57 Easy Elf On The Shelf Ideas (Most Take Under 5 Minutes)

Elf On The Shelf Ideas That Take Under A Minute

These are the ones for when you’re already in bed and you remember. No props, nothing to make, just move him and go.

Gingerbread House

A stack of bread slices and a ginger spice jar and you’ve got your own take on gingerbread!

All Rolled Up

If you need a really easy option that takes almost no planning or prep, this toilet roll scenario is perfect. This takes less than a minute and will have the kids giggling.

Bananas With Faces

This one is ready in under a minute. Draw faces on the bananas in the fruit bowl and sit your elf next to them with the pen. One of my favourite lazy, easy Elf on the shelf ideas.

Six Seven!

This 6 7 trend with kids these days is so weird but it’s one that has stuck around longer than I thought it would so if you want older kid ideas, mine thought this was funny and it was so quick!

Hanging With The Angel

Just hanging about and making friends with the other festive character in the house. A quick and easy last-minute Elf on the Shelf idea.

Toilet Paper Tree

When the little prankster decides to let loose with a roll of toilet paper, no tree is safe.

Say Cheese

Line up some of your children’s favourite toys for a bit of Elf photography. Or instead of a photography session, perhaps it’s a wild west hold up with the toys you’ve got.

Sleigh Ride

Dashing through the snow with a bunch of toy friends. Or make use of your festive decorations with simple scenarios like this one. These reindeer have featured in many an Elf encounter over the years.

Toy Story

You could have a scene like this with any toys your child already has. Sit the elf in among them like he’s been playing all night. Super cute.

Dog Treats “Don’t Give Santa These Cookies”

If you have a pet dog or cat, have your Elves get into the pet dry food with a sign saying “Yuck! Don’t give these cookies to Santa” as a funny reminder that Santa will be arriving soon.

Doing The Floss Tooth Fairy Visit

If your child loses a tooth during December, you can combine the fun with the tooth fairy and Elf on the Shelf. This is a simple idea with floss.

Easy Elf On The Shelf Ideas (About 5 Minutes)

Still quick, but these need one or two things you’ll have to go and find first.

Milk Gone Bad

If you’ve got milk on its way out, or even an empty milk carton, top it up with water, add a little green food colouring and a scary face. An easy and fun one.

Egg Magic Trick

This is a 2 day idea that kids love, and honestly as a parent, I love it too because it has 2 nights sorted! Add sprinkles or glitter over raw eggs, and the next day they magically become Kinder Surprises or another fun treat.

Spider-Man Elf On The Shelf

If you have Spider-Man loving kids or maybe you’re a bit of a superhero geek yourself (like me), then this is a super fun one and it doesn’t take very long.

Dominos Pizza

This Domino’s pizza one was quick if you remember to keep a pizza box from your takeaway night.

Kissing Booth

Save a box, such as a tissue box, to make your own Elf on the Shelf kissing booth.

Taco Tuesday

This one was a bit of fun. We love tacos in our house so there are always wraps on hand for a quick Elf idea. A perfect option for a Tuesday.

Elf Peeking At Gifts

Gift wrap an empty and have your elf’s butt sticking out.

Name In Flour

A messy but fun idea is to write your Elf’s name in flour on the bench. Make sure you time it on a day you don’t need the kitchen much.

Nutella Jar

Getting into the Nutella or other baking supplies works well too.

Candy Cane Thief

Sometimes you need to give the little people a friendly Elf reminder to be nice instead of naughty. Sit him in t

Bath Time

Bath time is important, even if you are an Elf. Use cotton balls to give the look of a bubble bath. Our Barbie bath was the perfect size.

Bauble Bath

Similar to the cotton ball bubble bath, a bauble bath is a fun festive twist.

Bumholes

This is another good Elf idea for older kids. A little cheeky. I used Cheerios cereal but Fruit Loops would work well too.

Sack Races

This super cute idea is great if you have more than one Elf, or if you want to get some other toys involved.

Nutcracker

A regal outfit for your Elf while he hangs out with some of the other decorations. This idea adds an extra challenge for your kids when they try to find the Elf, well camouflaged with the decorations around the house.

