Every year in preparation for the holidays, I scour various websites stealing ideas for our elf, Elroy, to do for Elf on the Shelf. I map out each day and make a list of what trick Elroy will do and what supplies I need to keep the elf magic alive. Here are 60-something of Elroy’s antics including a description of how I made it happen. Caution; some of these Elf on the Shelf ideas involve supplies and preparation, but totally worth the effort if you ask me.
#1. Elf Kisses. Take a hunk of tinfoil and wrap your elf. Print out the word kisses vertically and stick in foil. Scatter chocolate kisses around the elf.
#2. Stinky Elf. Stack three rolls of toilet paper on top of each other and stick elf down in them. Print out snowman pieces from here.
#3. Literacy Elf. Each year the elf delivers a Christmas book. It’s extra special if you write a note from the elf on the inside cover with the date. Pro tip: make a list of what book was delivered each year. You don’t want repeats.
#4. Hot Cocoa Stand. Caution: preparation needed. Use this site to download the Hot Cocoa booth. Find a couple of Christmas themed mugs and stuff with marshmallows and/or hot cocoa mix packets.
#5. Elf Magic. Use clear packing tape to stick the elf to the ceiling. Cross your fingers it stays stuck up there all day.
#6. Advent Elf. Caution: this one needs to arrive on December 1st. Have the elf bring an advent calendar. The Lego one is always a hit at our house.
Elf Ideas
#7. Elf on the Go. If your traveling somewhere before the holidays, bring your elf with. Set a few bags in your entryway before the trip and put the elf in a jar with a note asking to come with. For added fun, put a couple drops of peppermint oil in/on the jar, because well, that’s what the North Pole smells like. Added bonus is that while in the jar, the elf can to touched/handled by the kids and it won’t loose its magic.
#8. Elf Selfies. Snap pictures of your sleeping beauties with the elf. Leave a note with the elf to have them check your phone in the morning.
#9. Elf Cereal. Find a holiday cereal and have the elf deliver. I repeat this one with a different cereal each year.
#10. Make sure the elf knows the reason for the season.
#11. Use this one to get a few extra chores out of your kiddo. Printable here.
#12. Prankster Elf. Print out mustaches or Santa hats and let the elf have fun with the kids’ school pictures or family photos.
#13. Elf be Chillin’. Wrap the elf in a washcloth and stick him in the fridge. Super easy.
#14. Crafty Elf. Use cotton swabs and have the elf make snowflakes.
Funny Elf on the Shelf
#15: Random Acts of Kindness Elf. Caution; much effort needed for this one. Make a list of random acts or good deeds that the elf wants the kids to do. Our list included delivering a holiday “movie night” to our neighbors, putting gift certificate codes on the movie kiosk and stuffing our mailbox with cookies for our mail carrier.
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#16. Tic-Tac-Elf. Use large marshmallows with green and red markers to make a tic-tac-toe game for your elf.
#17. Adventure Elf. Tape gift bows to the window and then pose your elf as if it were rock climbing.
#18. Gamer Elf. Kids like video games. Find their favorite game character and make a mask for the elf.
Elf on the Shelf Antics
#19. Hot Air Elf. Caution; preparation and supplies needed. You’ll need a red paper lantern (found at any craft store), red curling ribbon, a red plastic drinking cup and peppermint candies. Assemble the lantern. Hole punch three holes in sides of red drinking cup. Tie curling ribbon from bottom of lantern to top of drinking cup. Tie peppermint candies to a couple strands of ribbon and glue/tape to bottom of drinking cup. Stuff elf in the cup and tie the whole thing to your ceiling fan or curtain rod.
#20. Elf Jammies. Have the elf deliver Christmas jammies. This is by far the favorite elf antic at our house. Now that we have pre-teen boys who roll their eyes at matching family jammies (so does my husband) but when the elf brings them, it’s harder to complain. This elf idea is on repeat at our house, we just mix up how they are presented.
