75 Easy Elf on the Shelf Ideas for Every Night

Start with the lazy list tonight: those ideas take under a minute and need nothing but the elf.

25 lazy-night ideas, no props

These are for the nights you remember at 10 p.m. Move the elf, step back, go to bed. Kids will read a whole story into a banana, and each one takes under a minute.

On the kitchen counter

1. Sit the elf on the fruit bowl with a banana tucked under one arm. Add a second banana as a phone if you feel ambitious.
2. Lower the elf into a mug on the kitchen counter.
3. Put the elf in the bread basket, as if it were a tiny boat.
4. Peek the elf out of the cookie jar with a crumb on its face.
5. Park the elf on the toaster, ready for breakfast.

At the fridge and the table

6. Perch the elf on the fridge handle, looking down at the milk.
7. Sit the elf in an empty cereal bowl with a spoon in hand.
8. Set a place at the table with a plate and a fork, and seat the elf in front of it. Add a folded napkin for style.
9. Sit the elf on a roll of paper towels, like a throne.

In the bathroom

10. Lean the elf against the toothbrush cup, holding one brush like a microphone.
11. Sit the elf on the bathroom sink, facing the mirror.
12. Peek the elf out of the tissue box.

In the living room

13. Start here Park the elf on the TV remote, facing the room like a very small boss.
14. Hang the elf from the curtain rod by both hands. Kids check the windows first, so this one gets a fast reaction.
15. Hide the elf in the Christmas tree with one leg dangling out. Finding it takes a minute, which buys you a quiet breakfast.
16. Sit the elf on top of a lamp, in the spotlight.
17. Put the elf to bed on the couch under a washcloth blanket.

On shelves and with toys

18. Slide the elf between two books on a shelf, as if reading the spines.
19. Prop the elf on a stack of mail, as if sorting it.
20. Hand the elf one of the kids’ stuffed animals, as if they were on a play date. The kids will name the guest.
21. Roll the elf down the hall in a toy truck.

By the door and the stairs

22. Tuck the elf into a shoe by the front door, with only its face showing. It works especially well on school mornings.
23. Settle the elf on the dog’s bed or the cat’s favorite blanket, as if it paid rent.
24. Seat the elf at the top of the stair rail, ready to slide.
25. Tuck the elf into a slipper and leave the other slipper next to it.

I’ll admit the lazy list is the one I keep coming back to. The elf is funnier when it clearly took no effort.

25 ideas from the kitchen and craft drawer

Each needs a prop you already own. Nothing here calls for a store run, and most of it wipes up in about three minutes.

Flour and sugar

26. Make a flour snow angel in a baking tray and leave tiny footprints leading away. A fork makes good elf tracks.
27. Dust the elf and the counter with flour, and leave a wooden spoon in its hand.
28. Fill a mixing bowl with mini marshmallows and sit the elf in it, as if it were a bubble bath.

The snack table

29. Give the elf a candy cane fishing rod and set a bowl of goldfish crackers beside it.
30. Spell each child’s name in alphabet cereal on the table. Early readers will hunt for their own letters.
31. Lay out a tiny picnic on a tray: a raisin, half a cracker and a napkin.
32. Float the elf on a cereal box lid in the kitchen sink.

Paper, string and tape

33. Wrap the elf in toilet paper like a mummy, with the roll on the floor beside it. Leave the rest of the roll for the kids to unwind.
34. Run a string from the stair rail to the sofa and hang the elf from it, as if on a zip line. Tape both ends so it holds all day.
35. Draw a tic-tac-toe board on the table with painter’s tape and leave the elf holding the first X. The kids take the next turn.
36. Tape a sheet of paper to the wall and let the elf “draw” a stick-figure family.
37. Hang a row of socks on a string and put the elf at the end of the line.

