25 Amazing Elf on the Shelf Ideas If You’re Stuck on What to Do Next

It’s Elf on the Shelf time, folks! What is Elf on the Shelf? The concept began as a storybook, written by Carol Aebersold and her daughter Chanda Bel for children, published in 2005. The story goes that Santa sends Scout Elves into homes on the first of December to keep an eye on kids to see if they are being naughty or nice. Each night, the elves report back to Santa at the North Pole and share their observations with him. The elves return to their December homes and are found in a different place each morning.

It’s the return in the morning that is the most fun part! Because the elves can often be found in various silly situations. Some parents go to great lengths to make finding the Elf on the Shelf as fun and festive as possible. If you would like to purchase the book that comes with an elf, click here. If you already have an elf in your home, you might be searching for new and novel ways to position him. We’ve got 25 hilarious and entertaining Elf on the Shelf ideas!

Elf on the Toilet

Bust out the scissors for this clever Elf on the Shelf idea that will surely delight your kids. Turn toilet paper into snowflake designs for a winning idea.

Elf Meets Copier

“This is my bum, ha ha ha!” one page of these copies says. This is a really fun one if you have a copier in your home.

Shoe Shine

“I have shined your shoes for you,” a note from the elves in this image says. Just wrap aluminum foil around your kids’ shoes for this silly Elf on the Shelf idea.

Happy Fry-Day

Oh, no! Something amiss has happened to Mr. Potato Head. For your next Friday, you have got the perfect Elf on the shelf idea.

An Egg-Cellent Surprise

These egg decorations are fabulous, but if you don’t have the time, you can draw funny things on the eggs with a marker. They will equally delight your kiddos.

Accidents Happen

If you can spare some peas, go to town with your favorite pea puns. You could also go with “I am so hap-PEA to be your elf friend.”

Kisses!

For many of us, the Elf on the Shelf is an excuse to give kids candy treats. It’s very easy to do, and your kids won’t be disappointed.

Elves Only

How about this fuzzy ball pit? You can do this with several things. A bowl could easily work as well as any sort of ball-shaped candy.

Uh-Oh

This Elf has gotten herself in a tangle. Think of ridiculous scenarios like this and you will entertain those kids.

Brand New Eye Pad

If you have some googly eyes on hand, you can create an eye-pad for your kids. It’s such a punny gag that it will surely please.

Hulk Smashed Elf

If you have kids that are fans of The Hulk, you can smash up some candy canes into dust, then arrange the dust in the shape of your elf. Hulk smash!

Gone Fishing

Fish-shaped snacks are a great way to get your Elf on the Shelf ideas. You can make our little friend look like they are fishing out of all sorts of things.

Yummy

Yikes! Cover your toilet bowl with plastic wrap and then top it with cereal for something similar. We love the message here: “Sofia and Ella! Do you want cereals? Yummy.”

This Is How You Play, Right?

Believe it or not, there’s more than one Jenge-related Elf on the Shelf idea on this list. The first one is to arrange the blocks into the shape of a tree and then encourage children to make their festive shapes.

RELATED: Dad Forgets Kids’ Elves In Oven But After Visit To The North Pole, They ‘Miraculously Recover’

Snowball Fight

Little pieces of white paper can be balled up into the shape of snowballs for an adorable snow ball fight scene.

Taco Tuesday

“In queso you were wondering, it’s taco Tuesday!” this message begins. “Do you like to eat yours with sprinkles and peppermints too?” What a great idea and way to remind kids that taco Tuesday is tonight.

Jenga, the Elf Way

As promised, here is our second Jenga-inspired Elf on the Shelf idea. Kit-Kat bars have been substituted for an extra sweet surprise.

Building With Treats

Here’s another idea for building things with candy. Gum drops and toothpicks are all it takes to encourage play. “I made a house. What can you make?” The elf’s message reads.

