33 Creative Elf on the Shelf Ideas (Including Ones You Don’t Ever Have to Move!)
These easy Elf on the Shelf ideas will give you the motivation you need to move your elf!
These easy Elf on the Shelf ideas take just minutes and require minimal supplies. Get ready to make this holiday tradition more fun than ever!
Here are tons of creative yet EASY Elf on the Shelf ideas anyone can pull off on a budget!
Shout out to the talented Hip2Save team members & readers who shared their awesome ideas over the years!
1. Play tic, tac, bow.
Photo credit: Elf on the Shelf
Take on a new spin of Tic Tac Toe by having your elves play with bows. If you don’t have any holiday tape lying around, use another easy-to-peel tape such as painter’s tape!
Our Hip sidekick, Sara, also incorporated some of her daughter’s hair accessories to make it even more fun!
2. Elf makes one big happy family.
Grab some red and white paper and a family photo and get to cutting! This one could include the dog too. 🥰
3. Elf is scanning some selfies to Santa with the fax machine.
The options are endless and the kids are sure to get a kick out of seeing all of the photos they’ll take too.
4. Elf makes their favorite dinner.
If you’ve seen the Will Ferrell movie, Elf, it’s no secret what elves love eating for every meal. This idea would be perfect on a night you made too much pasta and even to get rid of some leftover Halloween candy you may still have lying around.
Hip Tip: Speaking of movies, check out our best Christmas movies lineup and use our free printable to watch them all!
5. Wrapping Paper Mischief to prank the rest of your household.
Consider wrapping the toilet or any item in your home like the kitchen cabinets, or your front door.
6. Do you Wanna Build a Snowman?
Elf gets FROZEN with characters from the Disney movie. This will be a cinch if you have a Frozen movie lover at home.
7. Even your Elf needs a nap.
A box of facial tissues makes a perfect bed for nap time! He’s even folded one for a soft pillow to snooze on.
8. Dress up your Elf on the Shelf in affordable costumes.
Historically, Target offered costumes for your Elf in the Bullseye section. Previously they’ve been just $1 but they do sell out fast!
9. Buy this cute apron, complete with a gift card at Starbucks for the ultimate morning surprise.
New for 2024, this adorable Starbucks apron is the ultimate holiday kickoff! Load $20 or more to snag the apron, and let your kids share the fun (and treats!) as an unforgettable Elf arrival idea.
10. Elf gets artsy.
You can find some cheap mini art easels on Amazon to recreate this adorable scene. While this idea will take slightly more effort, it’s sure to be a memorable one.
Hip Tip: Did you know they make adorable outfits for Elf on the Shelf on Amazon too? So cute!
11. Dogs rule, Elves drool!
This playful scenario will work great if you have a chalkboard, whiteboard, or mirror, and of course, a dog willing to participate too. 😉
12. Elf Refueling Station for all the coffee addicts.
Elves need plenty of energy to fly back and forth to the North Pole so they can get a caffeine fix straight from the coffee machine!
13. Elf steals your snacks!
Photo credit: Me & B Make Tea
Not even your holiday goodies are safe around your elves!
14. Elf marathon runners.
Use ornaments you already have and tie some ribbon as necklaces and sweatbands and you have yourself some champions!
15. Elf takes some selfies with their BFF.
Even elves love to snap a selfie and post it for the entire North Pole to see. Just remember to change your phone settings so the screen will remain on for the entire duration.
16. Elf is involved in some shower shenanigans.
Our elf is hanging from an umbrella that’s balancing on the shower curtain. What a conundrum!
17. Do you wanna build a snowman… out of toilet paper?
Such a cute and easy idea if you’re rolling in toilet paper these days.
18. Elf takes a bath.
Miniature marshmallows make a perfect “bubble” bath, paired with a tissue paper hair towel! You can find similar clear containers with the new The Home Edit line at Walmart.
19. Elf has a hot cocoa party.
These CUTE candy cane spoons and hot cocoa mix are an affordable and fun treat to check off your holiday bucket list!
20. Elf roasts mini marshmallows.
This scene is fun and easy to set up using a candle, BBQ skewer, and mini marshmallows!
Hip Tip: Shop the best candle deals if you’re in the market.
21. This glow-in-the-dark Elf will light up your home.
Glow-in-the-dark bracelets fit perfectly around Elf for a vibrant neon effect at nighttime.
22. Good Deed Elf is here to encourage you to do better!
Elf can help kids complete random acts of kindness with these FREE printable cards at Over the Big Moon. See, not all elves are naughty. 😏
Hip Tip: Check out more random acts of kindness ideas and grab a free printable list to create on your own with your family to complete throughout the year!
23. Your Elves are flying high on this hot air balloon ride.
Helium balloons and containers from Dollar Tree can make a fun and frugal hot air balloon ride for elves. Up, up, and away!
24. Elf hides in mom’s jewelry.
A closet jewelry collection can be a great disguise for Elf!
Hip Tip: Consider using a thread rack to organize your jewelry – mine has worked perfectly for years!
