50 easy Elf on the Shelf ideas to try this Christmas

ByLisa
Elf in a drawer - Elf on the Shelf ideas you can try.

It’s that time of year again when you may be starting to think about Elf on the Shelf ideas, and whilst Elf on the Shelf is one of the many Christmas activities kids love, for mums it can cause a lot of overwhelm and stress.

Luckily, with this list of easy Elf on the Shelf ideas you can keep this part of Christmas alive for your kids, whilst keeping your sanity intact.

Here are 50 Elf on the Shelf ideas that you can pick and choose from this Christmas, and refer back to next Christmas so you can try the ideas that didn’t make this year’s list.

If you’ve also decided to make your own advent calendars this year, here are some advent calendar filler ideas for kids, and some easy Christmas stocking stuffer fillers for kids as well.

Download your FREE Christmas list printable here.

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What is Elf on the Shelf?

Elf on the Shelf is when an Elf visits your home each morning (causing a little bit of mischief when it visits), and at night reports back to Santa to advise whether your kids have been behaving.

Elf on the Shelf rules

There are three Elf on the Shelf rules, which are:

  1. The Elf can’t be touched, otherwise it loses its magic
  2. The Elf can’t move or speak when kids are awake
  3. The Elf must return to the North Pole on Christmas Eve

Tips to make Elf on the Shelf easier

Here are some tips to make Elf on the Shelf easier:

Pick a start and end date

Traditionally the Elf arrives in your home December 1st and leaves Christmas Eve, but you can pick any start and end dates you want.

Maybe your Elf arrives late because it’s stuck in a snowstorm, or returns to the North Pole early to help Santa get ready for Christmas.

Choose the timeframe that work for you, and that you know you can do based on the time and energy you have.

Create a calendar

Creating a calendar by listing down what idea you’ll do for each day your Elf will be in your home saves a lot of time, and can help you more easily tackle your Christmas to do list

If you want to make this super, super easy, this Elf on the Shelf kit has 28 days of ideas and Elf props you can use.

Store your props

If you’re using Elf on the Shelf props when setting up your Elf on the Shelf doll, place them into labelled zip bags so you can grab what you need each day.

You may also like to consider having a small box filled with extra props like mini marshmallows, tape, string, small notes, sweets, and similar items ready to go.

I’ve listed heaps of Elf on the Shelf props in the Easy Elf on the Shelf ideas section below to help with this.

Set reminders

Add a recurring reminder in your phone or Christmas planner to set up your Elf’s scene for the next day, so you don’t have to scramble to set your Elf up in the morning before your kids wake up.

Have Elf free excuses ready

If you forget to move your Elf, or there are days where you just don’t have the time or energy to set your Elf up, have some excuses that you can use, such as telling your children that their Elf is tired, they had to attend an emergency at the North Pole, or that they’re in the same spot as yesterday because someone touched them.

Don’t focus on perfection

This is an important one, your kids won’t remember the exact details of the mischief their Elf got up to, they’ll just remember how fun it was to find their Elf each day.

So in this situation done is definitely better than perfect!

Easy Elf on the Shelf ideas

Here are 50 Elf on the Shelf ideas that you can pick and choose from that are super simple to set up, and will make Christmas extra special for your kids.