Veggie Tree

Depending on the child, this could be a wonderful snack. We love this idea of turning the wrong things into Christmas-themed shapes.

North Pole Airways

Make that elf take flight with a paper airplane. This person has added cute branding to the plane. “North Pole Airways” and “Elf Express” have been written on the sides.

The Chocolate Bank Heist

Get your chocolate coins out to build a robbery scene. The mask really makes this one special.

The Very Hungry Elf

How cute is this? Our little dude has constructed a caterpillar inspired by the beloved children’s book “The Very Hungry Caterpillar.” What a playful and tasty idea.

The Elves Made Domino’s Pizza

Well, this is a messy idea but hilarious, nevertheless. Build a little pizza and top it with dominos for this punny surprise.

Snow Angel

One of the most classic Elf on the Shelf ideas is to have the little character in a pile of white (it can be sugar, flour, and in this case, coconut dust) and then make shapes to look like a snow angel.

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Going for a Climb

Use little adhesive bows to make it look like your elf is climbing the wall. You can make a trail of bows behind the elf if you would like for even more drama.

If you enjoyed these Elf on the Shelf ideas and want to discover even more festive fun for your kiddos, keep reading. We have the best Christmas jokes for kids to share with you.

So Punny Christmas Jokes

• Who is never hungry at Christmas? The turkey—he’s always stuffed.
• What did the gingerbread man put on his bed? A cookie sheet!
• What do grapes sing at Christmas? ‘Tis the season to be jelly.

Corny Christmas Jokes

• What do Santa’s elves learn in school? The elf-abet.
• What’s the absolute best Christmas present? A broken drum — you can’t beat it!
• Where do Santa’s reindeer stop for coffee? Star-bucks!

Cheesy Christmas Jokes

• What does Rudolph want for Christmas? A Pony sleigh station.
• What reindeer game do reindeer play at sleepovers? Truth or deer.
• Why are elves such great motivational speakers? They have plenty of elf-confidence.

Cheeky Christmas Jokes

• What do you call a reindeer ghost? Cari-boo!
• How do you help someone who has lost their Christmas spirit? Nurse them back to elf.
• What do you call Santa when he stops moving? Santa Pause.

Silly Christmas Jokes

• What do you get when you cross a snowman with a vampire? Frostbite.
• What do snowmen eat for breakfast? Ice Crispies.
• What’s the difference between the Christmas alphabet and the ordinary alphabet? The Christmas alphabet has Noel.

Droll Christmas Jokes

• What do you call an obnoxious reindeer? Rude-olph.
• What happens if you eat Christmas decorations? You get tinsel-it-is.
• What’s every elf’s favorite type of music? Wrap!

Spirited Christmas Jokes

• What is Santa’s dog’s name? Santa Paws!
• What did Santa say when he stepped into a big puddle? It must have reindeer.
• Why do reindeer like Beyoncé so much? She sleighs.

Witty Christmas Jokes

• What is it called when a snowman has a temper tantrum? A meltdown.
• What do you call an elf that runs away from Santa’s workshop? A rebel without a Claus!
• What do snowmen eat for dessert? Ice crispy treats.

Playful Christmas Jokes

• What does Santa suffer from if he gets stuck in a chimney? Claus-trophobia!
• What did the wise men say after they offered up their gifts of gold and frankincense? Wait, there’s myrrh.

Whimsical Christmas Jokes About Santa Claus

• Who’s Santa’s favorite singer? Elfish Presley.
• Why did Santa Claus get a parking ticket on Christmas Eve? He left his sleigh in a snow parking zone.
• What goes “Oh, Oh, Oh”? Santa walking backward!

More Jokes About Santa

• How much did Santa pay for his sleigh? Nothing, it was on the house!
• What was Santa’s favorite subject in school? Chemis-tree!
• How do the elves clean Santa’s sleigh on the day after Christmas? They use Santa-tizer.

