The affiliate links in this post – Quick & Easy Elf on the Shelf Ideas are noted with * this means should you go onto buy these items I will get a small amount of commission.
Quick & Easy Elf on the Shelf Ideas. We are BIG fans of Elf on the Shelf in our house, this will be the third year we have taken part and our little ‘Elfie’ has joined us to watch over Monkey and to help him stay on the nice list. You can read all about our antics in our first year in our Elf on the Shelf Ideas for a 2-year-old. The idea behind Elf on the Shelf is simple, each night your elf will report back to Father Christmas on how good your child’s behaviour has been. His magic allows him to travel to the North Pole. However, your child must never touch him or his powers will disappear. [If this does happen then some magic dust aka glitter can restore your elf’s magical powers if necessary]…
However after speaking to a number of mums, I know a lot of people who would like to get involved but don’t. Worrying that they do not have the time to think up a new activity each night.
Quick & Easy Elf on the Shelf Ideas – Free Printable
So this year I have designed a free printable giving you an idea for each day from the 1st of Dec to the 25th of Dec. All of which are really simple and take no more than 5 minutes. So you can print this out and have everything you need, no more getting into bed and turning to the other half and going ‘oh no the elf’. Which we have done on more than one occasion.
If this is your first year with Elf on the Shelf then a story book comes with your Elf explaining how it all works to your little ones. Of course if your elf has visited before then the first appearance will be with a welcome message. Last year we used chocolate coins to say ‘Hi’. Monkey made reference to it the other day ‘wondering’ if Elfie would bring chocolate coins with her again this year! Funny what they remember so that will definitely be our starting point.
Elf on the Shelf Timetable
- ‘Hi’ with chocolate coins
- Message in snow from the North Pole (flour)
- Hanging from the living room lights
- Selfie with Elfie while the child is sleeping
- Taking Paw Patrol for a walk (with pipe cleaners)
- Having a snowball fight with cotton wool balls
- Noughts and crosses with marshmallows
- Walking on the ceiling
- Making snow angels in sprinkles
- Tree decoration hunt
- Surprise – reindeer chocolate milk
- Covering the tree in toilet paper
- Elves diy photo booth
- Leaves out paper and scissors to make snowflakes
- Drinking an orange ‘fresh orange juice’
- Last Day of school message
- Rewarding with a Christmas Colouring Book
- Filling the front room with balloons
- Sealing up the bedroom door with streamers
- Plant some magic beans
- 4 more sleeps to Christmas written on loo roll
- Magic beans turn into candy canes
- All wrapped up in Christmas Paper with ‘help’ tag
- Presents Christmas Eve Box
- Goodbye message/note
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If you need a bit of extra help…
It is possible to buy an Elf on the Shelf kit – Elves at Play*. Which has a 60-page idea book and 15 tools to help you prep each night. Such as suction pads so your elf can hang upside down, a hanging chair and grappling hook. All of which to aid the antics your elf gets up to and will be making my life easier this year. There is also a mobile app which can be downloaded for the Apple App Store and loads of ideas on the Elf on the Shelf website.
What are your favourite Elf on the Shelf Ideas? I would love to hear about them in the comments below
https://mudpiefridays.com/2015/11/17/elf-on-the-shelf-ideas-for-a-2-year-old/
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100 Responses
make a wish
Leave snow footprints from the Christmas tree all the way up the stairs to the kids rooms xx
I’d give him a pencil and notepad so he could leave notes for my children! Hopefully in return he will leave me some warm socks!
this would be awesome as my daughter is just the right age!!
I hadn’t heard of the Elf on a Shelf until last week and now I am quite simply in awe of the parents who are able to keep this up for a month – it must be exhausting! I can see how you must get so much back though. This planner will be an absolute life saver to many, I’m sure. Keep up the fun! Alison x #BloggerClubUK
I’d get him to sit out and watch for Santa! and alert us when he’s here 😉
Such lovely ideas, I love the selfie sleeping and snow idea. #BloggerClubUK
eat some christmas chocolate
I would give the Elf to my Grandchildren
I would sit him looking at my Hubby at every opportunity … it would drive Hubby nuts but make me laugh! ~~
I’d get him to drink my hubby’s beer!
