Elf on the Shelf Ideas (the best ever!)
I wanted to share these Funny Elf on the Shelf Ideas today because our kids have been asking when our Elf, Gilbert, will be back… they started asking October 1st! They are ready to take funny Elf on the Shelf pictures!
Yes, sometimes our elf forgets to move… but when he remembers, he sure makes the kids laugh!
25 Funny Elf on the Shelf Ideas
Most of these easy elf on the shelf ideas are geared towards our sons because our daughter wasn’t old enough to “get it” until after I put these ideas together. Oh- if you don’t have an elf, you can get one with my affiliate link on Amazon here. Once you get your Elf, it’s time to start letting your elf have fun.
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Since our Elf Arrival, our kids have LOVED waking up each morning to find their elf and to see what he was doing that day! Our elf even left some kid stocking stuffers this year!
This year is going to be really fun with these new Elf on Shelf ideas that my husband and I have found! I hope our Elf does one or two of these…
- Have him eating pancakes (our Elf on the shelf likes to make mini green pancakes)
- Have a ball pit (from Homeschooling Fun with Lynda)
- Have him change the oil in the car: (Check out what the oil & spill are REALLY made of here)
- Give him a lightsaber and have him light up the room!
- Let the Shelf Elf announce his return with M&M’s spelling out I’m Back
- Set out new clothes (even use Elf clothes as Stocking Stuffers for kids!)
- Sully’s food truck from Homeschooling Fun with Lynda.
- Or he could make his Elf on the Shelf Arrival in an airplane with a note about his flight from the North Pole (or bring a note straight from Santa himself!)
- Let him swing on his elf-made swing in the door frame using a toilet paper roll & string.
- Our boys love cars- our Elf loves to ride around at night, like this elf, on the kid’s cars and toy trucks!
- Or why not ride around on the dog’s back? The elf can hold tight (with his velcro hands) onto the dog’s collar and be there all day long!
- Let him shave like Daddy… that’s always funny to see (& to clean!) A little shaving cream on his face and a razor without the blade will do the trick nicely for an elf!
- Does your elf ride around on toy Dinosaurs? Ours does!
- Let him Fish for Cookies (our elf likes to hang from our light fixture in our kitchen after my cookie exchange every year)
- Is your Elf the Hero that catches the Grinch & changes his heart? Such a cute idea to have the stuffed Grinch caught in a glass jar!
- Help your Elf make this adorable car & tree ornament for your kids!
- Let him have a snowball fight with another toy- mini marshmallows to the rescue!
- They can be so mischievous, even making an awesome family photo look silly with little mustaches!
- They can even draw on Dad while he is asleep!
- Let your Elf become a pirate! Find out what the hat & patch are made of here.
- Let him build a snowman in your freezer out of crushed ice and use felt as a scarf for the snowman & himself! (Keep it on a plate so you can bring it to kid-level in the morning)
- Watch out that the Army Guys don’t tape him to the wall with painter’s tape!
- Elves love to play instruments… did you know that they are awesome guitar players? Yep- they can play the drums, too.
- Sometimes they like to hide… they hide in Silverware drawers and you don’t even find them until you get your silverware for breakfast!
- Let Elsa freeze your Elf, like this photo posted to Imgur.
- They hide in Legos (they can build a lego fort and be inside with just their head, arms & legs sticking out!) …
- They even hide in Toilet Paper rolls! Be sure that you can see their heads and tell your elf to write a little message on the toilet paper roll “I like to play Hide & Seek”
- Make your elf a spiderman!
- Let your elf use your son’s car slipper like a real car (who knows … maybe it becomes a real car at night?)
- Let them be one of the Ninja Turtles. A friend recently saw this on Facebook & sent it to me … and I think it fits right in!
- Our elf, like this one, likes to read a Bible verse before bed, using the mini Bible that I used to carry down the aisle.
- Is your son a mine craft Fan – make him a mask!
- Or maybe your Elf is a Star Wars fan and carries a LightSaber made out of a glow-stick?
- One of my favorites is the full-grown elf AKA: Dad in an Elf Costume.
