One of the most loved & hated traditions that has most recently become very commonplace is Elf-On-The-Shelf. If you are the mom that can’t seem to add one more thing to your plate but your kid is begging for the elf to visit then you are in the right place. Below are 24 ( Because you don’t need 25 nights 😉) simple ideas that you can do around your house. Pick some that are your favorites and just have fun. Don’t make it too complicated just run with creativity and find things around your house that you can use to make the magic happen.
- Advent Calendar– For the first day of December we can use the Elf to deliver the advent calendar. It’s a great way to introduce the elf and have fun while doing it. Quickly write a handwritten note crafting the story you want your kids to experience this holiday season!
2. Introducing the Elf Pal– If you want to buy your way out of one night and make it easy on yourself get an elf pal. Over the years I usually only do one a year so I don’t go broke and I can add them to the collection. They have made a couple elf pals over the years but the ones I love are the arctic fox, the reindeer and the Saint Bernard. I only buy one a year and they come with a great story book and the kids get to hear a new story (and it counts as school reading😁). It’s such an easy set up and the kids love to see their new pet!
3. Christmas Coloring pages- The easiest thing that you can do is print off some coloring Christmas pages and have the children use them to decorate the house. If you have a home printer you can use it to print off a few sheets and have the elf talk about how they can color it neatly so that it can be used to decorate the house. It’s a super simple and easy way to have the elf include them in a fun Christmas activity.
4. Christmas Window Decor- If you have ever seen the window stickers that you can cling on the windows they are a super cheap way to have the kids decorate the windows. Here are some cute ones that your kids will love. There’s something about the texture of the gel that the kids love.
5. Snow Flakes- Do you have coffee filters? This next Elf idea is so easy! Have the elf fold a coffee filter into triangles and cut fun shapes around the sides. When opened it can create snowflakes that the kids will love to hang around the house or on the tree.
6. Candy Cane Forrest- Something very easy to do is get some fun-flavored candy canes and have the elf pretend to have been in the candy cane forest. This is a great fun way to have the kids also decorate the tree. You can have them try a few and hang a few. It’s something they love for sure plus they love candy!
7. Crossword Christmas– It’s always fun to play games with the elf and have the kids participate in the games. A super easy one is to print off a free Christmas crossword puzzle. All you have to do is google one that seems age appropriate and print it off! Enjoy the Christmas game fun!
7. Healthy Dental Habits– It can never hurt to remind children of some healthy habits during the Christmas season. Since there is an increase in sugar intake during this season it never hurts to remind your children to brush their teeth. You can incorporate appointments or daily activities in your elf-on-the-shelf ideas.
8. Elf Plays Bingo– This is a super simple game to print off on the internet. You can find Christmas bingo online or you can make it up for yourself. It’s a fun game you can play with the kids throughout the day. Have them look around to find all the pictures on the bingo board. Whoever gets all the pictures in a row wins the game.
9. Measuring the Stocking- As we all know there’s only so much room you can have in the stocking. Here’s a funny way to involve the kids in measuring the stocking to see how to help the elf figure out how many stocking stuffers he needs to fill the stocking. (It’s a fun little math problem for the kids in your life.
10. Healthy Eating- During the Christmas season there are a lot of yummy holiday treats and sometimes it can be too much for our systems. Have the elf encourage some healthy eating habits during the holidays.
11. Getting Tangled in the TP- Nothing gets the kids rolling like a couple of TP jokes. If you can include bathroom humor in your Elf’s antics you will accomplish a lot of funny moments. Here’s an idea for including TP humor.
12. Bubble Bath Humor- Kids don’t always like to stay clean. Here’s a great way for you to remind them to take a bath and keep it funny. Have the pet pal try and drink the “water” that the elf is in. Use the marshmallows as a way to show the bubbles.
13. Hand-Made Games- Christmas time is all about connection. Here is a super simple idea that can create some family time. On a sheet of paper, you can draw a hangman, the dot game, and tic-tac-toe. This gives you time to play simple games with your child and also spend some quality time.
14. Fishing Elf- If you have a bag of goldfish in your pantry this is a super easy one. Just grab some floss tie it to a paintbrush to make a fishing pole and then have your elf go fishing. You can make it funny by inviting them to eat the fish that the elf catches and see how many they can eat before getting full.
15. Elf Friends- It is so easy to incorporate some of your child’s toys to create some fun moments. You can use action figures or Barbies to create some fun moments. I also love to use any vehicles that my kid might have laying around to make a fun moment for the Elf to have a tour of the house.
16. Present Wrapping Elf- Making your elf do funny things can bring joy into your kiddo’s life. If you have lots of ribbons or wrapping paper scraps make sure that you make it look like the elf was up all night wrapping tirelessly. Having your elf get tangled in the ribbons is fun and funny for the kids.
17. Cottonball Snowball fight- If you have any cotton balls laying around this is a quick fun way to set up the elf making it look like he’s having a snowball fight. Snow is such a fun thing to play in and if you live in a play-in place with snow you can spend some time having a snowball fight with your child.
18. Animal Helper Elf- If you have a pet in your house you can have the elf help encourage taking care of your pet. Your child can give the dog water or take them for a walk or just give them the treat that was brought back from the north pole. It’s so fun to include your pets during the holiday season!
19. Elf Jokes- It’s always so fun to have some jokes during the holidays. You can print off some Christmas jokes so all the kids have something to laugh about. You can print them off into little cards so the kids can share them and laugh with each other.
20. Snow Angels- You can use the pancake mix to make snow angels. Have the elf enjoy the fun of the snow season by making snow angels. You can also use flour to create this look. If you live where there is a lot of snow have a snow angel competition to see which snow angel is the best!
21. Creative Sleigh Making- We all know that it’s important that Santa has his sleigh but how does a sleigh work? Have a sleigh challenge where the kids have to look around the house for things to make a sleigh. They can use anything in the house that can turn into a sleigh for the elf. Have them use a bit of their creativity.
22. On-Strike Elf- If for some reason you are just done take a day off. Have the elf go on strike. This can be in protest of bad behavior or because you are tired. Either way, you can pull this out whenever you are done with moving the elf around for a night.
23. Pooper Scooper Elf- We know that all the Elf Pals can have some bowel movements to clean up just like our own pets. Have the Elf need help cleaning up the poop. Because these animals are magical north pole animals all their poop is edible ( use chocolate or candy). Your kids will laugh at the idea of eating “magical poop”.
24. Twister Elf- Who doesn’t like to play a game of Twister? Here’s a fun way to remind the kids to play games with each other during the season of downtime. Have them enjoy the connection and game time. Twister is a game that every Elf loves to play!
Having an Elf-On-The-Shelf can be so much fun and it doesn’t have to break the bank. Use some of these fun creative ideas or come up with some of your own. It’s such a fun way to celebrate the holiday season and keep the kids excited about Christmas!
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