Stolen Underwear

This one was my kid’s favourite Elf day in 2018. Stole a pair of everyone’s undies and hung them on the tree. They could not stop giggling every time they walked past it, especially my eldest daughter when she realised the Elf was wearing hers.

Elf Rainbow Experiment

Set up a rainbow experiment for your kids with Skittles and warm water. You can sneak a bit of learning into their daily Elf scenario with this one.

Decorate The Toilet

Expand on the toilet humour with a Christmas-decorated toilet area. You can get festive toilet decorating sets if you want to go all out.

Find The Treat

Hide a treat under the cups for your child to wake up and find. This is a great one for the weekend if you are willing to allow a pre-breakfast treat and hopefully get to sleep in a little longer.

It totally did not work for us. They still asked if they could have their treat first.

Star Wars Elf on the Shelf Idea

For Star Wars loving kids, give your Elf a galactic theme. I drew a really terrible Yoda face and a lightsaber on paper for ours. Use what you already have at home otherwise.

Sponge Cake Prank

For elf birthday visits, a sponge cake is a funny and easy idea. Add some sprinkles to an actual sponge for the worst cake ever.

Elf Eras Tour

If you’ve got a Swiftie in the family, add some Taylor Swift Elf on the Shelf fun to your month. Bonus, it’s Taylor Swift’s birthday on 13 December.

Graduation Day

When my eldest daughter graduated from primary school, her school photos got a graduation makeover with little graduate caps, and our elf had his own stylish graduation cap too, made from black cardstock.

Elf On The Shelf Mickey Ears

Make your own Disney ears for your elf with this easy tutorial. Super cute, and perfect if you’re planning a big Disney vacation reveal too. Find loads more Disney themed elf ideas here.

I Made You Brownies (Brown-E’s)

Cut some brown E shapes out of cardboard, put them on a plate, and leave a note saying “I made you brownies!” The disappointment is the whole joke.

Give To Get

This is my personal favourite. We always encourage our children to give away some of their existing toys and clothes before every Christmas or birthday. During December we put out a washing basket for each of them and a note for them to fill the baskets. They are only young, so even a few items added to the basket is a win for me.

This is also a great way to encourage them to be more giving during the Christmas season, by starting a new family tradition of donating items they no longer need each year.

LEGO Attack

This is a Gulliver’s Travels-inspired idea but most kids won’t know that story. Still a super cute idea even without the reference.

Ziplining Elf

Tie a ribbon or string across two points in your house. Make sure it’s sturdy enough, then attach your Elf via a candy cane for ziplining.

Epic Elf On The Shelf Ideas That Need More Time

These take a bit more effort, or need something printed first. Good ones to plan for a weekend, or for the days that matter like arrival and goodbye.

Floating Noodles Magic Trick

If you want to really impress, this floating noodle elf trick is a lot of fun and easier than it looks.

All you need is a firm base, like a potato or an apple cut in half. Sit that in the bottom of a bowl and stick a wooden skewer into it. Slide a fork onto the skewer near the top so the prongs grip it, then drape your cooked noodles or spaghetti over the fork so they hang down and cover the potato underneath.

Elf Portrait

Create an Elfie (elf selfie) with this fun self-portrait idea using a small canvas. Or if you want to keep it really easy, use pens and a piece of paper for your elf portrait scenario.

LEGO Elf

You can also build a LEGO Elf on the Shelf version for this idea.

Welcome Back Elf Arrival Letter

A letter from your Elf on 1 December is a fun way to get the kids excited right from the start, and a good way to remind them that Santa knows if they are naughty or nice.

You can also grab my free printable elf return letter and find more return ideas over here.

Balloon Bubble Bath

This one was inspired by my daughter’s birthday, with balloons adding a bit of celebration to the cheeky elf and his bubble bath. Perfect if you’re looking for Elf on the Shelf bathroom ideas.

Balloon Shower

If you don’t have a bathtub at home, you can do something similar with the shower, as my friend Sam did with her 3 Elf visitors.

