20 Creative Elf on the Shelf Ideas to Try This Season

Take the stress out of this holiday tradition by recreating our favorite Elf on the Shelf scenes.

Holiday traditions are often magical for the kids and a lot of extra work for parents. With Elf on the Shelf season upon us, we're helping take the stress out of the tradition with a few of our favorite ideas. If you're not familiar with it, the Elf visits the home of children during the month of December and gets into all sorts of mischief at night. When the kids wake up in the morning, they'll discover what the Elf has gotten into the night before.

To help you with the countdown to Christmas, we’re sharing inspiration for Elf on the Shelf ideas you can easily recreate using items you may already have on hand. From whimsical scenes to crafty creations, these ideas are fun, easy to put together, and the perfect way to make the most wonderful time of the year extra special.

Marshmallow Snowmen

Festive snowmen join the Elf on the Shelf to spread holiday cheer. Make snowmen out of two marshmallows, sticking the two together with icing. Use small candies or cut pieces of licorice to create facial features and buttons. Then, grab pretzel sticks to use as their arms—and to add a savory bite to all the sweetness.

Sweet Elf on the Shelf Idea

Surround the Elf with frosted sugar cookies, festive sprinkles, and mini piping bags to recreate this adorable North Pole cookie company scene. To make the tiny piping bags, simply cut off the very ends of clear bags and fill them with a small amount of colorful frosting. This creative scene doubles as a fun activity for the family: Set this one up on the weekend so you can spend the day decorating Christmas cookies.

Related: 15 Cutout Cookie Recipes That Are Perfect for Christmas

Elf on the Shelf Bathroom Scene

Hide the naughty Elf on the bathroom vanity by stacking three rolls of toilet paper and decorating them to look like a snowman. Pop the Elf in the hollow interior, positioning him to hold up the top roll that’s decorated as the snowman’s face for a fun last minute idea.

Elf on the Shelf Candy Bonfire

Recreate this cute Elf on the Shelf bonfire idea and make tasty kabobs out of candy. Grab wooden skewers and soak them in water, then dry them off. (Don’t skip this step as it helps candy glide smoothly without sticking.) Gather a fun assortment of colorful candy and mini marshmallows for the kabobs and place them on the skewers one by one.

Elf on the Shelf Breakfast Idea

Start the day with a magical holiday breakfast featuring the Elf’s favorite—festive green pancakes. Add green food coloring to the batter for vibrant green pancakes, then top them with a delicious sweet cream glaze and plenty of holiday sprinkles.

Related: 14 Creative Pancake Ideas to Make Your Morning Feel More Special

The Elf’s Cookies for Santa

Place the Elf on a large wooden board filled with all that’s needed to make cookies for Santa. You’ll need a plate of baked cookies, an assortment of festive sprinkles, and bottles or piping bags filled with icing. Decorate one sample cookie and give it to the Elf to hold while waiting for Santa to come to town.

Mischievous Elf on the Shelf

This mischievous Elf joins the countdown to Christmas landing in a pile of spilled flour. Sit the Elf next to a jar of flour or let him lay down and make snow angels in the “snow.” To clean the Elf, rinse him under water with some Dawn dish soap and let dry completely to get him ready for the next morning.

DIY Zipline

For an adorable Elf on the Shelf idea that makes a big impact using very few supplies, make your own Elf zipline. All you need is a candy cane, hot glue, and some holiday-themed string or ribbon. Tie one end of the string to the top of the Christmas tree and the other to another tall point in the room, then hang the candy cane and hot glue it to the Elf’s hands.

Related: 10 DIY Christmas Decorations to Bring the Holiday Spirit to Your Home

Christmas Cookie Tree

Sit the Elf on a plate adorned with a delicious Christmas cookie tree. Bake round sugar cookies in three different sizes, decorate them with green frosting, and stack them to look like a Christmas tree. Finish off the cookie tree and plate with a dusting of holiday sprinkles and because the Elf on the Shelf often gets into mischief, recreate this messy baking setup complete with googly eyes on all the ingredients.

Climbing Elves

The elves make a merry entrance in this festive dining room. Take inspiration from the holiday scene and suspend a beaded garland from the chandelier above the dining table. Attach the elves to the garland to make it look like they’re climbing up a rope and set the table with holiday-themed dishes for a magical breakfast.

Related: 45 DIY Christmas Garlands to Drape Your Home in Holiday Cheer

Elf on the Shelf Idea for Dogs

Suspend a dog treat from red and white twine tied to the Elf laying down on a shelf above a stuffed dog and container of treats. This is a fun idea for anyone with a dog, or a fun way to surprise your kids if they’re getting a new puppy for Christmas.

The Elf’s Sugar Cookies

There’s a new baker in town! Recreate this adorable baking-inspired Elf on the Shelf idea with these sweet treats. Decorate mini sugar cookies to look like baking sheets and cookies, add a mini piping bag and packet of sprinkles, and give the Elf a tiny little rolling pin. Print out your favorite sugar cookie recipe and set up the adorable baking scene on a kitchen counter.

Elf on the Shelf Arrival Idea

If you're looking for a way for the Elf to magically appear this year, consider this idea. Fill a clear oversized balloon halfway with colorful mini balloons and drop the Elf inside. Paint the words “Let me out!” on the balloon exterior using paint or permanent markers, then suspend it from the ceiling for fun surprise.

Elf on the Shelf Hot Chocolate

Make these reindeer-inspired hot chocolate packs for an extra sweet Elf on the Shelf idea. Fill clear piping bags with hot chocolate mix and add a layer of tasty toppings such as mini marshmallows and holiday sprinkles. Tie the bags with pipe cleaners and shape them to look like antlers, then stick on googly eyes and a pom-pom nose to finish off the sweet treats.

Related: 32 Homemade Food Gifts That Are Way More Meaningful Than Store-Bought

Baker’s Mess

Grab a large cookie sheet and channel the Elf’s naughty side with a messy baking setup. Sprinkle flour on the cookie sheet, add festive sprinkles, baking tools and supplies such as muffin liners and a whisk, and prop one or multiple elves inside measuring cups or holiday mugs.

North Pole Taco Truck

Put a Christmas spin on your next taco night with a North Pole taco truck. Prop up cardboard cutouts of a taco truck, menu board, and mini tacos, and fill in empty spaces with colorful bottle brush trees.

Elf on the Shelf Bubblegum Idea

Grab a few packs of gum and some pink balloons and you’re all set to recreate this adorable Elf on the Shelf idea. Blow up the balloons and attach one to the Elf’s face, then fill a small container such as this wheelbarrow with the rest of the balloons and scatter gum wrappers all around the naughty elves.

Balloon Scene

Welcome the Elf on the Shelf back with an assortment of holiday-themed balloons. Attach helium-filled balloons around the Elf’s hand, then position him on one of the Christmas tree branches to make it look like he’s making his festive descent. To discreetly secure the Elf and the balloons in place, use a clear twist-tie or piece of green floral wire.

Elf on the Fridge Shelf

Make your kids laugh when they open the fridge and find the Elf sitting on one of the shelves, surrounded by their favorite foods keeping an eye on him. Buy a pack of googly eyes and stick them on everything from eggs to milk containers and produce for an easy and inexpensive Elf on the Shelf idea.

Elf on the Shelf Bubble Bath

Recreate this hilarious Elf in a bubble bath scene using an oval ramekin. Place the Elf inside, then fill the container with mini marshmallows that look like bubbles. Add a little rubber duck and a small bottle of vanilla extract to complete the look.

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