50 easy Elf on the Shelf ideas
Last Updated on April 1, 2024
Elf on the Shelf is a Christmas tradition that many households do every year, and if you’re one of them, it may be one of the more time consuming Christmas activities that you do, which means you may be on the hunt for some easy Elf on the Shelf ideas.
When doing Elf on the Shelf you can be as elaborate or as laid back with the hiding places as you like. But, if you’d prefer to be laid back so this Christmas tradition is fun, achievable, and doesn’t increase your Christmas stress levels, then here are 50 easy Elf on the Shelf ideas that you can try.
What is Elf on the Shelf?
Elf on the Shelf is a tradition started by Carol Aebersold and her twin daughters, Chanda Bell and Christa Pitts, where Scout Elves visit homes each morning and report back to Santa each night on whether the children in the homes they’ve visited have been behaving.
The Elves like to hide in the homes they visit, and sometimes are quite naughty or cheeky when doing so.
Elf on the Shelf rules
There are three Elf on the Shelf rules, which are:
- The Elf cannot be touched, otherwise it will loose its magic.
- The Elf cannot move or speak when children are awake.
- The Elf must return to the North Pole on Christmas Eve.
If you’d like to know more about Elf on the Shelf, then here is a fantastic Elf on the Shelf guide.
Indoor Elf on the Shelf ideas
Hide and seek Elf
Hide the Elf behind other toys, inside drawers, or in places your kids spend a lot of time in.
Baker Elf
Place the Elf next to some cupcakes and a bowl with a cracked egg in it, so it looks like the Elf’s been busy baking.
Biscuit loving Elf
Break up a biscuit and put some crumbs on the Elf’s lap.
Caffeine loving Elf
Place the Elf under your coffee machine, next to your kettle, or holding your coffee mug.
Candy loving Elf
Place broken candy pieces around the Elf.
Foodie Elf
Get some plastic food and pretend the Elf’s is eating it.
Breakfast box Elf
Cut out a hole in a cereal box and make the Elf squeeze through it.
Breakfast eating Elf
Sit the Elf in the chair next to your kids at breakfast.
Trapped Elf
Put the Elf between some blinds so he’s trapped.
Falling down Elf
Put the Elf at the bottom of some stairs with the item that made it fall down under its legs.
Climber Elf
Stick the Elf to a wall with sticky tape, or sticky gift wrapping ribbons over its hands.
Acrobatic Elf
Hang the Elf from your living room lights.
Dancing Elf
Put the Elf in a ballet position.
Singing Elf
Place the Elf next to a radio, or on a phone playing music.
Den building Elf
Make a den and place the Elf inside it.
Knitting Elf
Place the Elf in front of balls of wool with knitting needles in its hands.
Paper snowflake making Elf
Put some scissors in the Elf’s hands with a paper snowflake next to it.
Uno loving Elf
Set up a game of Uno and put some cards in the Elf’s hands.
Decorating Elf
Place the Elf on top of a Christmas tree decoration.
Gift wrapping Elf
Put some scissors in the Elf’s hand, and place the Elf next to some Christmas wrapping paper.
Christmas card writing Elf
Put a pen in the Elf’s hand and make it look like its finishing a message in a Christmas card that you’ve already started to write.
Online shopping Elf
Put the Elf inside some online shopping boxes.
Sleepy Elf
Place the Elf in your kid’s bed.
Artistic Elf
Surround the Elf with paper and markers.
Snowman Elf
Hide the Elf in some toilet paper rolls.
Sore Elf
Put a plaster on the Elf.
Chilled out Elf
Put the Elf in the fridge with a small blanket or doll’s scarf on it.
Shower loving Elf
Hang the Elf from a shower head.
Spa loving Elf
Put the Elf in the bath.
Snowball fighting Elf
Put white pom poms between the Elf and another toy, so it looks like they’re having a snowball fight.
Present loving Elf
Put the Elf on top of some Christmas presents, or hanging out of a gift bag.
Book lover Elf
Put the Elf on top of an open book.
Teacher Elf
Put chalk in the Elf’s hands and make it look like it’s writing on a blackboard.
Pilot Elf
Place the Elf in a toy airplane and place the airplane on a kitchen counter, or taking off from the ground.
Sack racing Elf
Put the Elf and other toys in their own paper bags, then line them up so it looks like they’re having a sack race.
Museum loving Elf
Place the Elf looking at some artwork.
Secret message Elf
Write a message in pasta or buttons, and place the message in front of the Elf.
Tea party Elf
Place the Elf and some other toys on the floor on a picnic rug, and let them have a tea party.
Soft play Elf
Put the Elf in a bowl of round candy, or pom poms.
Movie night Elf
Put the Elf on the couch with some popcorn and hot chocolate sachets, watching a Christmas movie on TV.
Tooth brushing Elf
Wrap the Elf up in tooth floss so it looks like it’s been brushing its teeth. This may even help with getting your toddler to brush their teeth.
Outdoor Elf on the Shelf ideas
Camper Elf
Put the Elf outside in a sleeping bag.
Car driver Elf
Place the Elf on your car’s steering wheel.
Sun bathing Elf
Put the Elf on a hand towel with its hands behind its head, so it can sun bathe.
Gardner Elf
Put the Elf next to some flower pots, or inside one.
Plant pruner Elf
Put some scissors against a plant leaf and make it look like the Elf has pruned the leaf.
Fishing Elf
Tie some string to the Elf’s arm, and put the string in a puddle, or mug of water.
Tyre swinging Elf
Put the Elf inside a small toy car tyre hanging from a tree.
Melted Snowman finding Elf
Melt some ice, and place a bit of carrot on the ground and get the Elf to look at their melted snowman friend.
Sledding Elf
Place the Elf on a candy cane and balance the candy cane on an incline.
Do you have any Elf on the Shelf hiding ideas?