#21. Elf Makes Breakfast. Caution; you have to get up a little earlier than your kids to pull this one off, but it’s so simple. Set out plates and arrange sliced bananas and strawberries into the shape of a candy cane.
More Elf Antics
#22. Toys vs Elf. Find a Lego board and tie the elf to it using colored twine. Stage Lego figurines around the elf.
#23. Elf to the Rescue. Ornaments fall off the tree often. Use a toy fire truck and have elf provide assistance to low hanging ornaments.
#24. HELP! Buy spray snow (found at any craft store) and spray inside of patio door or window. Use your finger to write your message in still “wet” snow. Tape elf to the exterior of the door/window.
#25. Adventure Elf 2.0. Use mini candy canes to help the elf rappel from the kitchen cabinets.
#26. Elf Igloo. Caution; this one takes planning AHEAD of time. Use an empty gallon milk jug (this is where the prep comes in) and cut an opening in the jug large enough to place elf. Hot glue cotton balls to the entire jug, except bottom. Place a battery operated tea light candle in the igloo with the elf.
#27. Game Night. Set up a board game and stage the elf playing against a couple of the kids’ favorite stuffed animals.
Elf Fun
#28. Elf Hygienist. Set out new toothbrushes and paste with a reminder from the elf about good oral hygiene.
#29. Elf War. Set up army figurines as if they have captured the elf. A small piece of tape across the elf’s mouth is added fun.
#30. Clean up on Aisle Elf! Find one of those reindeer or snowman that poop jelly beans. Set out the elf with a mini spatula as if he’s cleaning up the mess.
#31. Adventure Elf 3.0. String a piece of twine from your Christmas tree to another nearby point. Hang the elf to make an entrance. This Elf on the Shelf idea could also be used as the elf’s arrival for the year. At our house, we plan a North Pole Breakfast to welcome our elf.
#32. Elf donuts. Use toasted cereal with a dab of frosting and sprinkles to make elf donuts. Find the elf donuts box here.
#33. Elf Commode. A note and a few drops of food coloring in the toilet and the kids will be tickled the elf tinkled in their potty.
Creative Elf on the Shelf
#34. Elf Pizza Delivery. Caution; preparation and supplies needed. Find the pizza box printable here. Use canned pizza dough to make a tiny pizza complete with a spoonful of sauce and a pinch of cheese. Bake and stage.
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#35. Go Team Elf. Use a couple of pieces of felt to make a vest with your kids’ favorite sports team. A toothpick and felt were used to make the pennant.
#36. Elf Monkey Business. Use a marker to draw on a bunch of bananas. My kids were very concerned about our elf using a permanent marker.
#37. Acrobat Elf. Use a full size candy cane and curling ribbon to make a trapeze bar.
#38. Elf Cupcake Stand. Find the printable here. I placed the stand over a styrofoam cup. The cupcakes are Rolo candies.
#39. Antsy Elf. With a roll of toilet paper and a maker, let the kiddos know Christmas is getting close. We call have toilet paper on hand, so this is an easy Elf on the Shelf idea.
#40. Elf Lunch. On the last day of school before Christmas break, our elf makes a special lunch to take the school. The reindeer sandwich is made with a heart cookie cutter, pretzels for antlers, chocolate ship eyes and a M&M nose. The strawberry fruit cup has googly eyes and a red mini ball hot glued to it with pipe cleaner antlers. A similar juice box wrap can be found here.
Silly Elf
#41. Elf Sleigh. Caution; a lot of effort on this one. You’ll need a 12 pack of canned root beer soda to stage the reindeer and sleigh. Carefully tear open the 12 pack and then cut to make shape of sleigh. Use one can of soda as seat for elf. Set 5 cans of soda as team of reindeer. Use brown pipe cleaners to make antlers on top of each can. Start by making V shape with pipe cleaner and then use tiny pieces twisted into place as antlers. Glue red mini craft ball to lead reindeer. Use red beads and glue to sets of reindeer as reins.