‘Hi’ with chocolate coins
We love our elf. Great ideas all in one place, thanks! #BloggerClubUK
I really like the planting the tictacs or something and it growing into a lolly 😀
Thanks for the chance
<3 <3 <3 <3
This is fab! It’s our first year doing elf on the shelf and these ideas are really useful, thank you. #BloggerClubUK
My elf would be uder the Christmas tree trying to unwrap all the presents but with no luck
My friends elf wrapped up the downstairs loo last year and they couldn’t use it all day! I can’t wait to start doing the elf on the shelf next year. #BloggerClubUK
I love Elf on the Shelf! We are definitely starting this tradition with our girls!
#BloggerClubUK
This really are great christmas ideas on a planner!:)
#BloggerClubUK
sit on the mantle and keep and eye on the little ones!!
These are some really good ideas that I know I could do. We tried Elf on the Shelf last year but it petrified my eldest so I stopped doing it. I love the idea of it so may quickly bring up the subject again with her but I’m not holding out hope.
#BloggerClubUK
it would be great if he could do the cooking but otherwise it would be fun hiding him round the house foe my son
Oh this is such a recent thing to the UK – my three would have aired it when they were small! Great post to share with others! #BloggerClubUK
Make christmas trees with toothbrushes! Hehehe!
Putting toilet roll all over the house going have and elf swing from it
help me decorate the tree, then sit in it and spy on my grandaughter to see if shes behaving!
We are doing elf on the shelf for the first time. I’ve not had time to sit down and make a full plan yet so this list is really useful. Thank you. #bloggerclubuk
this is great, I would put him in the kitchen with a half eaten mince pie and crumbs next to him
The snow message in the kitchen is just amazing and the elf looks so cool #BloggerClubUK
I have heard of elf on the shelf but didn’t actually know what it was. It sounds such a giggle and lovely to see the kids reaction in the lead up to Christmas! #bloggersckubUK
We haven’t done Elf on the shelf yet as my kids have problems with boundaries and they would definately take the antics too far but maybe when they are a little older and have a better understanding we will give it a go as it does sound like a lot of fun. Some great ideas here though.
Thanks for sharing your ideas and for hosting #blogger-club-uk 🙂
I would open up my own advent can and make it look like the elf had eaten them lol
Leave footprints and a letter!
This is our sixth year doing elf on the shelf and I am running out of ideas! It get’s really hard to think up new ideas each day but thankfully my children are easy to please, they find our elf antics hilarious! #BloggerClubUK
I would roll the loo roll from the toilet around the house and blame the elf lol
would be great to keep the magic alive as youngest is at the questioning stage
This is such a cute idea, my daughter would love it. I wish i had thought to do it before! #bloggerclubuk
Tinker panks Floppy feet arrived last night 😉
Great ideas, I have stolen a few 🙂
Lx
#bloggersckubUK
Leave footprints and a letter
These are great ideas. I have never done Elf on the Shelf as I’ve always made the excuse that my children are too young but maybe I should give it a go! #BloggerClubUK
Switch on the lights on my tree!
I would sit it near the fire with a marshmallow on a stick – all ready to toast it!
He`d sit there and guard the fairy that sits on the top of the Xmas tree
I love all your ideas especially that one with message on the snow is lovely! My boy is 7 months but def I want something like that for him when he will be a little bit older
#BloggerClubUK
Move things around
What a great idea. I don’t remember this being around when my teens were little but wish it had been. Looks like a lot of interactive family fun, just how it should be. #BloggerClubUK
goggly eyes on everything in the fridge
Sit on my son’s fish tank with a tiny fishing rod we have in the bathroom!