25. Even elves can have a sick day.
Even elves get sick sometimes! Luckily there are always plenty of cold and flu supplies around the house to help him! This lucky guy even has a magical reindeer friend and elf sidekick to help him get well!
As a bonus, this may be an excuse to keep your elf put for a few days. 😆
26. Yoga Elf is showcasing his skills.
You could easily recreate this fit elf scene by drawing and cutting mini-paper logos with a red pen and cutting some small pieces of scrap fabric from around the house.
27. A Christmas Story Elf to ensure some comedic relief.
If your family needs some laughs, consider building this cute leg lamp award scene from the A Christmas Story movie! You can use a leg lamp ornament to get in on this fun and it’s likely to become a favorite every year.
28. Give the Pooping Elf some privacy.
Elves poop chocolate kisses! Don’t forget he may need some reading material, too! 😂
29. The elves are having extra fun zip-lining.
Tie a string from the tree to another hard-to-reach place in your home and your elf has the perfect zipline! Amazon has plenty of felt snowflakes to add to the adventure.
30. Elf gets injured.
Does your Elf need to stay still? 😉 Use this genius cast idea to have him on strict NO FLY orders for a few days! You can even sign it by all of Santa’s reindeer. 😊
31. Have your Elf whip up some delicious baked goods.
Use an Easy Bake Oven or grab some fancy cupcakes from a local bakery to impress the kiddos.
32. Encourage a gingerbread house-building day.
Either build some mini gingerbread houses to surprise the kids or simply use some mini gingerbread house ornaments you may already have. This would be a fun way to gift the kids a new gingerbread house kit for a fun afternoon activity.
33. Make your elf’s last day something to remember.
Check out this easy goodbye send-off my Hip sidekick, Sara did:
“My daughter is really attached to our elf so Christmas is very bittersweet for her. Last year, she really wanted a photo with our elf, Julia, so I wrote a quick note on paper, put her next to it with our mini Polaroid and our kitchen gloves. The idea was to get a picture of both of them that she could cherish all year. We took one picture for her and one for Julia (aka Mommy 🥹). She still has the picture on her dresser from last year so to say it was a huge hit would be an understatement. Best of all, it required little effort on my end.”
Do you participate in Elf on the Shelf?
What are some of your favorite Elf on the Shelf ideas? Share with us in the comments so we can all collect more fun ideas!
Christmas deals are already happening!
This is our first year doing Elf on a Shelf! Thanks for some great ideas!!
Mine too, I have never done it before.
Oh have fun!
Best of luck lol. J/k. It’s so fun!
Not an idea, but just a tip that has helped me over the past few years…set an alarm on your phone to remind you to move your elf. Mine goes off at 9pm, because there have been times I have fallen asleep or forgotten to move our elf and have to think up something quickly as to why he didn’t move.
This is what I do too. Set it as a daily alarm so it goes off every night.
Yes, so smart!
Thank you for the ideas! I struggle with new things to do when I am half asleep in bed and suddenly remember I have to come up with something! Gonna have to set an alarm like you JES 😁
Sure! Yes, an alarm is a great idea!!
For stress free elf-ing this year, I download a free planning calendar. I planned what I wanted to do each night and hung it in the basement where my kids aren’t allowed to be. I took one day last week and shopped for any supplies I needed and printed/cut out any printables I wanted to use. Now al I have to do is check the calendar and grab my supplies. Much easier than scrambling at 10pm or 6am trying to do things quietly so my kids don’t hear!
Wow so organized and impressive! Thanks for sharing your tips!
I started this a few years ago! Less stress!
Oh how fun 🤩 thanks for sharing!
Love these ideas! We do a “kindness elf” in our classroom where the elf leaves a different kindness challenge each day. Sometimes when I’m out of the room with the kids, I have other teachers to move it and I’ll do the same. It’s so much fun watching their faces!
This is our 10th year, and should be the last, with our elf, Leon, since my youngest is 14. Leon has some favorites that he does every year. He takes our stockings off the hangers and replaces them with a pair of underwear. He TP’s the tree. Packs two lunches on two different days: one with a bunch of pantry staples (for fun) and then a real lunch that’s wrapped. Uses dry erase markers on the bathroom mirror to leave messages or draws a Christmas Tree when we don’t have it up yet. Brings a “donut” for each kid with a funny note (take a dollar bill and place two metal nuts on the ends so it looks like a barbell) one night and then next, brings real Christmas donuts. Writes a note on the eggs in the fridge. The worst idea was Leon used his Elf Magic to make the milk green, and then the kids wouldn’t drink it or eat the green scrambled eggs. haha
Ha oh my gosh the green eggs! Cute! Thanks for adding these fun ideas. 💕🙌 Leon sounds like a fun elf Marie!
These are amazing easy and cute ideas! Thanks!
Oh glad you like them! Thanks Eva!
I sell boxes where all the work is done for you, I’m local to Louisiana/ New Orleans area if anyone is interested.