jar and scatter some cotton balls or glitter around the bottom as if they’re trapped or do the below, get the other elves in on the action.
27. Snowy Cave
Looks like elf is hiding out in a snowy cave made of toilet paper and cotton balls, or you could even use large and mini white marshmallows.
Add some fairy lights inside to create a cosy little cave.
28. Elf Sleepover
Elf fancied hosting a sleepover with some of the rest of the toys, shame their sleeping bags smell like feet!
Position them lying down underneath the tree in your kids socks, don’t forget to leave a message from the elf to go with it.
29. Movie Night
Nothing feels better during the festive season like a movie night, or even movie day! Get elf ready with popcorn, a ticket and a remote.
The setup below is super cute if you have a spare toy truck to hand!
30. Making Chips!
Have a kid that loves potato chips? They will love this idea!
Line up some potatoes, drawing faces on them and adding googly eyes to make them look animated. Get elf positioned behind a grater, peeling some of the skin off, and adding potato chips at the base of the grater to make it look like they’ve made chips from scratch.
31. Balloon Ride
Get elf arriving in style in a hot air balloon like the below. Or you could craft your own version by attaching a small basket (like a teacup or plastic cup) to a helium balloon with string and have your elf riding in it.
32. Places To Go!
Elf has got places to go, get elf setup on a mini scooter and add a little back pack or bag to carry. Add little cars around it to make it look like elf is on the school run!
33. Mega Elf
Oops, elf has been left in charge of the building blocks and has had some ideas!
Create a mega elf-tron, adding elf into the center of your creation.
34. Sack Race
Get some of your kids other toys involved in this sack race activity! Put elf and the rest of them into brown sandwich bags, positioning them like this and elf at the front who is about to pass through a ribbon finish line.
35. Gone Fishing
The elves have gone for a spot of paddling and fishing. Add them to an empty Tupperware box, fill a bathroom sink and have them floating in it. Use cocktail sticks for oars, and even create a make shift fishing rod too.
36. Jingle Bells…
Does your kid have a batman toy lying around? They’ll love this funny pun, position them with a sign of their own, add little wrapped presents and Christmas decor accessories to finish the scene.
37. Taking a Selfie
The elves have been pretty busy getting snaps of their memories this Christmas. If you have an Instax mini or similar Polaroid camera, get some fun snaps of them and position them with their photos and a little note next to their side, take inspiration from the below!
38. Fear Factor
If your kids love shows like Fear Factor, this little setup is super relevant and fun!
Lie elf down on a tray, adding gummy worms all over the top. Add other toys surrounding elf to watch, you could also swap the gummies out for plastic spiders!
39. Crocs in the bath
Don’t feed the crocs, whatever you do! This is such a funny little idea for kids, fill the tub with water, adding a pair of crocs and some crisps.
Add your elf or set of elves to the side of the bath with a ‘don’t feed the crocs’ sign.
40. Crafting
Those elves just love a bit of crafting. When the kids are sleeping, they’ve been working on some festive crafts to make the house ready for Christmas.
This is another activity based craft which can involve the kids too, cut out some snowflakes, leaving some paper, pen and scissors ready for your kids to have a go of their own.
41. Bad Milk
The elves have been in the fridge again and they’ve found that the milk is bad! This is such a fun play on the subject, draw on the milk bottle with an angry face and tie the elves up to make it look like the milk has done it.
Finish it off with a paper sign, they need your help!
Do you have any other super fun elf on the shelf ideas? Let us know in the comments below, we’d love to hear them! All parents and carers out there, thank you for keeping the magic alive for our little ones!
