Elf on the Shelf Ideas That Will Make Your Kids Smile

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Elf on the Shelf didn’t exist when I was a kid. It’s one of these new things that came along to extract more money from our pockets every Christmas.

The kids love it though, and what’s a few pounds to see their little faces light up in the morning?

You might know it as cheeky elf rather than Elf on the Shelf, but it’s the same thing: a little toy elf that causes mischief while the kids are asleep.

However, it might surprise you to learn that it is actually us parents that have to come up with all of the Elf on the Shelf ideas. The elves don’t do it themselves.

I KNOW, right!?

Coming up with ideas for Elf on the Shelf isn’t exactly running a marathon, but at the end of a long day it’s yet another thing on the to do list. So I am sharing some of my ideas with you here.

First though, in case you don’t already know here is a quick rundown of what the heck I am talking about. Feel free to skip on if you just want the ideas 😊

What is it and Where Did it Come From?

What is Elf on the Shelf — The founder, Carol Aebersold and her daughters

Elf on the Shelf is often billed as a “New Christmas Tradition”.

How something can be new and a tradition at the same time I have no idea. That’s marketing for you.

The origin story is pretty sweet though. A woman called Carol Aebersold wrote a book called ‘Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition” in 2005. It was based on her own family’s tradition which started when she was a girl. Her elf was called Fisbee, and the story goes that Fisbee was a scout elf.

Scout elves fly to and from the North Pole in December reporting in to Santa on how the kids are behaving. However, they often cause plenty of mischief along the way. The book came with a little elf toy that the recipient could name, and this is how the whole thing started.

Then it exploded.

The advent of social media helped of course, but the idea caught a wave and people enjoyed sharing their elf’s adventures online. Now there are Netflix deals and all sorts going on. Safe to say Elf on the Shelf is here to stay.

These days many people ignore the book and just buy the elf. They hide it or set it up in funny situations around the house for the kids to find the next morning. Parents have got very creative with their little elf’s escapades!

It is often introduced on December 1st delivering an advent calendar, and sometimes arriving with a hand written note. This explains what they are doing in your house (monitoring your kids’ behaviour of course). However, you can use it how you like. In the same way that every family has their own set of Christmas traditions in terms of when they eat, what they eat, when they open presents etc., everyone has their own way of doing Elf on the Shelf too.

In our house, it’s a case of how much time I’ve got and what sort of mood I’m in. Our elf is called Potato Face because my son is a comedy genius 🙄. The first year he didn’t even show up until the 7th of December because ‘he couldn’t find our house’. It didn’t matter. You can make anything up.

So the general idea is the same for everyone, but how you handle it can be as unique and interesting as you.

Top Tips

If you do the full run up to Christmas you are going to need 25 different Elf on the Shelf ideas for the month. But don’t stress!

My first tip is to keep most of them simple. Kids are easily pleased, especially young kids. Hanging the elf off the light fitting and saying “How on earth did he get up there?” is fine. Your kids can help get him down and tell him off and that’s that. They don’t all have to be Instagram worthy:

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A post shared by Elf On The Shelf (@adventuresoftippy)

Next, use what you’ve got. They sell loads of props and outfits for the elf, but unless you want to these aren’t necessary. Stick him in the biscuit tin. Hide him under the sofa with your phone and ask your kids to help you find it. Tangle him up in the Christmas tree lights and get them to set him free.

My last tip – don’t give any responsibility to your husband or boyfriend. Well, not if he is as juvenile as mine anyway. I asked my other half to set something up the other night as I was going to bed early, and this is what I came down to in the morning:

That’s right. His cheeky elf idea was to get it pi$$ed! This is why I have to do everything myself…

Anyway, with the most important piece of universal advice out of the way, I can move on to sharing some real ideas. I’ll break them down into two categories: easy and funny.

Some people are happy to spend more time on perfecting their setup and others just want it to be quick yet effective. Hopefully this split means you can find something suitable more easily.

Easy Elf on the Shelf Ideas

You want it to be quick and easy but still have an impact when the kids come downstairs? Look no further.

Toilet Roll Chaos

After you have brushed your teeth, grab a new toilet roll, hold onto the end and let the roll tumble down the stairs. Sit the elf on the bit you are holding at the top of the stairs and go to bed.

In the morning the kids find a naughty elf who has made a mess that you now have to clean up.

I guess there is a bit of effort required because you have to tidy it up in the morning, but it takes about 10 second. I just ripped it off and chucked the unrolled bit in the bin.

You could do anything with toilet roll really, you don’t have to roll it down the stairs. Whatever you do it is a cheap and easy idea that you can set up in 30 seconds.

Cereal Surprise

Oh my gosh this is soooo easy, but so effective.

You plonk the elf in your child’s cereal box and go to bed. Done.

In the morning, you pretend the elf has disappeared. Oh no. Where can he be? Let’s have a look. Oh we can’t seem to find him. Never mind, let’s eat our breakfast and have a think about where he could be.

Make sure your child is with you when you make the breakfast, otherwise it all goes wrong at this point.

Get the bowl and spoon and milk ready. Open the box of cereal, go to pour the cereal into the bowl and out comes the elf.

