Elf on the Shelf ideas
96 Easy Elf on the Shelf Ideas (Free, No Sign-Up)
Most parents are not looking for a perfect photo. They want something that takes two minutes at 10pm after the school run. Pick the time you have, follow the 24-night plan and print the elf's letters: free, no sign-up.
Tonight's mischief
How much time have you got?
About 2 minutes · a little mess · You'll need: A loo roll
Loo roll garland
Unroll a loo roll round the Christmas tree like a garland and sit the elf underneath with the empty tube in his arms.
The 24-night plan
The elf arrives on Tuesday 1 December and leaves on Thursday 24. School nights get two-minute ideas; the bigger projects land on the weekends (5 and 6, 12 and 13, 19 and 20 December). Don't like one? Remake the plan, or print the notebook and tick them off as you go.
Tue 1 December · 10 min
The new elf door
A tiny door appears at the bottom of the wall by the skirting board, with a few footprints coming out of it. That's where he came in.
Wed 2 December · 2 min
A game of noughts and crosses
A grid on a scrap of paper, one cross already played by the elf and a pencil waiting for your child.
Thu 3 December · 2 min
He borrowed a sock
One of the stockings has gone missing from the mantelpiece. You find it on the elf's bed, where he is using it as a sleeping bag.
Fri 4 December · 2 min
Head first in the cereal box
The elf is upside down in the cereal box with only his legs sticking out. Breakfast starts with a giggle.
Sat 5 December · Weekend
Decoration workshop
Pipe cleaners, paper, glue and glitter laid out on the table: "Today we make decorations for the tree!"
Sun 6 December · Weekend
A half-built gingerbread house
Biscuits, icing and sweets on the table with a house half built. "I haven't finished. Will you help me?"
Mon 7 December · 2 min
The compliment challenge
The elf holds a note: "Today, say something nice to everyone in the house before tea."
Tue 8 December · 2 min
A nap in the hammock
Stretch a tea towel between two mugs or two chair backs and lay the elf in it with a pair of sunglasses on.
Wed 9 December · 2 min
Riding along on the school run
Sit the elf on the steering wheel of the car, or in a toy car, as a surprise before the school run.
Thu 10 December · 2 min
Caught peeking in the advent calendar
The elf is peering out of an opened door of the advent calendar, or sitting with the door he has just opened.
Fri 11 December · 2 min
Writing his report
The elf sits at a tiny desk with paper and pencil: "Writing my report for Santa. Want to add your letter?"
Sat 12 December · Weekend
Christmas film night
A bowl of popcorn, a chosen film and hand-made tickets from the elf for a pyjama cinema evening.
Sun 13 December · Weekend
The elf show
Cushions for a stage, the elf as presenter and a poster. Your children put on a small Christmas show for the family.
Mon 14 December · 2 min
Channel hopping
The elf sits in front of the switched-off telly cradling the remote. A note: "Looking for the Christmas film."
Tue 15 December · 2 min
Top of the tree
The elf has taken the star's place or clings to the highest branch. "I wanted to see the view."
Wed 16 December · 2 min
Flowers by the elf door
Leave a tiny bunch (a sprig of holly, a pine twig) on the doormat by the elf door. Your child may leave something back.
Thu 17 December · 2 min
A dip in the fruit bowl
The elf is bathing in the fruit bowl surrounded by satsumas, a tea towel wrapped round his head like a turban.
Fri 18 December · 2 min
Asleep in a woolly hat
The elf is curled up asleep in a child's bobble hat on the radiator shelf or by the front door. Only his own hat peeps out.
Sat 19 December · Weekend
The elf party
A shoebox table, tiny cups, biscuits and every toy invited to a party round the elf.
Sun 20 December · Weekend
Treasure hunt round the house
A trail of clues hidden round the house, ending at a small treat or a colouring page.
Mon 21 December · 2 min
Snow angel in flour
Dust a little flour on a dark tray, lay the elf in it with arms and legs spread, then lift him out. The angel stays behind.
Tue 22 December · 2 min
The elf has a cold
Tuck him up in a tissue with a cotton wool ball on his forehead. "Too much snow last night. Atishoo!"
Wed 23 December · 2 min
Too warm for an elf
Lay the elf on a fridge shelf with a tea towel for a blanket and a note: "It's far too warm in your house. I'm from the North Pole!"
Thu 24 December · 10 min
Off on the sleigh
The elf sits in a little paper sleigh or a box with a bag of sweets and his goodbye letter.
Printable elf letters
Arrival, goodbye, "I didn't move", "you touched me" and the "No elves allowed" poster. Add your child's name and the elf's name: free, no sign-up.
NORTH POLE · ELF POST
I'm here!
Hello! It's me, your elf! Santa has sent me from the North Pole to spend December at your house. Every night, while everyone is asleep, I will get up to a bit of mischief, and every morning you will have to find out what I have done. I go back to the North Pole with Santa on the evening of the 24th. Until then, let's have fun!
Your elf
The 24-night notebook
The plan above on one A4 sheet, with the things you need. Stick it inside a cupboard door, out of little eyes' reach.