Bertie Elf arrived back at our house on Thursday! He’s currently hanging from the Fireman Sam helicopter in our living room window. He’s the adventurous kind so it seems! These are some lovely ideas. Handy to have when it’s midnight and Elf hasn’t moved! Panic!! 🙂 #bloggerclubuk
You come up with the best ideas! I love seeing what your elf comes up with next. It’s fab how you have them placed on a calendar! Our elf just returned yesterday! So it’s always good to get ideas. #BloggerClubUK x
Fab ideas Claire and making a printable is a lovely idea – It will make life easier for so many parents!
Debbie
i would get my elf to help me do the housework, then he cna have a rest in one of the kids rooms 🙂
We would have so much fun with this, and have seen so many ideas. I think we would have our elf turn our lounge in to a snow filled haven
love these fantastic ideas!! I need to try the selfie with elf 🙂 #bloggerclubuk
So cool, but the games us for us, we’ve ‘fessed up. I have totally missed out on the Elf on the Shelf tradition! Boo hoo! #bloggerclubUK
There are some brilliant ideas on this list. I love the magic beans growing into candy canes :o) Thank you for sharing!
#TriedTested
I would get the elf to write the children a letter
Tidy up my sons toys so he will copy and do the same! Love the magic beans idea!
He would wrap up the furniture in Christmas wrapping paper.
My sister has one of these for my two nephews and i love hearing their stories about “Elfie”
Please send one of Santa’s little scouts to our house Mudpiefridays! My daughter would love it and i’ve got some great ideas. Thanks for the chance to win x
My sister has one of these for my two nephews and i love hearing their stories about “Elfie”
Please send one of Santa’s little scouts to our house Mudpiefridays! My daughter would love it and i’ve got some great ideas. Thanks for the chance to win
Wow , what a great list, fingers crossed for this my daughter would love it
Keep an eye on my grandson so he doesn’t pinch my chocs and tidy his toys away
Make snow angels in the kitchen
He could sit on the sofa with me and watch tv while my husband is out.
My nephew would love it!
Plant and “grow” some magic beans, I think.
Ii would get the elf to decorate the tree and move bits around daily so the kids no he’s still there watching lol x
My son would enjoy putting elf in various hiding places
do the Tree decoration hunt on christmas day
Fill the front room full of ballons
I would put a pair of mittens on him and let him sit next to my sweet and chocolate stash to make sure no one takes any.The mittens would make it harder for him to take any . 🙂
I would get him to watch over Santa’s mince pie!
Keep an eye out for Santa
Great ideas. Wish we had this when my kids were younger
Do something naughty to my daughters daddy x
I love the idea of the elf sledding down the banister on a sledge made out of candy canes
Leaving more Christmas presents under the Christmas.
If I won the elf I would get him to pop up in all different places as he watches everyone’s behaviour – which I’m sure will be perfect. ????
I would get him to make our Christmas wishes come true
He’d leave a mini Christmas tree decoration in our daughter’s wooden advent calendar
I would put him by the fireplace waiting for santa
he’d bake some biscuits
The lottery numbers would be magic
We would leave little Elf footprints from where the elf sat the previous day, out through the patio doors, and another set coming back in to where he was repositioned, to make it look as though he left the house at night to go to visit Santa at the North Pole.
get one of my sons toys n make a crash like elf has done it
Wrap the tree in toilet paper… Definitely think my boys would find that funny.
the elf would eat up everyones advent calendar chocolates all in one go!
I’d get the elf to wrap the Christmas tree in toilet paper. My children would find this so funny!
I would get the elf to hide behind the dog’s bed. It would be such fun trying to find him!
help me with my daughter birthday party!
I’d love this!
Leave a trail of chocolates from the cupboard 🙂
Wrap all of the presents and cook the Christmas dinner for me 🙂
He would eat all the chocolate
Out of the advent calendar!
I’d give. It to my niece x
He would run wild with the toothpaste tube in the bathroom and squirt it all over the sink!
I would make him make snow Angels with the flour in the kitchen!
eat some chocolate x