Hey Parents,
We’re about halfway through Elf of the Shelf season, which tends to be when a lot of parents start hitting a blank wall of what to do with their Elf. Earlier in the month, you had a bunch of ideas, but as the holiday season gets busier, and you get more tired, it probably seems like that well of inspiration you had started drying up, and then you realize you once again have to move that little Elf (or an Elf Crew if you’re like us) before you go to bed. If you’ve hit this stage, I’m here to help. This is our seventh year with our Elf Crew, so I have done enough time on Elf Duty that I have some ideas to share. I want to give you a little reassurance that my ideas are all based on two very important rules:
- They are decently quick to set up because there’s a lot going on right now and you are likely very tired and very overloaded with holiday duties.
- No ridiculous messes or destruction you have to clean up. Flour angels seem funny until you realize you have to clean up a counter and an Elf both. No one has time for any of that nonsense, so I don’t want to give you any suggestions that are going to create even more work for you.
Note: Many of my ideas assume you have numerous elves, if not, that’s okay. Your Elf may just make a new friend or a few new friends. It could be small plushies, Pop! Vinyls, action figures, Barbie dolls, rubber duckies, whatever you have lying around. This makes certain activities easier to set up and the kids will find it extra fun.
So, here’s some ideas you may not have thought of:
Exploring: Our Elf Crew has been known to ride Pokémon plushies to various areas of the house to go exploring. Now it’s a game for the kids to find them. Use whatever plushie or creature that might make sense for you. We’ve also used dragons. Toy vehicles might also work. Model horses are another option. Use a combination if you want to be extra quirky, just use whatever you have.
Tree admiring: Once a year, our Elf Crew is set up in our tree so they can “admire the lights.” The kids play “find the elves” and the set up and clean up is very quick. It’s great to pull out on a night when you were crazy busy and are extra exhausted. No Elf Crew? Your elf and a few friends will go admiring lights and then you can see how many rubber ducks or action figures or Barbie dolls or whatever the kids realize are in the tree with the Elf. If you don’t have a normal Elf Crew, your kids might find it extra funny to see who the Elf is befriending this time.
Coloring or basic crafts: Set out a coloring book, have an Elf “start” a small section and ask the kids to help finish. There’s lots of coloring and activity pages online. We found this set from Underdog Games that I downloaded and pull out when I need something quick. It’s been a huge lifesaver at times. Do you sometimes grab holiday craft kits? Let the Elf leave it out for the kids this time.
Leaving treats: Do you tend to pick up holiday themes cookies or something similar as an occasional treat? This time, let the Elf bring them for the kids. The kids get extra excited and you basically get a free Elf night for something that you were planning to do anyway. Everybody wins in this scenario. Elves can also leave tickets for activities you may not have announced to the kids yet.
Play food meals: I’ve had our Elves use play kitchen food to make themselves little meals because they were hungry and it usually amuses my kids too.
Board games: Now, you have to be careful with this one. Not all board games clean up easier than others, so look for something that sets up fast like basic card games or something like Jenga. Set it up like a round or so has played just to give the idea that there was a board game night. This is another point where a lone Elf may need to recruit some friends, but it does give off fun Toy Story vibes when your kids discover your Elf had a game night with Barbie, a little dragon plush, and a rubber duck last night.
Movie Night: Our Elf Crew has been known to pull out the holiday movies, tell our kids these are their favorites and suggest when it’s a good day to host a holiday movie marathon.
Cookie making: If you regularly make cookies, maybe the Elf can go set our the supplies and open a cookbook to your favorite recipe to help you get ready because they love making cookies. Again, something you were going to do anyway, but your Elf is now just helping the family out a little.
Book reading: Elves can read books to each other or each grab a book to read. Bonus points if they’re holiday related books. You can still do this with a single Elf or let your Elf form a little book club with other toys.
Older sibling help: Now, this is something that only works in a house where at least one kid is in the know about Santa and Elves, and this is only if they want to do it. If you have an older kid in the house that likes the idea of being in on the secret and helping out with fun ideas, let them. They’re making their own fun holiday memories by helping you out, and my Older Geek Kid actually got a taste of the work it takes to do this night after night for about a month each year which left him more appreciative of the work I put into making holidays happen.
Hopefully, these idea will help your brain get going and let the rest of your Elf Season run just a little smoother. The holidays can be a gauntlet, but as parents, we can help each other out a little and here’s my contribution to the cause. Good luck, you’re halfway there.
Elizabeth
