Simple and quick Elf on the Shelf ideas that you can use. Perfect for that last minute panic!
After years of dodging the Elf nonsense I finally got suckered in when my son said he was so excited for an Elf to arrive this December. So I’ve joined the ranks of all you parents desperately trying to put together an idea at 10pm every night when all I want to do is crawl into bed!
I’m sharing all my ideas here in case it’s helpful to anyone else. These are all ideas using props from around my house. I was determined not to spend any money buying unnecessary bits and pieces, so hopefully you will find these ideas quick and cheap to do.
I’ve also included links to my Instagram videos if that’s useful!
Swinging From The Christmas Tree
Tie a ribbon between the Christmas Tree and another point in your house. Add a candy cane and use sellotape to hang the Elf from the candy cane.
I Pea’d Myself
Ok quick warning with this one, it wasn’t quick. It took me about 30 minutes to do. But if you have someone to help it will be much quicker.
I just used frozen peas to line up the letters. The dog ate them the next morning – no waste!
Train Hijack
If you have a train that goes around the bottom of your Christmas Tree, tie up Elf’s hands and feet with some string and stick some tape to his mouth then place him on the tracks in front of the train!
I Made Crisps!
Draw a face on a potato and stick it into a cheese grater. You might find it easier to do this by cutting a small slice off the back of the potato.
Then add some crisps underneath.
Funny Face Photograph
Use a sharpie to draw funny faces onto the glass frame of a family photo.
You might want to do a small test of this first to make sure it does come off. I wiped it with a little cleaning spray the following day and that did the job for me!
6-7!
I’m so tired of hearing this on repeat in my house but decided to use it to my advantage and do a 6-7 themed Elf idea!
I put the Elf into a stocking and sellotaped Uno cards to his hands.
Broken TV
This was an emergency Elf idea when I forgot to do it the night before! Search on You Tube for “broken screen” and it will play a video that looks like the tv screen is cracked.
Then sellotape the Elf’s leg to the back of the tv so it looks like he has crashed into it.
Elf Poop
Another super easy idea. You just need some toilet roll and chocolate chips so it looks like the Elf has pooped!
Robot Vacuum Reindeer Ride
I searched around the house for anything to turn the robot hoover into a reindeer. I found some reindeer antlers, plastic eyes and used a small decoration for the nose.
I glued the eyes and nose to the vacuum and inserted the antlers into the holes underneath the lid. Then propped the Elf up.