Elf Planner

60 Elf on the Shelf Ideas from Another Mommy Blogger

60 Elf on the Shelf ideas originally shared by Another Mommy Blogger. v2 crawl — 50 ideas Every idea below links back to the original post — visit their site for more parenting ideas, recipes, and crafts year-round.

60 ideas Use the generator instead →
Living Room ●●○○○

Barbie Car Cruise Ride

Place elf in Barbie car with doll for cruising scene.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Living Room ●●○○○

Block Bench Piano

Stack blocks on piano bench and position elf as if playing.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Living Room ●●○○○

Christmas Book Lap Read

Position elf sitting with open Christmas book on lap.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Living Room ●●○○○

Clear Balloon Blinds Trap

Tuck elf inside clear balloon suspended in blinds.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Other ●●○○○

Clear Jar Observation

Place elf inside a clear jar with lid so child can observe without touching.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Bedroom ●●○○○

Clothespin Garment Line

Create clothesline with string and clip elf's garments with tiny pins.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Kitchen ●●○○○

Cocoa Mix Spill Scene

Spill cocoa mix on surface with scattered garbage and elf as culprit.

Ages 3–10 Not pet-safe 0
Living Room ●●○○○

Coloring Book Crayon Hold

Position elf in lap of open coloring book holding crayon.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Bathroom ●●○○○

Cotton Ball Spa Bath

Fill tub with cotton balls and position elf inside bathing.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Bathroom ●●○○○

Cucumber Spa Robe Day

Dress elf in tiny robe with taped cucumber slices on eyes.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Bedroom ●●○○○

Dry Erase School Photo

Draw funny features on school picture with elf holding marker nearby.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Laundry Room ●●○○○

Dryer Clean Clothes Stuck

Position elf on clothes inside dryer pressed against door.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Bedroom ●●○○○

Full Body Bandages

Apply multiple bandages randomly to elf's body.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Living Room ●●○○○

Grinch Tape Elf Kidnap

Sew or attach grinch hand to mouth with elf taped nearby.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Living Room ●●○○○

Hanging Stocking Hide

Place elf inside child's hanging stocking.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Living Room ●●○○○

Magna Tile Block Tower

Build tower with Magna Tiles and position elf holding or standing near structure.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Kitchen ●●○○○

Marshmallow Bag Crawl In

Position elf's head inside open marshmallow bag on counter.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Kitchen ●●○○○

Marshmallow Counter Message

Spell a message in marshmallows on counter with elf positioned nearby.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Kitchen ●●○○○

Milk Carton Ribbon Captive

Tie ribbon around elf and milk carton to suggest milk has captured the elf.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Living Room ●●○○○

Paper Sleeping Bag Movie

Place elves in toy or paper sleeping bags in living room.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Home Office ●●○○○

Photocopier Paper Scan

Scan elf's image, leave printout in tray for discovery.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Living Room ●●○○○

Popsicle Stick Ladder Ornament

Build small ladder and position elf reaching toward new ornament.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Bedroom ●●○○○

Roomba Tape Passenger

Secure elf to top of Roomba and activate for movement around room.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Living Room ●●○○○

Snowflake Parachute Frame

Attach elf to paper snowflake parachute and catch on frame.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Kitchen ●●○○○

Sprinkle Table Snow Angel

Spill sprinkles on table with elf positioned as if making snow angel.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Kitchen ●●○○○

Syrup Bottle Straw Drink

Insert straw in syrup bottle with elf wrapped around bottle drinking.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Other ●●○○○

Tissue Box Single Cover

Place elf in box covered with single tissue.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Living Room ●●○○○

Toy Car Wrench Mechanic

Position elf under toy car with wrench nearby to simulate car repair.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Living Room ●●○○○

Tree Paper Airplane Crash

Create paper airplane with message, position elf crash-landed in tree branches.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Living Room ●●○○○

Two Point Candy Zipline

String line between two points with elf grasping candy cane as zip-lining.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Living Room ●●○○○

Venetian Blind Slat Tangle

Tangle elf among venetian blind slats.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Other ●●○○○

Yellow Sticker Pox

Apply round stickers or felt pieces to elf's body to simulate illness spots.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Living Room ●●●○○

Barbie Dream Tea Party

Arrange tea party scene inside Barbie house with elf and dolls seated together.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Bathroom ●●●○○

Barbie Nail Polish Salon

Set up nail salon scene on bathroom sink with Barbie and elf as customers.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Living Room ●●●○○

Cube Shelf Beach Printable

Create beach scene in cube shelf with printed background and brown sugar as sand.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Kitchen ●●●○○

