Easy elf ideas that take five minutes
It is ten o’clock, the children are asleep and the elf is sitting exactly where it sat yesterday. Here are ten easy elf ideas you can set up in five minutes with things you already have at home.
Ten easy elf ideas
- 2 December · 5 min The cereal bath The elf has taken a bath in a bowl of cereal. Read the whole antic for free
- 3 December · 5 min The loo-roll tree The elf has decorated the tree, or a chair, with toilet paper. Read the whole antic for free
- 5 December · 5 min The shoe train Every shoe in the hall has lined up like a train, with the elf as the driver. Comes with the purchase
- 7 December · 5 min The kindness mission Today the elf has not been up to mischief. It has left a mission instead. Comes with the purchase
- 10 December · 5 min The banana gang Every banana in the fruit bowl has got a face. Comes with the purchase
- 11 December · 5 min The fridge elf The elf is sitting in the fridge, wrapped in a tea towel. Comes with the purchase
- 12 December · 5 min The book den The elf has built a den out of books and fallen asleep in it. Comes with the purchase
- 15 December · 5 min The ginger biscuit thief Someone has been eating the ginger biscuits, and the crumbs lead to the elf. Comes with the purchase
- 16 December · 5 min Hidden in the tree Today the elf has hidden. Whoever finds it first wins. Comes with the purchase
- 20 December · 5 min The topsy-turvy breakfast The elf has laid the breakfast table, but everything is in the wrong place. Comes with the purchase
What makes an elf idea easy?
- Nothing to buy. Shoes, bananas, a tea towel and loo roll are already in the house.
- Five minutes. You should be able to do it on your way to bed.
- Quick to tidy. What takes ten seconds to clear away in the morning gets done again the next evening.
Three back-up ideas for when time has run out
Some nights nothing happens. These take under a minute and still count:
- The elf has moved. Sit it somewhere new, higher up than yesterday.
- The elf in a shoe. Tuck it into one of the children’s shoes in the hall.
- The elf is reading. Lean it against an open book, ideally one the children like.
Plan a week at a time
What makes December heavy is not the antics but coming up with them. Decide the week’s seven on Sunday, put the things in a bag and set a reminder on your phone. If you would rather skip that too, all 24 are ready-made, in order, with a card from the elf for each.
More lists: elf ideas for small children and elf ideas for older children.