Unique and Fun Elf on the Shelf Ideas

Elf on the shelf is one of the most fun Christmas traditions for kids. But it can be super hard to always think of new ideas for your elf each day. Raise your hand if you love the concept of Elf on the Shelf but dread thinking of unique ideas for each day?

Yup. Me too.

We have done Elf on the Shelf with our 11-year-old but last year some mean old kid at school informed him that none of this was real (Santa, Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy… EVERYTHING!) so now that he doesn’t believe I thought maybe I was off the hook.

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But I knew my 3 year old would love it so out comes the Elf again.

Why You Should Start the Elf on the Shelf Tradition

It’s great to start the tradition with younger kids for a few reasons (even if they don’t really get it).

1. They really don’t get it or have any idea what is going on so if I forget to move it, she won’t say anything.

2. I don’t have to be very creative with what we are doing (check out a few things we have done this week below, SUPER simple and she loved it!)

3. She thinks it’s super fun to wake up each day and play “Hide and Seek” with Elfie.

4. And since we don’t have an older kid who still believes, when she picks him up and carries him around the house, no one else freaks out about him losing Christmas magic (because she just wants to cuddle him all day)

We watched this movie the first day our Elf joined us! I think it really helped show her more about her new friend!

Getting Organized with Elf on the Shelf

One of the hardest parts of this elf is thinking of new things to do each day and making sure not to repeat any ideas.

This year, I decided to make myself a calendar and thought catcher so that I can write down ideas as I see them on Pinterest, as I scroll my Facebook or whenever they come to me. When I was doing it in previous years, I would so often get to the end of the day, exhausted, and my mind would go blank of cute and fun ideas so a calendar is a clutch for me!