Looking for Elf on a Shelf ideas? We’ve gathered 25 easy and awesome Elf on a Shelf Ideas your family will love.
From classic fishing and marshmallows to more adventurous and mischievous activities your Elf on a Shelf will keep your family entertained and laughing this year!
Even if you are hesitant to get an elf you will find it really exciting, fun and absolutely manageable if you focus on easy instead of complicated and mean.
Have some fantastic Elf on a Shelf Ideas to share? Make sure you leave your ideas in the comments below. Our elf, Reindeer is always looking for some new fun.
He is quite the photographer and loves to make collages with our Instax Camera.
25 Awesome Elf on a Shelf Ideas
1. Elf on the Shelf Helps with Christmas Lights | Family Fun Journal
2. Elf on the Shelf Has a Snowball Fight | Stockpiling Moms
3. Elf on the Shelf Makes Some New Friends | The Coupon Challenge
4. Elf on the Shelf Swings on a Toilet Paper Roll | A Small Snippet
5. Elf on the Shelf Plays with His Food | The Frugal Navy Wife
6. Elf on the Shelf Uses the Potty | DIY Inspired
7. Elf on the Shelf Hijacks the Family Pictures | This Mama Loves
8. Elf on the Shelf Gets Chocolate Wasted | A Mitten Full of Savings
9. Elf on the Shelf TPs the Christmas Tree | Cincy Shopper
10. Elf on the Shelf Takes a Marshmallow Bath | Snippets from Suburbia
11. Elf on the Shelf Makes Holiday Magic Milk | Missy’s Kitchen
12. Elf on the Shelf Makes Magic Snowflakes | Searching 4 Savings
13. Elf on the Shelf Helps Clean Up the Sink | A Few Short Cuts
14. Elf on the Shelf Makes a Snow Angel | Stockpiling Moms
15. Elf on the Shelf Toasting Marshmallows | Source: Family Fun Journal
16. Elf on the Shelf Takes a Cereal Bath | Source: The Frugal Navy Wife
17. Elf on the Shelf Makes a Bed | Source: Home Stories A to Z
18. Elf on the Shelf Leaves a Message | Source: DIY Inspired
19. Elf on the Shelf and His Friends Have a Sack Race | Source: Picklehead Soup
20. Elf on the Shelf Plays Jenga | Source: A Mitten Full of Savings
21. Elf on the Shelf Gets a Midnight Snack | Source: The Frugal Navy Wife
22. Elf on the Shelf Goes Fishing | Source: Rocking My 365 Project
23. Elf on the Shelf Lifts Weights | Source: Snippets from Suburbia
24. Elf on the Shelf Hangs Out with His Snowman Friends | Source: Mom VS The Boys
25. Elf on a Shelf Gets a Marshmallow Treatment | Source: A Mitten Full of Savings
When we first decided to get an Elf on a Shelf I scoured the internet for fun ideas. I quickly got into the spirit and have loved hiding him every night.
From simple locations to more creative poses coming up with a variety of Elf on a Shelf ideas has been one of my favorite holiday traditions with my boys.
Looking for more of our favorite holiday activities check out our Christmas section and these awesome Christmas apps to help you have the best holiday ever.
What are your Elf’s favorite activities?
jay nelson says
Thank you. It is difficult to come up with new ideas and ones which are not a lot of work. I like the toilet paper roll swing.
Rosanne Robinson says
Thanks so much for these tips for the Elf on a Shelf…..my grandson gets so excited looking for his Elf (Joe) and we were running out of ideas on where to position him.
Meg says
While I think the Elf is adorable, it does seem like a lot of work, haha. Great ideas!
Cheryl says
Thanks for the ideas! I am always running out of them!!
Heidi M says
Look at the cute Elfs on the Shelf, what a busy boy
Jennifer Wilson says
Great Ideas!
Victoria Ess says
Haha these photos made me laugh!
Cheryl says
Very cute! We don’t do elf on a shelf
Helena says
ha ha, l love the little potty training Elf. So, so cute.
nicolthepickle says
The goldfishing in the sink is so funny and the nutella one my kids could totally relate to. My elf is just going to come out tonight for the first time. Thanks the the ideas.
