A new tradition has started with Elf on The Shelf. A lovely festive tradition where a scout elf is sent from the North Pole. To watch over children and report back to Santa Claus. These mischievous elves often engage in playful antics. Although, this was not a thing when mine were little. I have loved watching what other peoples Elves get up too. I do feel for Mum and Dad having to think of ideas. Which is why I am sharing a few Elf on the shelf suggestions.
As your Elf would have made their appearance last night, maybe bringing advent calendars with them. Or having a special festive breakfast ready. You may be already worrying about the 23 nights of what they can get up too.
- Zip-Line Adventure: String a string or dental floss across a room and let the elf go on a thrilling zip-line adventure.
- Snowball Fight: Set up a scene where the elf has created a mini snowball fight with other toys or even marshmallows.
- Elf Movie Night: Arrange a cosy movie night with the elf surrounded by popcorn, a tiny DVD player, and a miniature Christmas movie.
- Candy Cane Zipline: Use candy canes as the zipline supports and have the elf ride a zipline made from string or dental floss.
- Elf Rock Band: Set up a scene with other toys as part of an elf rock band, complete with tiny instruments.
- Elf Spa Day: Create a spa scene with miniature towels, a tiny bathrobe, and a bowl of “bubble bath” for the elf.
- Fishing for Goldfish: Place the elf near a bowl of Goldfish crackers with a tiny fishing rod.
- Toothpaste Mishap: Have the elf create a “toothpaste snowman” on the bathroom counter.
- Elf Karate Class: Position the elf as if it’s leading a martial arts class with other toys as students.
- Elf on the Shelf Art Gallery: Set up a small art gallery with the elf’s masterpieces, created with tiny canvases and paint.
- Elf Wrapping Station: Have the elf wrapping small gifts for other toys.
- Elf Tea Party: Arrange a tea party with other toys, complete with miniature cups and saucers.
- Elf in the Fridge: Place the elf in the refrigerator, perhaps with a note about needing to stay cool at the North Pole.
- Elf as a Photographer: Give the elf a toy camera and position it as if it’s taking pictures of other toys.
- Elf Yoga Session: Pose the elf in various yoga positions, maybe with a tiny yoga mat and a note about staying flexible for the holiday season.
- Elf Snow Angels: Create snow angels with flour or sugar on a counter top and place the elf in the middle.
- Elf Sledding Adventure: Use a small box or container as a sled and let the elf go sledding down a ramp made from a book or a piece of cardboard.
- Elf Reading Books: Position the elf in a cosy reading nook with tiny books and perhaps a pair of miniature glasses.
- Elf Santa’s Workshop: Set up a mini workshop with the elf overseeing toy production for Santa.
- Elf Writing Messages: Have the elf leave messages for the kids, maybe with tiny notes or in creative ways.
Are you ready for your Elf n the shelf to arrive. Share our ideas with others of what your elf gets up too.
Great ideas. Thank you! I love this new tradition. Our youngest was expecting a real Elf so was disappointed the Elf she found was just a toy. Anyone know where we can find a real Elf before this coming Christmas LOL?!
We never did this when ours was young, but my grandkids love it. I am working on Christmas already so will try and find out for you
I must admit I do sometimes struggle to think of what to do with the elves we have. These are some really lovely ideas. I know what I’m setting up tonight for tomorrow now!!!
I am glad to have helped you with some ideas, we do not do it sadly
Doing Elf on the Shelf is such a challenge, especially because of the new activity every day! Thank you for sharing these ideas.
This is one reason why I am glad it was not aa thing when mine were younger
These are some good suggestions. Elf on the shelf is such a great tradition. Would love to keep it too.
I am loving seeing what all the naughty elfs are getting up too
The Elf Rock Band concept is just too cute; I can already picture the laughter it’ll bring.
I do love what these elfs get up too
Elf on the shelf is such a fun tradition! My aunt actually does this every year for the grandkids. I’ll have to pass this along to her…lots of fun, unexpected spots 😀
I hope I have given her some inspiration
I saw your IG post and had to have a look. These are such fun ideas. I’ll probably do a few myself.
We never had elf on the shelf when mine were growing up, I bet your kids will love it
It’s heartwarming to think of the joy these mischievous elves bring to children during the holiday season. Your thoughtful ideas are a creative guide for parents navigating the 23 nights of Elf adventures. Can’t wait to see the excitement unfold each morning. Thank you for sharing these delightful Elf on The Shelf suggestions!
I do love seeing all the posts every day at what the elfs have been up too
There are a lot of cute ideas here! My kids are pre-teen & teen now so they have now begun doing the elf on the shelf themselves. Who ever is the first to wake up in the morning tries to hide it from the other, the elf ends up in some interesting places!
I bet there are lots of laughs and some surprising hiding places
I love all that people do with Elf on the Shelf. I never did it with my kids, they are not the average kids and think things like this are weird & possibly a little creepy (although I think it came out when they were older) LOL BUT I always had a blast watching families do this. Such fun members are being made.
It was never a thing when mine were little, but like you I do love seeing what everyones elf gets up too
Wow! I love all these ideas, Especially the zip line idea. Because I love zipline adventure so much.
Thank you, hopefully this post will give parents a few ideas when needed. The zip line idea seems to be popular
There are so many great ideas in this post to try elf on the shelf this time. The candy cane zipline is the one I love the most!
That does seem a popular elf on the shelf idea
There are so many fun ideas here. We never really got into doing this and now the kids are older anyway. I love seeing peoples posts about their elves!
Same here and I also know that sometimes parents get stuck for new ideas. I would have loved to have done this with mine, but then am glad we did not have the pressure either
These are all such creative ideas. I had such a hard time coming up with new and fun things for our elf to do when my son was little. It takes a lot of creativity!
It does take a lot of forward thinking and planning
There are some great ideas here. Everyone I know who does Elf on the Shelf ran out of ideas in a couple of years. So these are going to be quite helpful. The zipline is pretty cool!
It can get difficult to think of new ideas
Lots of good ideas – love the candy cane zipline!
I am loving my Facebook with seeing what the elfs have been getting up to in everyones houses
I like the idea of the Zip-Line Adventure!
It does look like fun
Oh this is so cute, I want to get some elfs now. I can honestly say I don’t have any but this idea is so cute yet somewhat creepy, haha
I know if this had been around when mine were little we would have had to do it