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.