Brent says
Good ideas. Will use a couple for sure.
laura feist says
great ideas
Heidi c. says
So many cute ideas! My kids would love them.
Elizabeth Matthiesen says
What super ideas, I’m sure they’ll come in useful for a lot of people. We don’t actually have an Elf, which I’m not too sorry about. :-)
KC says
Elf on a Shelf is so cute! I can’t wait to have children of my own to use all these fantastic ideas
Debbie Bashford says
we never did this, I had a Elf when I was young but he sat on the tree and never moved
Treen Goodwin says
love the ideas so cute , thanks for sharing :)
kristen visser says
we don’t have an elf on the shelf and the thing actually freaks me out lol.
Jessica Benoit says
Those are awesome Ideas.
Lynn M says
I like how people are so creative with their elves.
Deanna Barkley says
Cute ideas, but I don’t do Elf on the shelf.
TonyaB says
Thanks for the awesome ideas! I like alot of them :)
Silvia D says
so many fun ideas!
Alexa Nernberg says
A great selection of “Elf on the Shelf” ideas. Love how this little guy keeps kids behaving good.
Donna Durie says
Great ideas!
ClaireD says
Hahaha. Lots of good idea ^_^ I’m going to make them all ;-)
l p says
thanks for the ideas.
David Hamelin-Pelletier says
I love to have many ideas for those elf. We are running out of ideas lol
tammy jeffery says
This Elf is very sneaky. Always need ideas for the little guy, thanks.
krista gould says
Love learning new ideas for our elf and love sharing them with others as its always hard to come up with something at times
Cassandra Gale says
Love the ideas
srishayini says
i ould love to see my ids face when they see him in the nutella jar
Cheryl Almas says
Great ideas for Elf on the Shelf
Cherie Varrin says
Thanks for the ideas! I dont have an elf on the shelf yet but I may just do it next year.
Jess H says
Very cute
Debbie C says
Pretty cool ideas! We have never had Elf on the Shelf. Our kids are in their 30’s now!
Velma Hart says
I would love to win this.
Christine Holliday says
This is a scary thought!! HA
rose langill says
Haha I so don’t have one of these but looks fun
Jackie bob says
Love elf on the shelf. He’s so mischievous.
Meg says
This Elf truly has a cult following! I didn’t get one, and I feel half left-out, and half relieved.
Angela Massis says
Those are adorable Elf on a Shelf ideas!! Thank You for sharing, I can’t wait to use some of them.
Haroon Khan says
Such cute and creatives ideas!
Danni Plume says
they are so cute
Megan Smith says
I love elf on the shelf but Im the only one in the house lol so cant do here :(
Lia James says
this thing creeps me out tremendously.
Jennifer Thornton says
The “potato sack race” idea is hilarious!
Jennifer Thornton recently posted..Incubating a Fetus Maternity T-Shirt by materniteez
Melinda B says
My daughter who is going to be 25 got one last Christmas but is pregnant now so keeping the posts about him tamer than normally would with baby coming i February 2016.
BARB F. says
do not have the Elf on the shelf but from the listing like
. Elf on the Shelf Swings on a Toilet Paper Roll
Jeanette says
Elf on a Shelf has always cracked me up. I love seeing how creative parents are with Elf on the Shelf. It’s fun for the kids to get up every morning and see what mischief the elf has gotten into.
Stacie says
This couldn’t have come at a better time. I have officially run out of Elf on the Shelf ideas.
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Scott says
We just unpacked our decorations and will be using these ideas for where to place ours! Thanks so much!
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Amy says
LOL!!! These all make me laugh so bad! My elf is so lazy and he doesn’t do anything but fly around to the next shelf.
Sherry says
These are some really cute ideas for Elf on the Shelf. I’ll have to pass these along to my friend who does this with her little girl.
Brianne Manz says
Thank you for these fun ideas for Elf on the Shelf. I love doing new things with the Elf for the kids and I found a couple I would love to do.
Emily says
I love the toilet paper and Elf in the tree! Such clever ideas. I wish we started doing these when the kids were younger.
Claudia Krusch says
My son used to love that when he was little! Sharing it with my SIL who has a little one!
Jennifer says
I wish the elf on the shelf was around when my kids were little. Now that they are grown, we will never get to experience it!