Dollhouse Chair Marshmallow Roast

Position elf on small chair holding skewer with toasted marshmallows.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Kitchen ●●●○○

Empty Box Candy Hunt

Position elf on empty candy cane box with note asking child to find hidden candy canes.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Living Room ●●●○○

Gift Bow Wall Ladder

Stick multiple bows vertically on wall with elf positioned mid-climb.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Kitchen ●●●○○

K-Cup Straw Drink

Position elf under Keurig with straw in K-cup at mouth level.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Kitchen ●●●○○

Marshmallow Tube Pour

Hot glue mini marshmallows to half of an empty wrapping paper roll for pouring effect.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Bathroom ●●●○○

Nerds Faucet Candy Flow

Hot glue nerds rope to faucet with loose nerds at base to suggest candy transformation.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Living Room ●●●○○

Paper Tube Binocular Craft

Roll and tape paper tubes, glue googly eyes to create binoculars held by elf.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Living Room ●●●○○

Popcorn Remote Movie

Position elf on couch holding remote with popcorn bowl nearby.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Kitchen ●●●○○

Pretzel Stick Arm Snowman

Build marshmallow snowman with pretzel arms and marker face.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Kitchen ●●●○○

Rolling Pin Flat Streamer

Use red streamers to flatten elf appearance with hand and foot cutouts.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Kitchen ●●●○○

Sharpie Egg Fridge Faces

Draw funny faces on eggs in fridge with elf holding marker nearby.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Bathroom ●●●○○

Shaving Cream Mirror Paint

Paint Christmas tree on mirror with shaving cream, position elf holding brush nearby.

Ages 4–10 Pet-safe 0
Living Room ●●●○○

Snowflake Ceiling Fall Craft

Create snowflakes, suspend from ceiling, position elf with craft supplies.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Living Room ●●●○○

Stuffed Animal Poker Game

Arrange stuffed animals around a small table with cards dealt and chocolate coins.

Ages 3–10 Not pet-safe 0
Bathroom ●●●○○

TP Roll Snowman Twig Arms

Stack three toilet paper rolls, draw facial features, add twig arms for snowman.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Bathroom ●●●○○

Water Bottle Shoe Flood

Fill shoes with water bottles and position elves outside with water running sign.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Living Room ●●●○○

Wrapping Paper Self-Wrap Craft

Wrap parts of the elf's body in wrapping paper with tape scattered and craft supplies nearby.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Kitchen ●●●●○

Cookie Crumb Milk Aftermath

Position elf on plate surrounded by crumbs, empty milk carton tipped nearby.

Ages 3–12 Pet-safe 0
Living Room ●●●●○

Green Light Alien Abduction

Create UFO effect with green lighting, tinfoil, and suspended elf with alien.

Ages 3–12 Pet-safe 0
Kitchen ●●●●○

M&M Paint Setup

Set up elf with paint supplies and M&Ms to suggest hand-painting candies.

Ages 3–12 Pet-safe 0
Kitchen ●●●●○

Paper Bag Animal Race

Place elf in paper bag with stuffed animals in other bags, create race line.

Ages 3–12 Pet-safe 0
Living Room ●●●●○

Plane Cotton Ball Smoke

Shape wire into a message, thread cotton balls, hang from ceiling with fishing line.

Ages 3–12 Pet-safe 0
Bathroom ●●●●○

Plastic Wrap Frozen Sink

Tape plastic wrap across sink, sprinkle powdered sugar, position elf fallen through ice.

Ages 4–12 Pet-safe 0
Kitchen ●●●●○

Popcorn Fishing Line Suspension

Use fishing line to suspend popcorn falling from a bowl, position elf's arms as catching or spilling.

Ages 3–12 Pet-safe 0
Kitchen ●●●●○

Whisk Flour Bowl Trap

Stuff elf inside whisk positioned in bowl surrounded by baking supplies.

Ages 4–12 Pet-safe 0

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Frequently asked questions

Who runs Another Mommy Blogger?
Another Mommy Blogger is a parenting blog. v2 crawl — 50 ideas
Are these ideas from a Another Mommy Blogger blog post?
Yes — each idea on this page is credited back to a specific post on https://anothermommyblogger.com/2025/12/06/50-best-elf-on-the-shelf-ideas/. Click any idea's detail page and look for the "original post" link in the image caption or the Credit section at the bottom.
Can I use these ideas with my own family?
Absolutely — ideas are free to use. If you'd like to share or republish any of these specific scene write-ups, please follow the original source's usage terms; visit the linked post for details.

Source: Another Mommy Blogger. Each idea below links to the specific post on their site.