Elf Planner

72 Elf on the Shelf Ideas from Finding Myself Young

72 Elf on the Shelf ideas originally shared by Finding Myself Young. v2 crawl — 80 ideas Every idea below links back to the original post — visit their site for more parenting ideas, recipes, and crafts year-round.

72 ideas Use the generator instead →
Kitchen ●●○○○

Apple Smartwatch Band

Place an actual apple on the elf's wrist as a humorous smartwatch.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Bedroom ●●○○○

Army Men Capture Binding

Position army men as if capturing or attacking the elf.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Kitchen ●●○○○

Banana Black Marker Minions

Draw minion faces on bananas with permanent marker.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Bathroom ●●○○○

Band Aid Injury Cover

Cover the elf with multiple band-aids as if injured.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Bedroom ●●○○○

Batman Jingle Bells

Position Batman figure with elf as if teasing with the song parody.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Kitchen ●●○○○

Big Buns Bread Display

Position the elf with large bread buns and a suggestive caption.

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

Bookmas Children Tree

Stack books in a tree shape and top with a Christmas book as the star.

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

Bra Laundry Catch

Catch the elf in a bra from the clean laundry.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Kitchen ●●○○○

Brown E Felt Letters

Cut brown felt into letter E shapes and arrange around the elf.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Kitchen ●●○○○

Brussels Sprouts Chocolate Swap

Swap Ferrero Rocher chocolates with Brussels sprouts coating them in chocolate.

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

Bubblegum Balloon Butt

Position the elf blowing a balloon out of its backside with gum nearby.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Kitchen ●●○○○

Ceiling Taco Rain

Suspend taco shells from ceiling using fishing line above the elf.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Kitchen ●●○○○

Character Juice Bottle Hide

Hide the elf inside a character juice bottle alongside other figurines.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Kitchen ●●○○○

Cheerios Ring Circle

Arrange Cheerios in a circle on paper with a cheeky caption about their shape.

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

Chipmas Snack Tree

Arrange snack packages in tree formation with festive decorations.

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

Coat Hanger Tree Clip

Hang the elf using a coat hanger hook on the Christmas tree.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Kitchen ●●○○○

Cookie Furniture Climb

Stage the elf climbing toward a cookie jar or treat container.

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

Couch Lounging Dressed

Dress the elf in clothing and position it lounging on the couch.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Entryway ●●○○○

Crocs Shoe Hunting

Stage the elf hunting crocs shoes as dangerous animals.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Bedroom ●●○○○

Dental Floss Dance Tangle

Tangle the elf in dental floss as if attempting the dance move.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Kitchen ●●○○○

Dinosaur Feeding Food

Arrange dinosaurs with food as if the elf is feeding them.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Kitchen ●●○○○

Dog Biscuit Santa Note

Leave dog biscuits labeled as not for Santa as a prank gift.

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

Dryer Cotton Candy Lint

Position the elf in the dryer with lint appearing as cotton candy.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Kitchen ●●○○○

Emoji Egg Faces

Draw emoji faces on eggs.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Kitchen ●●○○○

Food Coloring Milk Green

Color the milk bottle green or another festive color.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Kitchen ●●○○○

Fruit Bowl Googly Eyes

Stick googly eyes onto fruit in the bowl so the elf appears to be watching the kids.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Kitchen ●●○○○

Grinch Green Kisses

Position the elf inside or next to Grinch-themed candy packaging.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Kitchen ●●○○○

Hair Straightener Chip Flatten

Position the elf using a hair straightener to flatten rippled chips.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Bedroom ●●○○○

Home Alone Wet Bandits

Recreate Home Alone setup with traps and burglar warning sign.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Kitchen ●●○○○

Kitchen Sponge Fake Cake

Use a kitchen sponge as fake cake with icing applied.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Kitchen ●●○○○

Labeled Candy Poop Museum

Display different candies labeled as poop from various characters.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Kitchen ●●○○○

Leek Under Sink Plumbing

Place a leek under the sink with a note about a plumbing leak.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Kitchen ●●○○○

Nut Pile Slang Caption

Pile nuts with a caption playing on the popular slang phrase.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Kitchen ●●○○○

Oreo Toothpaste Filling

Elf adds toothpaste filling to mini Oreos to trick kids into thinking they're real cookies.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Kitchen ●●○○○

Pea Spelled Message

Spell out a message using frozen peas around the elf.

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

Photocopier Face Copies

Position the elf at a photocopier with funny copies nearby.

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

Plastic Wrap Tree Cocoon

Wrap the actual Christmas tree in plastic wrap.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Kitchen ●●○○○

Potato Head Grater Chips

Stage the elf grating a Mr Potato Head figure to make chips.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Kitchen ●●○○○

Pringles Face Window

Cut a window in a Pringles can and position the elf's face peeking out.