From the craft drawer

38. Stick a paper mustache on a family photo and put the elf next to it.
39. Put googly eyes on everything in the fridge. Sticky tack holds them on and peels off cleanly.
40. Seat the elf beside a pile of pom-poms, as if it were a snowball fight.
41. Sit the elf on a pile of crayons, with a fresh scribble on a sheet of paper.

Dress-up and boxes

42. Cut a cape from a washcloth and clip it on the elf.
43. Put the elf in a box with a bow, as a gift that talks back. Any small box works.
44. Set the elf inside a drinking glass on its side, as if it were a sleeping bag.
45. Dress the elf in a doll’s hat or a baby sock.

Build and play

46. Line up paper cups as bowling pins and set a ball in front of the elf.
47. Build a fort for the elf from couch cushions and a blanket. Leave the entrance open so the kids can peek in.
48. Stack cups into a tower and perch the elf on top.
49. Use building blocks to make a staircase and set the elf at the top.
50. Make an obstacle course from pillows and pool noodles, with the elf at the finish line. Time each child with a phone timer.

25 ideas for weekends and bigger nights

These ask for a little more setup. Some turn the elf’s visit into an activity, so save them for Friday and Saturday, when bedtime has some give.

Clue hunts

51. Leave a short letter from the elf with a riddle that leads to its hiding spot. Keep the riddle to two lines.
52. Set up a scavenger hunt with five paper clues that end where the elf is waiting. Our Christmas games for the whole family page has more game ideas.
53. Draw a treasure map of the living room and leave the elf where the X is. Mark a few landmarks, like the couch and the bookshelf.

Game night

54. Leave a deck of cards and the elf sitting by a half-dealt hand.
55. Tape a “Winter Olympics” board to the wall with three silly events, and let the elf hold the first medal.
56. Put the elf by a board game and a note that reads “I call the blue piece.”

Movie and music nights

57. Make a family movie night: the elf sits by a bowl of popcorn and a note that says “pick one.” Let the kids vote.
58. Set up a dance party: the elf sits on the speaker with a tiny set of paper headphones.
59. Put a Christmas tune on, tape the lyrics to the wall and seat the elf at the “mic.”

Cozy nights in

60. Leave a pillow fort invitation with the elf at the entrance.
61. Leave the elf next to the ingredients for hot chocolate and a note saying “tonight.”
62. Leave the elf with a stack of books and a note asking for a bedtime story.
63. Put the elf by a window with a note about counting the stars.

Paper crafts

64. Put out a stack of paper snowflakes and a pair of kid scissors for a craft morning.
65. Set the elf next to a pile of wrapping paper scraps and a roll of tape, “wrapping” one gift.
66. Hang a paper chain with one link per day and the elf beside it. For a bigger version, see our advent calendar ideas.
67. Make a paper “snow” for the kids to throw: crumpled white paper and a tiny paper target.

A snowy table

68. Leave the elf with a cookie-decorating kit on the table and a note about the plan.
69. Set up a “snowman building kit”: a bowl of cotton balls, a carrot, two buttons and the elf.
70. Make a stamped trail of “snow footprints” across a table with a cotton ball dipped in flour.

Notes from the elf

71. Leave a “mission” card: do one kind thing for someone before bedtime. A card can ask for a hug, a drawing or a note to a grandparent.
72. Write the elf’s report to Santa as a short list and leave it on the table.
73. Write a short poem from the elf and fold it into a paper hat.
74. Write a “thank you” note from the elf for one thing the kids did well this week. Keep it specific, like sharing a toy or helping set the table.
75. For the last night, leave the elf with a goodbye letter and a small treat for each child. A candy cane per child is enough.

A few notes on the elf

Wikipedia dates the original Elf on the Shelf picture book to 2005. The official site calls not touching the elf the most important rule, so check how your family handles it before the first night.

For more ways to fill the evenings, try our Christmas crafts for kids. The rest of the games, riddles and traditions live in the Family hub. We explain how we write these lists on How we pick.

I keep rereading number 53, the treasure map, because it sends the whole house searching.