Elf Planner

69 Elf on the Shelf Ideas from So Easy Being Green

69 Elf on the Shelf ideas originally shared by So Easy Being Green. v2 crawl — 100+ ideas Every idea below links back to the original post — visit their site for more parenting ideas, recipes, and crafts year-round.

69 ideas Use the generator instead →
Bathroom ●●○○○

Band-Aid Covered

Cover elf with band-aids across body.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Garage ●●○○○

Basketball Hoop Hang

Elf hanging from or sitting in basketball hoop.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Kitchen ●●○○○

Cabinet Cup Hide

Tuck elf inside coffee mug or bowl in kitchen cabinet.

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

Candy Dispenser Stuck

Elf trapped inside toy vending machine or candy dispenser.

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

Card Game Player

Set up card game with elf as player with cards around.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Kitchen ●●○○○

Cat Food Sneak

Elf with cat food and note suggesting elf is eating pet food.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Kitchen ●●○○○

Cheerios Donut Maker

Arrange Cheerios and glue elf nearby as if making mini donuts.

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

Christmas Bingo

Elf with printed Christmas Bingo game card.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Kitchen ●●○○○

Coffee Container Hider

Elf inside empty or partial coffee container.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Kitchen ●●○○○

Cold Elf in Refrigerator

Place elf inside refrigerator wearing sweater to suggest chilly.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Kitchen ●●○○○

Cookie Ingredients Chef

Elf with flour, sugar, butter, baking ingredients nearby.

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

Craft Supply Box Hide

Hide elf among crayons and craft supplies in storage container.

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

DJ Elf Turntable

Elf at toy record player with headphones and music decor.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Bedroom ●●○○○

Dog Man Reader

Elf with open book like "Dog Man" series.

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

Dollhouse Occupant

Elf inside decorated dollhouse with Christmas theme.

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

Dry-Erase Face Artist

Dry erase markers to draw faces on family photos.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Kitchen ●●○○○

Egg Carton Nap

Nestle elf inside egg tray compartment of refrigerator.

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

Elf Pet Pose

Elf alongside Elf Pet figurine or Christmas decorations.

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

Elves on Strike

Elf with "strike" sign refusing to move.

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

Fine Print Reader

Elf with magnifying glass examining receipt or contract.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Kitchen ●●○○○

Fire Extinguisher Prep

Elf near or holding fire extinguisher as if prepared for mishaps.

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

Globe Top Standing

Elf standing on top of globe or world map decoration.

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

Harry Potter Cauldron

Elf inside decorative cauldron or potion pot.

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

Houseplant Nestler

Nestle elf among potted plant leaves or soil.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Kitchen ●●○○○

Ice Maker Hang

Elf hanging from automatic ice maker compartment.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Kitchen ●●○○○

Kitchenaid Climber

Elf inside or hanging from stand mixer bowl.

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

Lamp Hanger

Suspend elf upside down from lamp using string.

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

Laundry Pile Lounger

Elf on top of unfolded laundry or laundry basket.

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

LEGO Playtime

Pose elf interacting with LEGO toys or structures.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Bathroom ●●○○○

Lipstick Mirror Message

Use lipstick to write message on bathroom mirror.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Bathroom ●●○○○

Makeup Drawer Nester

Nestle elf among cosmetics and brushes in makeup drawer.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Bathroom ●●○○○

Marshmallow Bubble Tub

Bowl with marshmallows; elf inside as bubble bath.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Bathroom ●●○○○

Mirror Admirer

Elf in front of mirror or bathroom sink as if admiring self.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Kitchen ●●○○○

Mystery Juice

Elf with glass of unusual liquid.

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

Nativity Addition

Insert elf among nativity figurines in Christmas display.

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

Nerf Gun Holder

Elf holding toy Nerf gun or blaster.

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

Nutcracker Where's Waldo

Hide elf among collection of nutcrackers as "Where's Waldo."

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Kitchen ●●○○○

Nutella Mustache

Apply Nutella or chocolate above elf's mouth as mustache.

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

Official Elf Report

Elf with printed official report documenting naughty/nice.

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

Photocopier Self

Elf on or near photocopier with printed copies posted around.

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

Piano Player

Elf on piano keyboard with hands on keys.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Bedroom ●●○○○

Pokemon Lover

Elf with Pokemon toys or trading cards, especially Pikachu.

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

Post-It Cover-Up

Cover computer, TV, or surface with sticky notes around elf.

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

Q-Tip Snowflake Maker

Q-tips and glue near elf in snowflake-making configuration.

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

Roomba Rider

Elf sitting on running robot vacuum or Roomba.

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

Rudolph Nose Prank

Attach red pom-poms to pictures around home as Rudolph noses.

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

Santa Letter Writer

Elf at desk with paper and pen writing letter to Santa.

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

Sewing Machine Pinned

Pin or position elf to sewing machine with sewing supplies nearby.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Entryway ●●○○○

Shoe or Slipper Hide

Tuck elf inside family member's shoe or house slipper.

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

Shoe Train Conductor

Arrange shoes in line with elf as conductor or passenger.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Bathroom ●●○○○

Shower Cap Wearer

Elf in shower cap positioned in bathroom.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Bathroom ●●○○○

Shower Standing

Elf standing in bathtub or shower stall.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Bedroom ●●○○○

Sick Elf Recovery

Surround elf with tissues and cough drops for rest day.

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

Snowflake Cutter

Surround elf with cut paper snowflakes and scissors.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Bedroom ●●○○○

Sock Sleepover

Sleeping bags from socks; elf alongside dolls in sleepover.

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

String Zipline

Suspend elf on string or dental floss between two points.

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

Suitcase Coloring Pages

Elf alongside printed coloring pages and crayons.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Entryway ●●○○○

Suitcase Sitter

Elf on packed suitcase before family travels.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Kitchen ●●○○○

Syrup Eater

Elf with syrup bottle or spoon dipped in syrup.

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

Tape Wrap Trap

Wrap clear tape around elf creating taped enclosure.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Kitchen ●●○○○

Toasted Elf Costume

Dress elf as piece of toast near toaster.

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

Toothpick Marshmallow Weights

Tiny weights from toothpick and marshmallows; elf exercising.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Bathroom ●●○○○

TP Gift Roll

Wrap or position elf alongside roll of toilet paper as gift.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Garage ●●○○○

Treadmill Runner

Elf on stationary treadmill or exercise machine.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0
Bedroom ●●○○○

Tucked in Child's Bed

Tuck elf into child's bed when children away or at sleepover.

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

Walking Toy Dogs

Elf with toy dog figurines using pipe cleaners as leashes.

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

Window Watcher

Elf on outside of window screen looking inside at family.

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

YMCA Dance Line

Elf with other dolls in YMCA dance positions.

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

Ninja Turtle Transform

Transform elf into Ninja Turtle with apples and balloons.

Ages 3–10 Pet-safe 0

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Frequently asked questions

Who runs So Easy Being Green?
So Easy Being Green is a parenting blog. v2 crawl — 100+ ideas
Are these ideas from a So Easy Being Green blog post?
Yes — each idea on this page is credited back to a specific post on https://soeasybeinggreen-blog.com/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: So Easy Being Green. Each idea below links to the specific post on their site.