Elf Scavenger Hunt

Grab my free printable Elf scavenger hunt clues and set up a fun treasure hunt for the kids around the house. This is a good one for Christmas Eve to lead to the Christmas Eve box, or as an arrival idea.

If you are looking for an Elf arrival scavenger hunt for older kids, I’ve got the perfect option for you in my printables store! Kids need to solve the clues and work out the secret code to find the final hiding place.

Balloon Time

This Elf in a balloon will amaze the little ones as they try to work out how the Elf got inside.

Take care not to pop the balloon in the process though, because you don’t want kids waking with a fright late at night and coming to investigate.

Balloon Ride

This Elf balloon ride may require a couple of extra props you may not already have lying around. Jess did a brilliant job with hers.

Here is a simple Elf swing tutorial if you want to try this.

Bead Self Portrait

Warning: this one takes a long time to set up, but it’s very fun.

A Goodbye Hug

It’s sad for kids when the day comes to say goodbye to their Elf. A beautiful Elf goodbye idea is to allow your kids a special hug goodbye.

You can have a letter from their elf telling them that on this day it is okay to have a hug, because Santa will be collecting your Elf in his sleigh as he makes his way to all the children’s homes on Christmas Eve.

For a printable letter template, check out my mega Elf planning bundle.

Kids are taught that touching their elf will take away the magic and the elf won’t be able to fly home each night to report to Santa. Most kids understand this, but some younger children especially may struggle with it. If that’s the case in your home, either create Elf scenes that are out of reach, or get a pair of Elf Gloves so they have permission to touch the elves without destroying the magic.

December 1st Or Christmas Eve Box

Your Elf may also leave a Christmas Eve box with a few special surprises for the whole family to enjoy on the night before Christmas, as part of his or her departure gift.

Save a box, such as a tissue box, to make your own Elf on the Shelf kissing booth.

The Elf Ideas That Need A Printable

A few of these are easier with something printed and ready to go. My Elf Planner & Tool Kit has the arrival letter, the goodbye letter and the props, so you’re not hunting for a template at 11 pm.

You can also find a load more printable Elf props here.

And if your elf turns up with a game in hand, the Christmas Left Right Game is called The Forgetful Elf, which feels about right for this post and a fun way to play with a group.

Staying Organised With Elf On The Shelf

I’m no super mum when it comes to coming up with totally awesome Elf ideas each night. I have a few favourites that I reserve for those busy days when I eagerly await the kids going to sleep so I can move him and head to bed myself.

That’s a big reason why I made my own Elf on the Shelf planner. Otherwise that first year had a lot of late-night Pinterest searching, looking for some quick inspiration.

You can download this bundle for FREE including my Elf on the Shelf planner, idea list and return letter:

My top tips for staying organised:

• Plan your Elf scenarios in advance
• Have your props ready, like these free printable ones
• Keep it simple
• Set a nightly reminder on your phone
• Try a month long theme like Disney or Harry Potter
• And be prepared in case you forget

If you want to take the stress out of this fun but time-consuming holiday tradition, my Elf tool kit is sure to be your new best friend every December!

In this kit, you will find arrival and goodbye letters, a letter to introduce your new elf, blank letterhead, behaviour report cards, printable elf ideas, excuses why the elf did not move, printable lunch box notes, Christmas jokes and much more.

I have some seriously creative friends who have allowed me to share a few of their best Elf on the Shelf ideas. You can find more ideas from my friend Sam on her Elf on the Shelf Instagram profile. The rest are ones we have done ourselves at home with our scout elf Bo.

And if you happen to be a household with 2 elves on the shelf or more, be sure to check out these funny Elf on the Shelf ideas for 2 elves.

Check out more Christmas inspiration:

• Family Christmas traditions to start
• How to have a simplified Christmas
• Non-toy gifts for kids
• Reasons why the Elf on the Shelf did not move
• Recipes for using up leftover candy canes
• How to make a homemade Advent Calendar
• DIY advent calendar fillers
• 75 Elf on the Shelf name ideas