The Best Elf on the Shelf Printables
The Elf on the Shelf tradition is something my kids look forward to every Christmas season! Remembering to move the elf to a different place, and finding a simple idea for him each night is a whole different story, it can be hard work! Last year we found a printable pack from Colorly Love full of creative ideas for our cute elf, and it made moving him all holiday season so much easier! Before we get into all the elf on the shelf ideas, let's talk about how how it works if you have a new elf this year!
How The Elf on the Shelf Works:
December 1st is when your elf typically shows up, if it is his first year coming you can choose the elf's name with your family, or sometimes he will bring a letter and sign his name. Every night during the month of December he either moves to a new spot, does something silly with printable elf props, or does something with elf on the shelf accessories. He comes with a darling book to read to the kids, and serves as a great reminder for the younger kids to have good behavior all month long!
December 1st:
Every family does it differently, but on December 1st our boy elf, Dwight, shows up and brings our kids their Christmas Pajamas. We used to give them to the kids on Christmas Eve, but it's so much fun for the kids to wear them all month long, so it's become our Christmas tradition for the last 5-6 years, and I plan on sticking to it! Most of the time he brings a letter with him to tell the kids how much he has missed them, and how excited he is to be back for this fun time of year! The elf's last day is usually Christmas Eve, since he needs to get back to the workshop to help Santa Claus deliver presents on Christmas Day.
Using a kit of Elf on the Shelf Printables:
Last year we used the Elf kit from Colorly Love, and I can't even explain to you how convenient it was. I cut everything out before December 1st, so it truly took only a few minutes each night to set it all up, it was a great way to do it, and our kids thought we had such a fun elf. There were so many new ideas in the kit I had never heard of. Let's talk about some of the fun ideas included in the kit. Get ready to have the best elf ever with this kit!
1: "I made you some BROWN E'S" - this was darling, and easily one of my favorite elf ideas. All I had to do was cut out the Brown E's and place them on a cookie sheet next to the elf. The kids got a kick out of it too.
2: "All aboard the shoe shoe train" - gather up shoes from every member of your family and put the elf in the first shoe with the included sign, then add other toys to the shoes behind him. I love easy ideas like this, it was so creative and so easy.
3: "Just hanging around until Santa Claus gets here" - there are a lot of printable props in the kit, but I love the ones that are especially simple. This one just has a cute sign and you put it in your Christmas tree with your elf hanging upside down.
4: "Just roll with it" - this one was a fun way for the elf to "make a mess" but one that was really easy to clean up. We rolled toilet paper down the stairs and put the elf inside the roll so it looked like he had rolled all the way down the stairs in the roll, and put the included note card on the toilet paper roll.
5: "Ten days until Christmas" - when there are only ten days left of Christmas there is a printable countdown chain he can bring. It was. a great idea, my kids really enjoyed filling in the numbers and linking the chain together. They loved pulling off a link each day until Christmas Day.
6: "Pin the nose on Rudolph" - there are a few different games included in the kit for the elf to bring, but our favorite was the pin the nose on Rudolph game. It comes with three red noses and a cute reindeer to put up on the wall. Blindfold the kids and let them try and stick the noses on. It was a lot of fun for the whole family.
7: "I tried to bring you a snowman, but he melted" - this was a super cute idea, and took less than five minutes to do. We snagged a water bottle out of the fridge, put the water bottle wrap printable around it, and set our elf right next to it. Super simple, the printable notes make everything so easy to do.
8: "Unscramble the words" - this one might be tricky for younger kids, but with a little help they can do it. Our Elf friend brings a stack of letters that look similar to scrabble tiles and leaves you to figure out what it means. In the end the tiles spell "Santa Says Hi." It was great to get a message from the big man himself a little before Christmas.
9: "A Christmas Elf's grocery list" - things on an Elf's grocery list: mini marshmallows, syrup, chocolate chips, candy canes, frosting, gingerbread, gumdrops, sugar cookies, sprinkles, ice cream, hot cocoa, and milk. The kit includes a cute grocery list and candy cane pen to sit next to your Elf, last year I didn't think to set any of the items on the list around him, but I think it would be a fun thing to add this year.
10: "Donut worry, I'll be back" - the last day there is a printable donut to cut out and place on your elf almost like a skirt, with a goodbye letter that says "Donut worry, I'll be back. It's been a hole lot of fun! See you next year!" We picked up some donuts (donut holes would be great too!), and had them sitting next to him. My kids had them for breakfast. It was the perfect last day for our funny elf.
There have definitely been years where our Elf on the Shelf moves from place to place instead of having all the props and elf antics, and I think a lot of that depends on the age of your kids, and the time you can give it. It is all great fun, and I think no matter what you do, the Christmas magic is still there and the kids will love and remember it.
Free Elf on the Shelf Printables
There is a lot of convenience in buying a kit and having something on hand each day leading up to Christmas, but I also understand that it's not in the cards for everyone to purchase a kit. There are plenty of free printables out there and I wanted to share a few links of my favorites.
1: Free Elf on the Shelf Christmas Baking Printable Set – Christmas Cookies. This set is darling. It includes a 3D oven, two different apron designs, a tube of cookie dough, a cookie sheet with cookies, a "do you want to bake cookies?" sign, directions for the oven, and directions for the accessories, all for free! This is one of my favorite free printable elf activities. Pair it with cookie dough, or cookies and you have a really darling set up.
2: Elf Rocket Ship Free Printable - Let's blast off for the day! This Elf on the Shelf rocket ship printable is so creative and cute. This would also be darling to use for the Elf's arrival and make it seem like he arrived in your home via rocket ship. My kids would think that is so cool.
3: Dreaming of Summer! - Beach Towels and Sunglasses. There is nothing better than relaxing in the sun at the beach, especially in the month of December! These free printables set the scene of your elf lying in the sun trying to get a tan with sunglasses and a cute beach towel from The North Pole. The beach towel has Santa saying Ho, Ho, Ho and “dreaming of summer”. It would be fun to pair a cheap pair of sunglasses with this for the kids to wear around.
4: The Elf Outhouse - After a few years of doing the Elf on the Shelf there are a few things that I have learned. First, when there is a prop it really elevates the game and kids really respond to it, and two, potty humor is always funny! Whether they poop marshmallows or chocolate chips the mere mention of poop sends kids into fits of giggles and elf poop is next level funny when it comes to my kids. So this printable makes for an easy night that will have your kids in stitches.
5: Elf on the Shelf Mission Impossible Envelopes and Cards - these top secret cards are a fun way to induce service during the holiday season. No peeking Mom and Dad!
Have you tried any of these Elf on the Shelf ideas? We would love to hear from you. Share your experience with us by sending an email to gathrehome@gmail.com or find us on Instagram @gathre.home for more cleaning tips + tricks, recipe reviews, and other fun content!
