60 Easy Ideas for Your Elf on the Shelf

I know every adult cringes when they hear the words “Elf on the Shelf.” I have a love/hate relationship with our two. Yes…we have two. Pal and Snowflake are a lot of work, but every year I tell myself my boys are only going to be little for so long, so I make the magic happen again. They absolutely love racing to find our elves every morning.

I’m a planner at heart, so every year I find an editable calendar online sometime in October, and I sit down and plan out every day for our elves. Ours arrive on Black Friday, so I want to make sure I’m not scrambling for ideas two weeks in. This has helped me immensely. It takes all the guesswork and late night panicking out of the equation. I also keep their activities REALLY simple. You’ll never find me making snow angels in flour…momma doesn’t have time for that mess.

If you’re anything like me and prefer simplicity, take a look at the 60 ideas I’ve used in my Elf on the Shelf tenure. Lots of these ideas get reused each year!

1. A welcome back scavenger hunt to find elf

2. Hiding in an Amazon box on the front porch

3. Bundled up in a “blanket” in the fridge

4. Trapped under a glass in the cabinet

5. Leaving silly notes in the lunchboxes

6. Selfies with sleeping kids

7. Crockpot/sink bathtub

8. Snowball fight with wadded up paper

9. Emailing Santa

10. Writing on the bathroom mirror

11. Drawing on family portraits

12. Under the coffee maker

13. Silly message on letter board/chalkboard/whiteboard

14. Christmas ornament hide and seek

15. Army man attack

16. Vehicle parade through the hallway

17. Tied up in dental floss with a note from the tooth fairy

18. Drawing on the chalkboard

19. Making copies in the printer

20. Working on toy car with tools

21. Reading all the Christmas books under the tree

22. Stuck in blender asking for help

23. Delivering little gifts from the Dollar Tree

24. Returning letters from Santa

25. Stuck in the China cabinet

26. Making a snowman from toilet paper rolls

27. Repelling down the stairs

28. Hanging out on the rear view mirror of the car

29. Putting out ingredients for a Christmas dessert

30. Toilet paper the Christmas tree

31. Stuck to the fridge with magnets

32. Cover a doorway with streamers

33. Making a mess with wrapping paper and tape

34. Reading the nativity story

35. Building Legos

36. Playing in a fire station/castle toy

37. Hanging out in the Christmas tree/mantle decorations

38. Swinging from the ceiling fan

39. Hiding in the stockings

40. Sick day with bandaids and thermometer

41. Watching a Christmas movie on a laptop/iPad

42. Making “Elf Yourself” videos of the children

43. Putting food coloring in the toilet

44. Playing board games

45. Rolling down the stairs in toilet paper

46. Hiding in the pantry

47. Hanging underwear on stocking hangers/Christmas tree

48. Giving Alexa commands

49. Playing cards with superheroes/Barbies/stuffed animals

50. Coloring a Christmas picture

51. Hanging out in the nativity scene

52. Goodbye letters on the last day and living magic (letting the kids carry him/her around)

53. Checking Santa’s naughty and nice list

54. Hiding in the dog’s crate

55. Stuck in the blinds

56. Putting a puzzle together

57. Baking cookies

58. Tucked in a mason jar so the kids can carry him/her around

59. Playing doctor with stuffed animals

60. Hanging up Christmas cards

I definitely don’t think an Elf on the Shelf is a vital part to a magical Christmas, but if you want to dip your feet into elf madness, I hope this list helps you ease your way in!