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

Reindeer Decorated Roomba

Decorate a robot vacuum as a reindeer and strap the elf on top.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Kitchen ●●○○○

Scotch Tape Furniture Wrap

Wrap the elf or objects around it in clear tape.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Bathroom ●●○○○

Scotch Tape Roll Replace

Replace toilet paper with a roll of transparent tape.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Other ●●○○○

Sealed Fart Jar

Seal the elf inside a jar with a label about trapped farts.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Kitchen ●●○○○

Soft Taco Elf Wrap

Wrap the elf in soft taco shells as a humorous dinner announcement.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Bedroom ●●○○○

SpongeBob Yellow Costume

Transform the elf into SpongeBob SquarePants with costume.

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

Tin Can Toothpick Drums

Arrange cans as a drum kit with toothpick drumsticks.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Kitchen ●●○○○

Toasty Bread Cozy Wrap

Nestle the elf in a slice of toasted bread.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Bathroom ●●○○○

Toilet Paper Lyric Marker

Write punny song lyrics or sayings on toilet paper rolls.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Kitchen ●●○○○

Tomato Sauce Target Wall

Create target practice splatters on a wall using tomato sauce.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Bathroom ●●○○○

Toothbrush Butt Brush Note

Position the elf using a toothbrush as a butt brush.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Bedroom ●●○○○

Toy Story Confrontation

Arrange Toy Story characters defending against or confronting the elf.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Bedroom ●●○○○

Uranus Planet Telescope

Create a planetarium setup showing Uranus with elf's backside featured.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Kitchen ●●○○○

Wrapped Lunch Box Items

Wrap individual lunch items in Christmas paper as surprises.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Kitchen ●●●○○

Bread Ginger House Build

Construct a simple gingerbread house from bread and ginger.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Kitchen ●●●○○

Can Choir Conductor Setup

Arrange empty cans with eyes as choir members with the elf conducting.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Kitchen ●●●○○

Cereal Tube Falling Illusion

Create a tube of cereal falling into a bowl using foil and marshmallow adhesive.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Kitchen ●●●○○

Dishwasher Ribbon Water

Position toy cars in the open dishwasher with ribbon as water cascading down.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Bedroom ●●●○○

Foil Shoe Polish

Arrange shoes with the elf polishing them using aluminum foil.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Kitchen ●●●○○

Gummy Bear Candy Tap

Glue gummy bears to a skewer placed under the tap to look like candy flowing out.

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

Marshmello DJ Paper Hat

Dress the elf as DJ Marshmello using marshmallows and a paper hat.

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

Moon Phase Paper Light

Create moon phase images featuring the elf's backside.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Kitchen ●●●○○

Mr Bean Beans Toast

Arrange beans on toast with Mr Bean figurine nearby for a clever pun.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Kitchen ●●●○○

Ninja Turtle Apple Balloons

Transform apples into ninja turtles using balloon bandanas and googly eyes.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Bathroom ●●●○○

Toilet Cereal Plastic Bowl

Fill the toilet with cereal as a joke about bowl.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Bathroom ●●●○○

Toilet Pea Fishing Poop

Position the elf fishing in the toilet with peas as poop.

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

Tree Monster Googly Eyes

Draw or attach a monster face to the tree with speech bubble.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Bedroom ●●●○○

Wrapping Paper Outfit Clothes

Dress the elf in wrapping paper as creative clothing.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Kitchen ●●●○○

Yellow Lemonade Shot

Position the elf with freshly squeezed lemonade with suggestive caption.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Kitchen ●●●●○

Buddy Spaghetti Breakfast

Recreate Buddy's infamous spaghetti breakfast with sweet toppings.

Ages 3–12 Not pet-safe 0
Kitchen ●●●●○

Duck Lemonade Stand

Build a lemonade stand with duck figurine nearby.

Ages 3–12 Pet-safe 0
Bathroom ●●●●○

Reindeer Toilet Transform

Transform the toilet into Rudolph with reindeer decorations.

Ages 3–12 Pet-safe 0
Bathroom ●●●●○

Toilet Monster Face Draw

Create a monster face on the toilet bowl.

Ages 3–12 Pet-safe 0

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Frequently asked questions

Who runs Finding Myself Young?
Finding Myself Young is a parenting blog. v2 crawl — 80 ideas
Are these ideas from a Finding Myself Young blog post?
Yes — each idea on this page is credited back to a specific post on https://www.findingmyselfyoung.com/2022/10/funny-elf-on-the-shelf-ideas.html. 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: Finding Myself Young. Each idea below links to the specific post on their site.