My elf's 24 nights
DECEMBER 2026 · TICK OFF EACH NIGHT
- Tue 1The new elf door
Card, tape - Wed 2A game of noughts and crosses
Paper, pencil - Thu 3He borrowed a sock
A Christmas stocking - Fri 4Head first in the cereal box
A cereal box - Sat 5Decoration workshop
Craft supplies - Sun 6A half-built gingerbread house
Biscuits, icing, sweets - Mon 7The compliment challenge
Paper - Tue 8A nap in the hammock
A tea towel - Wed 9Riding along on the school run
Nothing - Thu 10Caught peeking in the advent calendar
An advent calendar - Fri 11Writing his report
Paper, pencil - Sat 12Christmas film night
Popcorn, paper tickets - Sun 13The elf show
Cushions, a poster - Mon 14Channel hopping
The remote - Tue 15Top of the tree
Nothing - Wed 16Flowers by the elf door
A sprig of greenery - Thu 17A dip in the fruit bowl
Satsumas, a tea towel - Fri 18Asleep in a woolly hat
A bobble hat - Sat 19The elf party
Shoebox, toy cups - Sun 20Treasure hunt round the house
Written clues - Mon 21Snow angel in flour
Flour, a tray - Tue 22The elf has a cold
Tissues, cotton wool - Wed 23Too warm for an elf
A tea towel, a scrap of paper - Thu 24Off on the sleigh
A box, the goodbye letter
90 elf names
Tap a name to put it in the letters.
The elf didn't move: ready-made excuses
Everyone forgets, especially around the 15th. Here is what to say at breakfast, without fibbing your way into a corner: one line, then on with the day.
- You forgot to move him
- Elves only move when the whole house is asleep. Somebody stayed up very late last night!
- He hasn't moved for two nights
- Santa asked him to keep a close eye on something very important in this room.
- There was a snowstorm
- Elves aren't allowed to fly in a storm: that's Santa's rule. He'll do two reports tomorrow.
- A child is nervous of the elf
- Put a "No elves allowed" poster on their door. Elves always respect the sign (printable above).
- You fancy a quiet night
- Elf day off! He's resting his legs and will be back with some mischief tomorrow.
- Yesterday's trick upset someone
- A sorry note from the elf and something gentle the same evening. Elves tease, but they never mean to upset.
- A child touched the elf
- He's lost a little magic. A night's rest, a word with Santa and it comes back. The "You touched me" note is printable above.
- He stayed in the same room
- He was on a big job: guarding the tree so the lights keep shining until Christmas.
- A child asks why their friend's elf does more
- Every elf does it his own way. Some are tricksters, some are watchers. Yours takes his time.
- No time on a school night
- He had a nap when he got in. Tomorrow there's a double dose: a quick one for tonight, a bigger one for the weekend.
The elf door
An elf door is a tiny door, usually stuck to the wall just above the skirting board or leaned against a piece of furniture. In the children's story, it is how the elf comes and goes from the house.
Many families put it up on 1 December along with the elf's arrival. It can be dressed up with a mini doormat, a tiny wreath, fairy lights or a little washing line. Some families make one from painted card, or simply draw one on the wall in a washable pen.
Because the door stays closed, it keeps the magic going: footprints in icing sugar lead out of it, a little note appears in front of it, or a tiny suitcase waits there on the 24th. It is a gentle way to make the elf feel more real in two minutes a night, and the "magic key" idea fits in well: keep a toy key beside it and tell the children only the elf can turn it.
Elf on the Shelf questions
- What is the best idea for an Elf on the Shelf?
- The best idea is the one you can do tonight in two minutes: the elf in the cereal box, in a bobble hat, or with a loo roll garland round the tree. Keep the bigger scenes for the weekend. The tool above sorts ideas by the time you have and by how much mess they make.
- What are the rules of the Elf on the Shelf?
- The usual rules: the elf arrives in early December, is in a new place every morning, and flies back to the North Pole on the 24th. The main one is that children look but don't touch, because the elf loses his magic. You can make your own rules, and the printable "you touched me" note is there for when someone slips.
- How does the Elf on the Shelf work?
- The elf comes to stay on 1 December, often with a letter. Each night, while the house sleeps, he moves or gets up to a bit of mischief, and in the morning the children hunt for him. On the evening of the 24th he goes back to the North Pole. This page gives you the 24-night plan and the letters.
- What are some easy Elf on the Shelf ideas for beginners?
- Start with the no-supplies ideas: a hide and seek spot, asleep in a welly, a banana phone, a slipper conga line. Nothing to buy and nothing to clean up. Do those on school nights and save the messier ideas for the weekend.
- What are some clever names for an elf?
- Children often like a sweet name (Nutmeg, Crumpet, Shortbread) or a wintery one (Frost, Icicle, Bobble). The names section on this page has a list you can tap to put straight into the letters. Let your child choose: they will be more attached to their elf.
- What do you do with an elf door?
- Stick it low on a wall near the skirting board and dress it up: a mini doormat, a tiny wreath, a washing line, fairy lights. Then use it in your ideas: footprints leading out, a note in front of it, a small treat on the doormat. It stays closed, which keeps the magic going.
- Why are some parents against Elf on the Shelf?
- Some parents find the nightly job tiring, and some dislike the idea of an elf who watches the children and reports on them. Both are fair. A gentler way is a kindness elf: no spying, just a tiny door, small gifts and a daily kind mission such as "say something nice to everyone before tea". Do as much or as little as suits your family.
- What if I forget to move the elf?
- Everyone does. Say that elves only move when the whole house is asleep, or print the "I didn't move" note. The ready-made excuses are just above.