- Before our elf leaves, he always has Santa take a picture of how he flies around our living room. It is the thing that our kids ask for every year on Christmas Eve. Find that post here (with directions)
Ps- Do you want more ideas? Click the pictures below…
I teamed up on this post with Jamie of Totally the Bomb and Jodi of Meaningful Mama – you can find their adorably fun ideas below! 
Shari says
The spiderman image was taken by me, Sharilyn Wells Photography. It’s our elf “Raheem.”
http://www.sharilynwellsphotography.com
Becky (Your Modern Family) says
Awesome- thank you!!!
Ashley says
Yup.. Because girls would never enjoy thes…
Becky (Your Modern Family) says
Please read the first line of the post… I simply wrote this for our sons, but as I stated multiple times, this is for girls, too… just written with our 3 sons in mind. 🙂
Heather says
These are super fun! Thanks!!
Misty says
Thank you for your ideas…someone will always find a way to complain about something. I have boys and girls in my household and literally took “0 offense” to this….but then again I also read the whole article rather than jumping to conclusions. My household favorite memory was when the elves put 1 of everyone’s underwear in place where their stockings would hang…we got lots of laughs from that one!!! Always looking for ways to allow my children to really enjoy this tradition…From the Thankful Parents….Happy Holidays!!
Becky (Your Modern Family) says
🙂
Kristina Hendrickson says
How in the world did you make that Minecraft mask? My son would love that!
Becky (Your Modern Family) says
I can’t find the original link- it just keeps going to the link image (so just the image, but without the instructions). Sorry!!! I would probably just get card stock & try to fold it into a box.
Donella Crigger says
If you Google “make your own creeper head,” you can find several images that you can print out and fold to make the Minecraft mask (for the person above asking).
Donella Crigger says
Several years ago, I saw a post where the elf decorated the tree with the boys’ underwear. Seems like that’s one boys would enjoy…a little mischievous, but all in good fun. 🙂
Kim says
Thanks for using my Lightsaber pic! Here is a link to the original post and more Star Wars Elf Ideas: http://www.mommysavers.com/c/t/212119/elf-on-the-shelf-ideas-star-wars-themed-elf-poses
Becky (Your Modern Family) says
Awesome- thank you!
Maria Selke (@mselke01) says
Thank you for the up front disclaimer. I get so tired of arguing with people over “boys” and “girls” lists. I’m happy to accept these awesome ideas as YOUR boys’ favorite ideas 🙂
Becky (Your Modern Family) says
🙂 THANK YOU!!
Kerry Grinkmeyer says
Christmas has always been a family celebration in our home, but as our children grew older we found that their interest in Christmas morning waned and the sparkle in their eyes was gone. The day after Thanksgiving, 1992, we introduced the Christmas Web in our home with the placement of Magic Wands into their socks that had for years been hung at the fireplace mantel. Attached to each Magic Wand was a piece of yarn (a 70 yard piece of yarn). When our two teen-aged children came down Christmas morning, they found that the yarn was wound through the house – around window latches, door knobs, chairs and doors. It ended in a closet or cabinet which held their special Christmas gift from one of Santa’s elves, an elf who had been looking out for them for the past year and knew of their desire for this special Christmas gift.
Elf on the Shelf becomes part of our Christmas Tradition
The Christmas Web continued as each of our children got married and as they had children. Each of our grandchildren have an Elf on the Shelf who now puts their Magic Wand in their stocking at the mantel and hides their special Christmas gift each year where no one else can find it. Their individual Magic Wand leads them to their special gift. We now have seven Magic Wands each with 70 yards of yarn winding through our house every Christmas morning, making getting a cup of coffee an acrobatic achievement before the Christmas Morning Game begins.
The Christmas Web has become a highly anticipated family tradition for our children, grandchildren and us. http://www.christmasweb.com/
Allison says
Hi there! I noticed my dinosaur pic, but a link to someone else’s site as credit 🙂 I’m not sure who made the collage that includes my picture, but it’s always nice to get credit for your work 🙂
Becky (Your Modern Family) says
Oh no- I will change it. Thanks so much for telling me!! 🙂