51 Creative Elf on the Shelf Ideas
Are you participating in the fun holiday Elf on the Shelf tradition? At some point during the season, you may run out of fun ideas. From your elf’s arrival to his departure after the holidays are over, we’ve got you covered! Be sure to click on the links below to see more photos of the poses we’ve created for our elves. Update: After you’ve read these ideas, see our new post 51 MORE Creative Elf on the Shelf Ideas. Post your own photos in our Elf Photo Gallery!
- Arriving via Elf-mail
- Arriving in Barbie’s car
- Have your elf replace the photos in your frames with pictures of… himself!
- Put Rudolph noses on family members’ photos
- Turn the toilet water green
- Elves like to use green shaving cream, too!
- Wrap your toilet with Christmas wrapping paper or plastic wrap
- Replace your screensaver with a photo of your elf
- Your elf can go “fishing” for Goldfish crackers
- Snow angels in flour or sugar on the kitchen floor or counter
- Taking a bath in mini marshmallows
- Lifting weights with large marshmallows on skewers
- Working out on the treadmill
- Making snowmen out of large marshmallows
- Bowling with marshmallows
- Turning the milk green
- Getting stuck in the cookie jar
- Using red and green M&Ms to spell out words or phrases
- Using Scrabble tiles to spell out words or phrases
- Playing Jenga
- Writing Christmas or “Elf-like” words in a crossword puzzle
- Playing with glow sticks
- Playing with your camera, taking pictures of himself
- Uh oh, the elf got stuck in the vacuum!
- Sledding down the banister or zip lining
- Rolling down the stairs in a toilet paper tube
- Playing dress-up with Barbie’s clothes
- Having a tea party with stuffed animals and dolls
- Trying on Mom’s jewelry
- Going on a movie date with Barbie (add popcorn, the DVD player remote control, and a movie case)
- Sleeping in the Kleenex box
- Reading a Christmas book to the stuffed animals
- Building something with LEGOs
- Playing Twister with friends
- Playing the piano (Christmas music, of course!)
- Hiding in the silverware drawer
- Building an igloo out of sugar cubes
- Playing with ice cubes in the freezer (make green and red ones!)
- In the freezer eating a bowl of ice cream with Christmas sprinkles
- TP-ing the Christmas tree
- Hanging underwear on the Christmas tree or on the mantle
- Having fun with the computer’s printer…. copying himself!
- Going for a spin on the ceiling fan
- Roasting marshmallows
- Writing things on the shopping list (candy canes, Christmas cookies, etc.)
- Clipping coupons (for sweet treats!)
- Hanging from the rear-view mirror in the car
- Boosted up with a stack of pillows in the driver’s seat and driving!
- Hanging Christmas lights on a houseplant
- Coloring in a coloring book (all red and green, naturally!)
- Playing with the iPad (changing screen saver to a photo of himself)
Check out the most updated round-up of Hundreds of Elf On the Shelf Ideas HERE.
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M.L. Griffin says
Making a snow angel on a cookie pan of flour.
John Smith says
When I was a kid, I did something that my mother didn’t know about, but found out about somehow. When I asked her how she knew, she said something along the lines that she had little spies to help her keep an eye on me. That screwed up my head for a long time, and gave me bouts of paranoia. Parents, do your kids a favor. Don’t lie to them. Don’t mess with their heads.
Shawn says
Put cotton balls on all of the kids beds, then have a trail of cotton balls going to the living room with elf sitting in a chair with a sign saying “LET IT SNOW, Let it snow, Let it snow” cotton balls all around the elf too!
Kendall says
Have a circle ornament on your Christmas tree with the ornament empty in the middle and have elfs head sticking through the empty spot and legs sitting on the tree lim closest to.