  1. Hide and seek Elf – hide the Elf behind toys, inside drawers, or places your kids spend a lot of time in
  2. Trapped Elf – put the Elf between blinds so he’s trapped
  3. Falling down Elf – put the Elf at the bottom of your stairs with the item that made it fall down, like an Elf skateboard
  4. Climbing Elf – stick the Elf to a wall
  5. Acrobatic Elf -hang the Elf from living room lights
  6. Dancing Elf – put the Elf in a ballerina costume and make it strike a pose
  7. Singing Elf – place the Elf next to a radio and dress it up in an Elf singing costume with microphone
  8. Baker Elf – place the Elf next to some cupcakes and a bowl with a cracked egg in it, you can even dress it up as a baker Elf
  9. Biscuit loving Elf – break up a biscuit and put crumbs on the Elf’s lap
  10. Flying Elf – place your Elf in an inflatable hot air balloon or Elf blimp
  11. Candy loving Elf – place broken candy pieces around the Elf
  12. Foodie Elf – get some plastic food and pretend the Elf’s is eating it
  13. Breakfast box Elf – cut out a hole in a cereal box and make the Elf squeeze through it
  14. Gamer elf – dress your Elf up in your kid’s favourite game clothing, like Super Mario brothers clothing
  15. Den building Elf – make a cushion den and place the Elf inside it
  16. Knitting Elf – place the Elf in front of balls of wool with knitting needles in its hands
  17. Paper snowflake making Elf – put some scissors in the Elf’s hands with a paper snowflake next to it.
  18. Uno loving Elf – set up a game of Uno and put some cards in the Elf’s hands
  19. Decorating Elf – place the Elf on top of a Christmas tree decoration
  20. Gift wrapping Elf – put some scissors in the Elf’s hand, and place the Elf next to some Christmas wrapping paper
  21. Christmas card writing Elf – put a pen in the Elf’s hand so it looks like it’s finishing a message in a Christmas card
  22. Online shopping Elf – put the Elf inside some shopping boxes
  23. Sleepy Elf – place the Elf in your kid’s bed
  24. Creative Elf – surround the Elf with paper and markers
  25. Toilet paper Elf – hide the Elf in some toilet paper rolls
  26. Accident prone Elf – put plasters on the Elf
  27. Chilled out Elf – put the Elf in the fridge with an Elf blanket on it
  28. Shower loving Elf – hang the Elf from a shower head
  29. Bath loving Elf – use Elf bath accessories to create a bathing Elf scene
  30. Snowball fighting Elf – put white pom poms between the Elf and another toy, so it looks like they’re having a snowball fight
  31. Present loving Elf – put the Elf on top of some Christmas presents, or hanging out of a gift bag
  32. Book lover Elf – put the Elf on top of an open book
  33. Teacher Elf – put chalk in the Elf’s hands and make it look like it’s writing on a blackboard
  34. Pilot Elf – place the Elf in an Elf toy airplane and place the airplane on a kitchen counter, or taking off from the ground
  35. Sack racing Elf – put the Elf and other toys in their own paper bags, then line them up so it looks like they’re having a sack race
  36. Museum loving Elf – place the Elf looking at some artwork
  37. Secret message Elf – write a message in pasta or buttons, and place the message in front of the Elf
  38. Tea party Elf – place the Elf and some other toys on the floor on a picnic rug, and let them have a tea party
  39. Soft play Elf – put the Elf in a bowl of round candy, or pom poms
  40. Movie night Elf – put the Elf on the couch with some popcorn and hot chocolate sachets, watching a Christmas movie on TV
  41. Tooth brushing Elf – wrap the Elf up in tooth floss so it looks like it’s been brushing its teeth
  42. Camper Elf – put the Elf outside in an Elf camping set up
  43. Car driver Elf – place the Elf in his own special Elf car
  44. Sun bathing Elf – put the Elf on a hand towel with its hands behind its head, so it can sun bathe
  45. Gardner Elf – put the Elf next to some flower pots, or inside one
  46. Plant pruner Elf – put some scissors against a plant leaf and make it look like the Elf has pruned the leaf
  47. Fishing Elf – create an Elf on the shelf fishing set up
  48. Tyre swinging Elf – put the Elf inside a tyre hanging from a tree
  49. Wizard Elf – dress your Elf up in a wizard costume
  50. Sledding Elf – place the Elf on an Elf sled and balance it on an incline

What to do when the Elf leaves

Here are a few ways to say goodbye to your Elf once it’s time for them to return to the North Pole.

  • Leave an Elf goodbye letter thanking your kids for a wonderful Christmas
  • Get the Elf to leave a Christmas Eve box filled with pyjamas, hot chocolate, and a book
  • Set up a final scene where the Elf is flying back to the North Pole

Elf on the shelf ideas – a recap

Elf on the Shelf is a kids Christmas activity that brings with a lot of joy and laughter, and luckily it doesn’t need to be complicated or time consuming.

With a bit of planning, a few handy props, and these easy Elf on the Shelf ideas, you can create fun memories without adding more stress to your already full December schedule.

It’s also worthwhile remembering that you don’t need your setups to be perfect, your kids will just remember the excitement of discovering what their cheeky Elf got up to during the night.

So, keep your Elf on the Shelf ideas simple, and don’t forget to take time off if you need to.

If you’d like to make this Christmas super simple, download your FREE Christmas list printable so you’re ready for the big day!

Do you like to keep your Elf ideas simple, or go all out with creative setups?

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Lisa is a former Marketing Manager, who created Organised Mum Life to help busy mums make their family and home life simpler, and more enjoyable. As a mum of 2, she has tried many different organisation and productivity systems to lessen the chaos and overwhelm of mum life, which she shares here to help other mums do the same. In her spare time you can find Lisa baking, reading, decluttering, and drinking coffee.

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