200+ Elf on the Shelf Ideas, Activities – and Excuses

It is the season of the Elf, the Elf on the Shelf that is! And while you are probably filled with excitement and ideas at all of the wonderful adventures your little Elf is going to go on, you may also be feeling a bit anxious that you will run out of ideas, or that your Elf may not appear to have moved for a day or two when life gets busy. Well fear not my friends, I have found for you 200+ Elf on the Shelf Ideas, Activities – and Excuses to help keep you on point!

From Elf inspired sugar cookies, to fun printables to entertaining pranks – consider this your new go-to resource for all things Elf on the Shelf!

Quick and Easy Ideas:

When you wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat, realizing that you forgot to do something cute and awesome with the Elf on the Shelf – yet again, turn to these quick and easy Elf on the Shelf ideas for tired moms! This post has saved me year after year!

Elf on the Shelf Cookies:

These Elf Sized Christmas Cookies by This Mama Loves are beyond cute! What a great surprise to find in the Elf making, baking, hiding and even eating the cookies (you can get a lot of mileage out of this one!)

Also, be sure to get in the spirit of all things Elf on the Shelf with these Lemon Snap Elf on the Shelf Sugar Cookies by This Mama Loves. Totally fun for an afternoon of baking!

Books for the Elf to Give:

Growing Book by Book has a complete list of 24 Books for Elf on the Shelf to Give (plus scene ideas!) that you are just going to love!

Elf Printables:

Plan your elf’s shenanigans with this great Elf planner and stickers for your calendar by Sunny Day Family!

Printable Elf of the Shelf Backdrops by This Mama Loves are super cute, and sure to be a lot of fun!

This Candy Cane Jail is at the top of my list, but this Elf Photo Booth is equally hilarious!

Don’t even think of leaving without checking out this Elf Massage Table where Barbie makes a cameo appearance, and yep! There is even an Elf on the Shelf Dunk Tank, and this is one you will want to be sure to try as well!

Elf-Themed Learning Activities for Kids:

This Elf on the Shelf Kindergarten to 2nd Grade Activity Pack from Royal Baloo is filled with great stuff from word searches to puzzles to Elf sorting. Keep in on hand for the holidays!

Also a ton of fun is this Elf on the Shelf Printable Pack from Totschooling. It is packed with great activities including some awesome colouring pages!

3 Dinosaurs has these great Pre-Writing Printables as well as this Shelf Elf Pack and this Shelf Elf Pack Update! There are matching cards, puzzles, colouring pages, sorting … seriously, so much stuff!

Staging and Elf Scenes:

Our kids LOVE it when the elf appears in a funny outfit or with a silly accessory, it brings him to life in a new way… AND the best part, it’s a super easy elf-idea for the parents – TOTAL win!

If you’re looking for some clever ideas and inspiration on just what sort of fun your little Elf can get up to, check out this collection of 30 more Ideas for Elf of the Shelf by Geek Families. From cloning machines to tampering with the family photos….

Busy Kids Happy Mom shares 25 more ideas for staging with Meet our Elf Franklin and they are just wonderful! Everything from a lazy river riding Elf to a zip cording Elf – check it out!

Check out these (mis)adventures of the Mischievous Elf on the Shelf at the Jenny Evolution! There is fun to be had when an Elf is involved!

Forgot to move the Elf?!

And for those times when life gets busy, or when Mom and Dad pass out from exhaustion before conspiring with the Elf, consider these ideas from the Jenny Evolution for when you Forgot to Move the Elf.

Kindness Elves:

Thimble and Twig’s Summer Kindness Elves is filled with simple ways to spread kindness and has a free kindness project printable that is nothing if not inspiring.

DIY Elf on the Shelf:

Teach Me Mommy has DIY Elf on the Shelf! Plus, she also shares a ton of ideas on how to stage them!

The Season and the Magic of the Elf

The Elf on the Shelf really is one of things that need to be personalized to fit your family and your lifestyle. It’s about the magic and the fun of the season, and you have the freedom to be as wild and creative or as simple and laid back as you want. This is how the Elf on the Shelf is done in Denmark, which was a wonderful childhood memory to have – and later to pass on to our kids!

Did you have anything similar to the Elf on the Shelf when you were a child?