North Pole Arrival Breakfast
Your elf arrives on day one with a tiny breakfast spread and a note saying they have flown all night.
10 min setup No mess 4 items
58 Elf on the Shelf Ideas
Every idea shows how long it takes to set up, how much mess to expect and exactly what you need. Filter below, or hit “Surprise me” and let us choose tonight’s idea.
58 ideas
Snow Globe Arrival
The elf turns up inside a clear jar or vase “snow globe” full of cotton wool snow.
5 min setup A little mess 3 items
Hot Air Balloon Arrival
A balloon tied to a small basket or cup carries the elf in from the North Pole.
10 min setup No mess 4 items
Zip Line Across the Living Room
A classic for a reason: the elf zooms across the room on a string zip line.
10 min setup No mess 2 items
Marshmallow Bubble Bath
The elf relaxes in a bowl or sink of mini marshmallows like it is a bubble bath.
5 min setup No mess 4 items
Toilet Paper Snowman
The elf builds a snowman out of stacked toilet rolls with a drawn-on face.
10 min setup No mess 4 items
Flour Snow Angel
The elf makes a snow angel in a dusting of flour on the kitchen counter.
5 min setup Messy 2 items
Fishing for Goldfish Crackers
The elf sits by a bowl of water “fishing” for fish-shaped crackers or sweets.
10 min setup A little mess 4 items
Elf Movie Night
The elf sets up a tiny cinema with popcorn and a festive film queued on the TV.
10 min setup No mess 4 items
Candy Cane Hunt
The elf hides candy canes around the house and leaves a clue to start the hunt.
10 min setup No mess 2 items
Sticky Note Graffiti
The elf covers a mirror or door in sticky notes spelling a message or making a picture.
15 min setup No mess 1 item
Message on the Mirror
The elf writes a good-morning message on the bathroom mirror.
3 min setup No mess 1 item
Toy Hostage Ransom Note
The elf ties up a favourite toy with tinsel and leaves a cheeky “ransom” note asking for cookies.
5 min setup No mess 3 items
Toilet-Papered Christmas Tree
The elf drapes toilet paper all over the Christmas tree like garland.
5 min setup A little mess 1 item
Caught in the Cookie Jar
The elf is found head-first in the biscuit tin with crumbs everywhere.
3 min setup No mess 2 items
Bubble Wrap Floor
The elf covers the hallway floor in bubble wrap so the first steps of the morning go pop.
5 min setup No mess 3 items
Elf Bake-Off
The elf is caught mid-bake with a rolling pin, cookie cutters and a dusting of flour.
10 min setup A little mess 4 items
Homework Helper
The elf is found doing a maths worksheet or writing a list of Christmas spellings.
5 min setup No mess 2 items
Kindness Challenge Card
The elf leaves a small challenge such as “Give someone a compliment today”.
2 min setup No mess 2 items
Toy Donation Box
The elf leaves an empty box with a note asking your child to choose a toy to give away.
5 min setup No mess 2 items
Morning Elf Yoga
The elf strikes a yoga pose on a folded tea towel with a little water bottle beside them.
3 min setup No mess 2 items
Chilling in the Fridge
The elf is found “chilling out” inside the fridge, wearing sunglasses made of paper.
3 min setup No mess 2 items
Tangled in the Tree Lights
The elf has got themselves hopelessly tangled in a spare string of fairy lights.
3 min setup No mess 1 item
Elf Photo Booth
The elf sets up a selfie corner with paper props so the family can take a festive photo.
20 min setup No mess 4 items
Snowball Fight
The elf is in the middle of a snowball fight with soft toys using mini marshmallows or cotton wool balls.
5 min setup No mess 2 items
Ice Skating on Foil
The elf skates on a tinfoil “ice rink” with paper-clip skates.
5 min setup No mess 2 items
Santa Letter Helper
The elf leaves paper, pens and an envelope addressed to Santa so your child can write their list.
5 min setup No mess 3 items
Making Reindeer Food
The elf mixes oats and sprinkles into a bag of reindeer food to scatter on Christmas Eve.
5 min setup A little mess 4 items
Tic-Tac-Toe Challenge
The elf sets up a game of noughts and crosses with sweets and challenges your child to finish it.
5 min setup No mess 2 items
Colouring Contest
The elf has started colouring a Christmas picture and challenges your child to colour their own.
5 min setup No mess 2 items
Wrapped Bedroom Door
Your child’s bedroom door is wrapped like a present overnight — they burst through the paper.
