10 Elf On The Shelf Ideas

Elf on the shelf is fantastic! It gives Christmas a different creative spin and brings something that adults and kids can enjoy. Or it does to begin with. By the second Christmas the ideas are wearing a bit thin, the elves either end up looking like they're in an X rated film or they spend December just climbing the tree!

Fret no more! Here's a list of ideas for your Elves this Christmas. Not only is it a list, but each idea can be varied and added to, making a lot for you to work with.

Grab your elf and let's go!

1. Igloo. Using marshmallows and icing, create an igloo for the elves. Big marshmallows ake the whole thing quicker! Leave the marshmallow packet open nearby (with a few in as a treat) so the kids can see that the elves made the igloo. Slightly messy elves really help bring this to life, if you have time to clean them. You can vary this, make a gingerbread house, a house made of biscuits...This one takes planning and cleaning up, so best to do before Christmas Eve.
2. Teeth Time. Elves eat a lot of sweet stuff and don't brush their teeth. Well...they didn't until now! Place the elf on the sink with bubbles around its mouth and a toothbrush with toothpaste residue all over it. Elves aren't very good at using big tubes of toothpaste, so splodges around the sink and the rest of the bathroom are a nice touch. You could vary this for Covid-19 days by using liquid soap. Elves want to stay clean and safe as well, but it's hard to use the dispenser.
3. Hungry Elf. The elf is hungry. It climbs into the fridge and has a feast on the kids' lunchboxes. Wrappers everywhere, half-eaten food scattered around. You could use the fruit bowl if you have a healthy elf, or the Christmas tree chocolates if you have a very unhealthy one!
4. Film Night. Sit your elf (or elves) on the sofa with the remote control and a big tub of popcorn. You could pop the elf's head in the bowl - the elf fell asleep watching TV! They could involve some favourite teddys or dolls as well.
5. Play Park. Have the elf make up a play area. A tray could make a slide, a clothes airer is the perfect climbing frame and a bin lid is a great roundabout. If you're very adventurous, you could make a swing with a pair of pants joined to door handles! If you have more than one elf they could have a piece of apparatus each, if you only have one this could take a week or so!
6. Author Elf. Set up your laptop with the elf sitting alongside. Open a Word document (or Google Doc or similar) and type in half a page of a story. Start with something like "I was sent to XXX house to watch over XXX and XXX. They are great kids and I'm loving watching them. You'll never guess some of the things they've been up to!" then describe some of the funny things the kids have done in December.
7. Bad Elf. It's very hard to be good all of the time. Elves are cheeky and not always good, a bit like kids. Get a teddy bear or a doll and have some fun! You could place them in wrestling positions, have the bear trapped under a chair leg or cushion and the elf sat on top or have the bear trapped in the washing machine with the elf looking in. You can be very creative and have a lot of fun with this one!
8. Boating Elf. Put water in the bath or the sink. Use a plastic tub with a big splodge of putty (blue tac or something similar) as a boat and use spatulas as oars. Be sure that the boat is floating (or make the water shallow enough that the boat is on the bottom) or you'll have to do elf CPR in the morning!
9. Bowling Elf. Use biscuits as the pins and large gobstoppers as the bowling balls!
10. Snowballing Elf. This is my favourite! It's a lot of work but great fun. Balance large marshmallows in a row in the centre of a table to make a wall. Put the elf on one side of the table and a bear or doll on the opposite side (so they are on opposite sides of the wall). Put a pile of marshmallows next to the elf and bear and scatter some on the table. Sprinkle some icing sugar on the table as snow and, hey presto! A snowball fight!

Whatever you chose to do with your elf, make sure you enjoy it and have a great Christmas!