#42. Elf does the Floss. Wrap a few strands of floss around the elf and prop next to the floss dispenser on a bathroom self. Make a little sign that reads, “Is this how you do the floss?”
#43. Undies on the Ceiling Fan. Use your kiddos undies and hang off the ceiling fan with the elf inside one of the pairs.
#44. Floor is lava. Use straight pins to secure elf to wall with a “floor is lava” sign.
#45. Wrap up backpacks. Wrap up the kiddos school bags.
#46. Elf makes s’mores. Use a wood skewer and stick a marshmallow through it. Prop the elf next to a graham cracker and chocolate bar with the marshmallow held over a battery operated tea light candle.
#47. Bubble gum toots. Caution the kiddos not to swallow gum with a small balloon near the elf’s rear. A sign and pack of gum are a nice added touch.
Mischevious Elf
#48. Smelly poo. Stack a couple of rolls of toilet paper and write on them with a marker. I hot glued a mini clothespin to the elf’s nose as well.
#49. Elf bubble bath. Blow up a dozen pink balloons and fill the bath tub. Add a bottle of bubble bath and new scrubbie.
#50. Elf Zooms. Only is 2020 do you wake up to find your elf on a Zoom call. Go here to get the image. Save it to your device. Right click on the saved image and set to Lock Screen image.
#51. Elf Taco Tuesday. Find the free printable here.
#52. Reindeer poop. It’s not really. It’s Cocoa Puffs and my kiddos hesitated to try it.
#53. Poor Rudolph. I guess our elf had enough of all his reindeer games. I used a string to tie up the reindeer and suspend it over a curtain rod.
#54. Elf treehouse. Caution, this one is a lot of effort. I used popsicle sticks, scrapbooking stickers and a boatload of hot glue to make a treehouse for the elf in our Christmas tree.
#55. Elf Lemonade Stand. I used plastic shot glasses filled with yellow sports drink for the “lemonade” stand.
#56. Sleep by the Christmas Tree. Create a tiny elf fabric pillow and blanket and invite your kiddos to sleep by the Christmas tree. This elf idea is on repeat every year at our house.
This Elf is Trouble
#57. Christmas T-shirts. I love to get the boys holiday themed t-shirts each year. I use the elf to dawn the apparel’s arrival by dressing up their stuffed animals in the shirts.
#58. Wrapping Paper Stilts. I coordinated this elf idea with the night I wrapped most of our Christmas gifts. The boys awoke to wrapped presents under the tree and our elf using the tubes of wrapping paper as stilts.
#59. Toilet Papered Christmas Tree. Wrap your Christmas tree with toilet paper garland. Stuff the elf in the TP roll next their handy work.
#60. Wrapped shoes. Similar to elf idea #45 above, wrap everyone’s shoes in wrapping paper.
#61. Magic 8 Ball Elf. I used this classic toy as an elf behavior predictor. The boys’ had never seen a Magic 8 Ball before and likened it to the “old time version of Google.”
#62. Elf “tooth” brush. It just so happens that we had dentist appointments in December this year. Making good use of the free toothbrushes the boys got at their visit.
More Elf Fun
#63. Keeping an eye on you. I mean, he is a scout elf after all. Watching and reporting back to Santa, so an extra set of eyes won’t hurt. Make a quick sign and scatter googly eyes near the elf. Cute, fun and super simple.
#64. Our Elf is the bomb. Another easy elf idea. Found these bath bombs in the stocking stuffer section at the grocery store and boom, another elf idea done.
#65. Have Elf; will travel. Often times during elf season we have an overnight stay somewhere. Sometimes the elf joins us in a jar-see idea #7-and sometimes he insists on riding shot gun
#66. Elf promises. Super easy. All you need is a notepad and a pen. Best if the elf does this one after a few nights of being bad.