“Oh my goodness what was he doing in there?”

Cue much giggling from small children. Easy!

Eating Treats

Everyone has something sweet in the cupboards. You can use chocolates, biscuits, a jar of Nutella – whatever you like.

Open the cupboard door and sit the elf on the edge.

Find a way to show the elf has been eating whatever it is you are using. We used chocolate sauce and spread a little bit over his face (it’s very easy to wipe clean).

If you were using a box of Roses or something you would just unwrap one and bite it in half then put the other half in the elf’s hands. Then sprinkle a few wrappers around.

If you were using a biscuit you could snap it in half, give half to the elf and use the other half to spread crumbs around him and on the floor below.

It depends how much cleaning up you are prepared to do!

Kids like it because we dictate when they can and can’t eat sweet stuff. So when the elf helps himself without asking it seems very naughty to them.

Zipline!

This sounds more effort than it actually is.

Find a piece of string or something you can use for the same purpose.

Tie it to something high up at one end and something slightly lower at the other end. Tada! You now have a zipline.

Use the elf’s Velcro hands to attach it midway across the string (or whatever you have used) so it looks like he is using the zipline and having fun.

Kids come down in the morning and see him zooming along. Easy to put up, easy to take down.

Playing Computer Games

Best used on a weekend.

Set the elf up in front of the Xbox or Playstation with the controller in their lap. If yours will stay on all night and you are happy to do that then switch it on before you go to bed. Ours turns off automatically, so I had to send my fella down before the kids to turn it on.

When the kids get down it looks like the elf has been playing their favourite computer game.

Then you can let your kids join in as a weekend treat. Computer games first thing in the morning – it feels special to them and it gives you an hour or so to have a coffee without being badgered.

Super simple, fun for the kids, and feels a bit special too.

Funny Elf on the Shelf Ideas

If you have more time to set them up, these funny ideas for Elf on the Shelf have gone down a treat in my house.

Snow Angels (Flour Angels)

Elf on the Shelf snow angel — Our snow angel ended up looking more like a police chalk line 😬

You know that bag of flour you bought eighteen months ago to make cupcakes then never used again? It’s finally found a use.

Pick somewhere that is easy to clean like a kitchen counter or a hallway floor, and sprinkle a few patches of flour.

Next, create snow angel shapes in each patch. I wouldn’t recommend using the elf to make these as it’s a pain getting the flour out of it’s elf outfit. You can lie him in the last one, just make sure the floor under him is mostly clean.

During the morning routine you can shout the kids through saying they will never believe what that cheeky elf has done now. Or something along those lines.

When they get there you talk about what a mess it is and how you will have to clean it all up now. Give the elf a bit of a talking to and ask the kids to keep an eye on him so he doesn’t cause any more trouble.

Magic Letter

At least one of your kids will need to be at reading level for this one.

Write a short letter and place it next to the Elf. It should say something like this:

“DO NOT READ IF PARENTS ARE IN THE ROOM! This letter is written in magic ink that only children can see. Say the magic word ‘Shalamakookee’ to put your parents under a spell. Next, ask if you can have chocolate for breakfast. Your parents will say yes! This spell only works once”

So they do it and you act like you are under a spell and let them have chocolate for breakfast.

Obviously you can change the magic word to whatever you like and it can be anything in place of chocolate for breakfast. You get the idea though.

It’s fun for them because they feel like they are teaming up with the elf to get one over on you. A little bit of anarchy never hurt anybody.

Toy Town

Use your children’s toys to create a chaotic scene in the living room.

We did this with our little boy. We used his monster trucks and set up a big race with the elf riding on top of one of them. He loved it because it sparked his imagination, but it also looked pretty cool when he walked in and saw it all laid out.

You can be as creative as you like here.

The elf could be having a tea party with some of the other toys. He could have built an amazing Lego structure with the help of the little Lego men. He could have set out all of the board games and be playing with the other toys. How much time and energy do you have?

This one is as much about creating something impressive as it is something funny.

I Pead Myself

I loved this one. My boy was just old enough to understand it and it really made him laugh. Fair warning though, arranging the peas takes a while.

Sit your elf on the kitchen counter.

Grab some frozen peas and leave them to defrost for a short while on a tea towel. When they are done, use them to spell out the words “I Pead Myself” in front of the elf. That’s it, you’re done.

Call your kids through in the morning and show them what has happened.

If they can read all the better, but it’s ok if not. You can tell them what the peas say. Even if they don’t get the joke they will recognise it as a funny situation. Plus, all kids laugh if you talk about peeing yourself.

Wrapped Up in Paper

Oh no! The elf has got hold of some wrapping paper and the Sellotape and wrapped themselves up like a present.

This one is a bit of a faff but it’s quite funny as the kids don’t easily spot him in amongst the other presents.

Wrap the elf up and place them at the front of the presents under the tree, maybe leave a little bit of mess as well. This fits in with the cheeky elf theme but also makes him a bit easier to spot. Just some scraps of paper and the roll of tape.

When the kids find the elf they have to unwrap him and set him free.

Everyone likes unwrapping presents early.