15 min setup A little mess 3 items
Pool Party in a Sink
The elf throws a pool party with sweets as inflatables and a straw as a slide.
5 min setup A little mess 3 items
Riding the Toy Train
The elf hitches a ride on a toy train, car or dinosaur across the floor.
2 min setup No mess 1 item
Hide and Seek
The elf hides somewhere tricky and leaves a note saying “Find me!”.
2 min setup No mess 1 item
Elf Bowling
The elf sets up skittles made from toilet rolls or plastic cups with an orange for the ball.
5 min setup No mess 2 items
Sock Snowman Workshop
The elf has been raiding the sock drawer to make little sock snowmen.
15 min setup A little mess 3 items
Elf Dental Check-up
The elf lines up the family’s toothbrushes and leaves a note to brush well before the big day.
2 min setup No mess 2 items
Building a Mini Gingerbread House
The elf is halfway through building a gingerbread house out of biscuits and icing.
20 min setup A little mess 3 items
North Pole Weather Report
The elf presents the North Pole weather with a hand-drawn map stuck on the fridge.
5 min setup No mess 3 items
Christmas Socks Swap
The elf swaps your child’s socks for festive ones laid out for the day.
2 min setup No mess 1 item
Sprinkle Footprints
A trail of tiny footprints in icing sugar or sprinkles leads from the window to the elf.
5 min setup A little mess 1 item
Bedtime Story Reader
The elf is found reading a Christmas picture book to your child’s soft toys.
2 min setup No mess 2 items
Pancake Tower
The elf sits on top of a stack of mini pancakes ready for breakfast.
10 min setup A little mess 2 items
Lego Building Site
The elf has built a tiny house, sleigh or tower out of your child’s building bricks.
10 min setup No mess 1 item
Moustaches on Family Photos
The elf has “drawn” moustaches on the family photos — using sticky notes or a dry-wipe pen on the glass.
5 min setup No mess 3 items
Elf Camping Trip
The elf pitches a tent made from a napkin with a pretend campfire of orange paper.
10 min setup No mess 4 items
Paper Chain Countdown
The elf brings a paper chain with one link to tear off each day until Christmas.
20 min setup No mess 2 items
Goodbye Letter and Gift
On Christmas Eve the elf leaves a goodbye letter and a small present before flying home.
10 min setup No mess 2 items
Packing for the North Pole
The elf is found packing a tiny suitcase, ready for the trip home on Christmas Eve.
10 min setup No mess 2 items
Last Selfie Together
The elf leaves a printed photo of your child from earlier in the month with “See you next year!”.
5 min setup No mess 1 item
Sleigh Lookout
The elf watches out of the window with toilet-roll binoculars, waiting for Santa.
3 min setup No mess 2 items
Stuck in Slime
The elf has fallen into a bowl of green jelly or slime and is waiting to be rescued.
5 min setup Messy 2 items
Diving Board
The elf dives off a ruler balanced on books into a mug of hot chocolate.
5 min setup No mess 3 items
Blanket Fort
The elf builds a mini fort out of napkins and pegs — or a full-size one for the family.
10 min setup No mess 3 items
Advent Treat Delivery
The elf arrives carrying today’s small treat — a sticker, a sweet or a hot chocolate sachet.
2 min setup No mess 2 items
Play Dough Sculptor
The elf has made a little play dough snowman or Christmas tree overnight.
5 min setup No mess 1 item
Window Doodles
The elf decorates a window with window chalk pens: snowflakes, a tree or a countdown.
10 min setup No mess 1 item
Postcard from the North Pole
The elf brings back a postcard “from Santa” praising something your child did this week.
3 min setup No mess 1 item
Never think of an idea again
Our 24-day plan gives you one idea for every night from 1 to 24 December.
Elf on the Shelf questions
When does the elf arrive?
Most families have the elf arrive on 1 December or the day after Thanksgiving, then leave on Christmas Eve. There is no fixed rule — pick a date that suits your family.
What if I forget to move the elf?
It happens to everyone. Use one of our last-minute ideas (all five minutes or less), or say the elf was so comfy they stayed put to watch the family.
Can you touch the elf?
In the traditional story, touching the elf makes it lose its magic. Many families relax this rule for younger children or let the elf recover overnight with a sprinkle of “cinnamon magic”.
How do I keep coming up with ideas?
Plan ahead with our 24-day plan: one idea for every day from 1 to 24 December, with arrival and goodbye days built in.