The Elf on the Shelf has become one of my kids favorite traditions for the month of a December. They love it so much that we’ve even added an Artic Fox into the mix. Every morning they jump out of bed and search the house to discover what antics the elf and fox have gotten into. So, I thought I’d share some of our awesome Elf on the Shelf ideas with you in case you are struggling to come up with something fun. So here goes!
If you’re interested in the same Elf on the Shelf and Artic Fox that we own, I have linked them below.
Day of Arrival Scavenger Hunt
To start, our elf and fox usually arrive on December 1st and bring the kids an advent calendar for the month of December. So why not turn their arrival into a scavenger hunt to find the advent calendars they brought for my kids. The elf and fox ring the door bell with a note that says how much they’ve missed everyone and that they have a scavenger hunt for the kids. They leave clues throughout the house leading to the final prize – the advent calendars. Below is a picture of the different clues that they have left and the original note they had with them upon arrival. You’re welcome to use our clues or use them as inspiration to help you come up with some of your own clues.
Check out our brief Instagram reel below showing our scavenger hunt setup!
This scavenger hunt idea doesn’t have to be just for their arrival. You can use this for anything throughout the month with any prize at the end – hot chocolate bombs, festive Christmas necklaces or headbands, Christmas crafts, etc.
Toilet Paper Snowman
How cute is this toilet paper snowman? I just stacked 3 toilet paper rolls, drew on some faces and buttons, and used my daughter’s headband for the scarf. For the snowman’s hat, I used my daughter black long sleeved shirt. I rolled the torso part of the shirt to make the top part of the hat. Then I wrapped the long sleeves around the bottom edge to make the brim of the hat. The kids thought it was hilarious!
The Grinch Capture
Our Elf on the Shelf doesn’t put up with intruders! He made sure to capture the Grinch and tie him up so he couldn’t continue stealing the lights off of our tree.
The Big Bad Wolf Capture
Our Elf has a habit of catching bad guys! On this night he caught the Big Bad Wolf sneaking around in search of little pigs to eat. The elf caught him and trapped him in the coffee pot jail.
Toy Takeover
If the kids leave a toy out, then our elf likes to take it over and play it for themselves! In this picture, he son left his little foosball game out. So our elf and Artic fox found it and played with it for the day.
Snowball Fight
Our Elf on the Shelf had a snowball fight with the Artic fox using miniature marshmallows. They also left out some fake snowballs for the kids to have their own snowball fight when they woke up. My kids thought this was hilarious and loved having their own snowball fight. These fake snowballs are pretty awesome and have been a huge hit in our house. I’ve linked these fake snowballs below.
Building a House
My girls left out some magnetic tiles they had been playing with earlier in the day. So our elf used them to make their own house! If you haven’t tried magnetic tiles before, they are pretty awesome and a really great STEM toy. They also make a perfectly sized Elf house!
Candy Cane Scavenger Hunt
This candy cane scavenger hunt was a hit with my kids! The elf hid 18 candy canes in the Christmas tree and through out the living room. The kids had to work together to find all 18 candy canes. If they were able to complete the mission, then they could each have a candy cane. This was a hit and super simple to set up!
Hot Air Balloon Ride
Our elf and Artic fox enjoyed a hot air balloon ride and the kids thought it was hilarious. To make the hot air balloon, we use a punch balloon and taped 4 straws to the sides. Then we attached those to a little bucket. You could also use a solo cup but I needed something a little bit bigger to get both of our magical creature in. I also taped a festive napkin around the bucket to make it look more like a Christmas hot air balloon. Then the rubber band of the punch balloon could easily be slipped over a fan blade to float around. Check out our Instagram video below to see how it turned out.
Santa’s Museum of Poop
Anything with poop, pee, or farts is always a hit with my kids. So a museum of poop would definitely hit the mark. For this one, just fill a cupcake tin with different types of sprinkles or candy that you have on hand. Then label each type with a different type of magical creatures poop. Check out the picture below for some ideas!
Giant Coloring Wall
Our elf surprised the kids with a giant coloring wall. They taped a huge coloring page to the wall using painters tape and laid out some markers. This ended up staying on our wall for several weeks. We colored on it all throughout December until it was completely colored. So fun! Check out our Instagram video to see how it turned out.
Tree Monster
The elf and fox accidentally created a monster that’s trying to eat our elf. He eats elves and poops out presents. To save our elf, the kids had to draw their own elves to feed to the tree monster and trick him. The next morning, there was a present pooped out under the tree for the kids to open together. Check out our Instagram video below to see how our tree monster turned out!
We hope you enjoyed some of these ideas and hopefully these have inspired some ideas for you. We’ll be updating this post as we get more ideas so check back to see more. Meanwhile below are some more ideas for Christmas activities