Even More Christmas Jokes About the Big Man

• Why does Santa go down the chimney? Because it soots him.
• What’s Santa Claus’s favorite type of potato chip? Crisp Pringles.
• What’s red and white and falls down chimneys? Santa Klutz.

You Can Never Have Too Many Santa Jokes

• Which of Santa’s friends is the most chill? Jack Frost.
• What’s Santa’s favorite fruit? Sugar plums.
• What do you get if you cross Santa with a duck? A Christmas quacker.

More Great Jokes About Santa

• What do you call a broke Santa Claus? Saint-nickel-less.
• How do you know when Santa’s around? You can always sense his presents.
• What is Santa’s favorite kind of candy? Jolly ranchers.

RELATED: 300 Jokes For Kids That Are Funny

Keeping It Rolling With Santa Jokes for Kids

• What is Santa’s primary language? North Polish.
• How can Santa deliver presents during a thunderstorm? His sleigh is flown by raindeer.
• How do elves respond when Santa takes attendance? “Present!”
• What did the English teacher call Santa’s helpers? Subordinate Clauses.

Christmas Tree Jokes

• What month does a Christmas tree hate the most? Sep-timber!
• What do you get when you mix a Christmas tree and an iPad? A pineapple.
• Who is a Christmas tree’s favorite singer? Spruce Springsteen.

Oh, Christmas Tree

• Why are Christmas trees so bad at knitting? They have too many needles.
• Why are Christmas trees so fond of the past? Because the present’s beneath them.
• What was the Christmas tree’s favorite shape? A treeangle!

Oh, Tannenbaum

• How did the two rival Christmas trees get along? They signed a peace tree-ty.
• Why did the Christmas tree go to the dentist? It needed a root canal.
• What did the Christmas tree do after its bank closed? It started its own branch.

Even More Christmas Tree Jokes

• What do they sing to Christmas trees at their retirement parties? Fir he’s a jolly good fellow, fir he’s a jolly good fellow…
• What did one Christmas tree say to another? Lighten up!
• What did the beaver say to the Christmas tree? Nice gnawing you!

More Fabulous Tree Jokes

• What do you call cutting down a Christmas tree? Christmas chopping!
• What is a Christmas tree’s favorite candy? Orna-mints!
• How do Christmas trees get ready for a night out? They spruce up!

Final Christmas Tree Jokes

• How do Christmas trees get their email? They log-on.
• What’s as big as a Christmas tree but is lighter than a feather? Its shadow.
• Which former president planted the most Christmas trees? Wood-row Wilson

Christmas Knock-Knock Jokes

• Knock, knock! Who’s there? Ho Ho. Ho Ho who? Your Santa impression needs a little work.
• Knock, knock! Who’s there? Donut. Donut who? Donut open til Christmas!
• Knock, knock! Who’s there? Snow. Snow who? Snow time to waste. It’s almost Christmas!

More Knock-Knock Jokes for Kids

• Knock, knock! Who’s there? Anna. Anna who? Anna partridge in a pear tree.
• Knock, knock! Who’s there? Holly. Holly who? Holly-days are here again.
• Knock, knock! Who’s there? Santa. Santa who? Santa Christmas card to you, did you get it?

Even More Knock-Knock Christmas Jokes

• Knock, knock Who’s there? Honda. Honda who? Honda first day of Christmas my true love sent to me…
• Knock, knock! Who’s there? Noah. Noah who? Noah good Christmas joke?
• Knock, knock. Who’s there? Dewey. Dewey who? Dewey know how long it is until Santa gets here?

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Final Knock-Knock Jokes

• Knock, knock! Who’s there? Wayne. Wayne who? Wayne in a manger…
• Knock, knock! Who’s there? Olive. Olive who? Olive Christmastime, don’t you?
• Knock, knock! Who’s there? Elf. Elf who? Elf me wrap this present for Santa.

There you go! We hope you enjoyed these Christmas jokes for kids and that you will tell them to as many little ones as possible this year.

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