#67. Elf in lights. Use a simple string of battery operated LED lights to wrap your elf in the holiday spirit.
#68. Sticky elf. A few strips of masking paint and a maker make for an easy elf idea.
#69. Tik Tok Elf. Kids get a kick out of the elf doing trendy things, like Tik Tok. Maybe not the right Tik Tok?
#70. Elf brings breakfast. Green frosting spread on bread with sprinkles. Perfect way to start the day-if you’re an elf. Or made it even simpler and buy a box of donuts and set them out from the elf.
Still More Elf Ideas
#71. Shredded snowman. I used a cheese grater and propped it on a small colander to display the shredded snowman. The snowman is made of large marshmallows and then the mini marshmallows surround the grater. The scarf is a piece of ribbon and the eyes and nose were made using markers. Toothpicks were used the make the snowman’s arms.
#72. Elf countdown. Use a Lego board to make a Christmas countdown. Be like me and use it TWO NIGHTS IN A ROW. Cuz I was lazy that year and just wanted the elf to go back to the North Pole.
#73. Smartie Pants. Use one pair of boxers and add Smarties.
#74. Popcorn elf. Caution-can’t use your microwave on the day the elf decides to pop popcorn.
#75. Elf pee. A few frozen vegetables will make for a funny elf evening.
Goofy Elf
#76. Elf provides dessert. Set out a platter with bown Es cut from construction paper with a spatula and brownie mix
#77. The elf loves you. A couple candy canes make the shape of a heart to send a sweet message.
#78. Caffinated elf. Stick a plastic straw in a used coffee pod.
#79. Fruit by the elf. Looks like the elf got into the snack bin.
#80. Wrap some pipe cleaner antlers around the elf’s head and set out a dad joke sign. “What do you call a reindeer with bad manners? Rude-olph.
#81. Sprinkle elf angel. Lay the elf on a bed of sprinkles on a cookie sheet and move its limbs to create a sprinkle angel.
#82. A gummy bear rock wall takes a bit of time. Here’s a short video showing you how to create it.
#83. Taco about fun! This easy elf in a taco shell will have the little ones talking.
Elf Continued
#84. Clean Elf. Do a littel house cleaning just before Santa arrives.
#85. Whoopie Elf. Be prepared, this one can be annoying as your kids will sit on it no fewer than 12,450 times before Christmas.
#86. Movie Night with the elf. Set out the cookies and the cocoa and have a movie night with your elf.
#87. Sledding elf. Tape a couple candy canes together and dump sugar on your table for an elf sledding adventure.
#88. Elf ate my cookies. Elf caught with its hand in the cookie jar.
#89. ICUP. He sees you when your sleeping and also when you pee!
#90. Hanging with Santa. Easy elf idea for while you are away.
#91. Remind the kids to behave. A subtle cereal message to the kids to clean up their behavior.
#92. Elf wants you to stay hydrated. Use a strip of packing tape to secure your elf to your refrigerator’s water dispenser.
#93. Anytime the elf involes the toilet, it makes the boys giggle. Tip:use packng tape on the underside of the lid, then pile on the cearal.
#94. Egg-cellent elf jokes. Crack an egg and make a face on the shell.
#95. Sticky elf. Might want to find another bathroom.
#96. Ketchup artist. A couple frozen fries snipped to size and a squeeze bottle of ketchup.
#97. Hang man elf. Use painter’s tape for easy application and removal.
#98. Potatoes turned fries. Googley eyes and a marker make this fun elf idea.
#99. Oh, chipmas tree! Clean up on this elf idea means a yummy snack.
Bonus Holiday Fun
For all your efforts in reading to the bottom of this post, here’s a little holiday fun for the grown ups. I surprised my husband with this one year given that he puts up with a lot during the holidays. Using brown paper lunch bags I wrapped a variety of different bottled beers advent calendar style. Each night, he unwrapped a bottle for a little holiday cheer.
Happy Adventuring, Rochelle