These easy Elf on the Shelf ideas are perfect for tired parents who don’t have the time or energy to spend hours every night moving the Elf around. These simple ideas are creative, fun, will delight your kids every morning, and are easy to pull together when you are tired before bed.
SIMPLE Elf on the Shelf Ideas for Busy Moms & Dads
Life is crazy, the holidays are hectic. It’s 10:30 PM and you just realized you haven’t moved that darned elf yet. Here are some fast easy elf ideas that any parent can use.
These are all original ideas that we used in our home with elf, Twinkie.
1. Elf Rides the Ceiling Fan.
Grab a chair or step ladder to stand on, and have your elf go for a ride on the ceiling fan. The elf arms have bendable wire that makes this work, so nothing special is required. (If your house is anything like mine, grab a dust rag for the ceiling fan, too, because it probably has a nice layer of dust to remove first.)
2. Elf Hides with Stuffed Animals
I like this idea because it takes about 2 seconds and requires no props. My kids walked by the elf hiding here about 20 times, too, before they finally found him, giving me 5 extra minutes of peace to enjoy my morning coffee.
3. Elf with a Candle
Put your elf with a candle. You can make this religious by placing it near a manger or advent area, or anywhere you want to set a holiday mood.
4. Elf Throws Snowballs
This one takes a bit of effort, but the only prop you need is paper. My kids love when the elf is naughty, so ideas like this are some of their favorites. (I think they like seeing someone else get in trouble instead of them for a change.)
5. Elf Goes to School
This idea takes a few simple supplies you have around the house. (We got the supplies from our kids’ desks and a Barbie set.) Set up your elf with a chair and desk, and have him get to work. This is a good one for kids who complain about going to school in December. You can tell them even Santa’s helpers have to go, so it’s okay that they do, too.
6. Elf Gets Into Marshmallows
Our elf is known for getting into all kinds of junk food. In fact, junk food can keep your elf busy for most of the month.
Remember there is also the list of 4 main food groups from Buddy the Elf:
- candy
- candy corn
- candy canes
- syrup
That already gives you 4 additional days of ideas, plus the fact that he ate these foods over spaghetti.
7. Elf Writes Messages on Bathroom Mirror.
This idea is one of my favorites because it’s easy and fun. Your elf can write messages to your kids on the bathroom mirror with a dry erase marker. (Don’t use a permanent marker, though!)
Our elf, Twinkie, declared his love for Santa, and the fact that he was in continual war with our cats, who were known to drag him off if we weren’t careful.
8. Elf with Toilet Paper Snowman
You can make this simple snowman with a Sharpie or Crayola marker, tape, red paper or cloth, and orange paper. That’s all you need for this cute idea. We added a little bubble quote from our elf that says, “Do you want to build a snowman?” (from the movie Frozen.)
9. Elf Rides an Airplane
Use your kid’s toys for inspiration. The Elf can go for a ride in a Barbie car, a Tonka truck, or any other vehicles that your kids have in their toy box.
10. Elf in Cereal
Our elf dove head-first into this box of cereal. (I can’t recall if the cereal had any actual elves in it, which would make our elf a cannibal…) Maybe just stick to Cheerios.
TIPS FOR KEEPING ELF ON THE SHELF EASY
If you aren’t careful, you might regret ever bringing an elf into your home. I get it. It became an overwhelming task to come up with ideas every night.
When we started our elf tradition over 10 years ago, there weren’t nearly as many cool ideas available, and I had to put my thinking cap on. My cap was broken some nights, and it became a chore.
Now, there are lots of ideas, plus I found some ways to make the whole process simpler.
Here are some tips for keeping Elf on the Shelf easy.
- Plan your elf’s activities in November before the massively busy month of December even starts.
- Buy any props or items you will need for your Elf’s antics in advance, so it doesn’t sneak up on you.
- Set a reminder in your phone each evening before bedtime so you don’t forget to move the elf.
- Don’t go crazy creating lavish scenes for the elf only to fizzle out later in the month. Keep things simple from the start.
- Print off ideas you find online and put them into your Christmas binder so you have it as a handy reference.
- Save the photos to your smartphone and start a photo file with elf ideas. You can come back to these year after year, so it’s worth the effort.
DON’T COMPARE YOURSELF TO OTHER FAMILIES
The biggest problem I have seen with Elf on the Shelf is that people try to outdo each other on social media. This causes stress for parents who feel pressured to have their elf be as active as their child’s friends.
Come on parents, don’t fall for this adult peer pressure to keep up with the Joneses. Your elf can be the minimalist.
Use our list of ideas to help.
CHEAP ELF ON THE SHELF PROPS
If you like to keep things simple with your Elf, one way is to use props. Get a box or small tote to keep your props in and you can reuse them year after year if you pack them away with the Christmas decorations.
Many of these props can be purchased at Dollar Tree and won’t set your wallet back much.
- Bungee cords are a prop that can be used in different ways and in different scenes.
- Dice are a fun prop.
- Artificial flowers could be used in many different ways.
- Candy canes can be fashioned into sleighs, used as fishing poles and much more.
- Cheap toys from Dollar Tree can be used in lots of fun scenarios.
- A small marker board is an easy way to leave messages from your Elf.
- Balloons can make any Elf scene more fun.
- Bubble wrap is loved by kids and elves alike.
These fun, creative and easy Elf on the Shelf ideas will help tired parents everywhere. What are some of your favorite elf ideas? Share them below so we can learn from each other.
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