100 Mischievous ELF Ideas

Oh, how funny. Thanks for the Elf ideas. The dry erase marker on a family photo is on the top of the to do list!!!

Wow, Excellent post!!!Lovely pictures and awesome photography.

Oh, it wears me out just thinking of planning all that. We just move ours every night and the rule is they are not allowed to touch him or he goes back to Santa's. Here's a story about our Elfie: http://laterbetty.blogspot.com/2008/12/christmas-magic-of-elfie.html

wow!! these are hilarious!! love it!

Fun post! It reminds me of a tradition in our family and now played along in our kids' families. I posted about it here: http://gratefulprayerthankfulheart.blogspot.com/2009/11/hes-back.html

Thanks for the kind comments! I love how creative everyone gets when it comes to helping the elves create some mischief : )
Toni

I'm doing this for the first time this year and I'm so excited. I decided to combine the Elf's antics with the activities I'm putting in the Advent Calendar (so yes I'm doing it every day - I even made a calendar and all planned it out in advance *nerd* :D)
I wrote a post about it here: http://pixiephotography.wordpress.com/2011/11/10/a-christmas-elf-is-coming-to-visit/

Kristine - good idea to do your own elf story. I feel the same way. I like that you are combining ELF with the Advent calendar. Check out our 100 ideas for Advent calendar activities(free printables) http://designdazzle.blogspot.com/2011/11/advent-countdown-calendar-including-100.html

I'm bursting in tears laughing. It's February and I'm thinking back to our elf this past Christmas. Here's our story about "goldibop": http://momandbabymags.blogspot.com/search/label/Holiday

Such great ideas! We enjoyed our elf on the shelf but seemed to run out of ideas fast! This gives me alot of new ideas to make our elf more fun! This is probably my best pinterest post ever! I could not wait for my kids to wake up to see what Trix had done that night! Cant wait to see their faces this year! Thank you!

we started this tradition last year and my daughter loved it. We did do a lot of these ideas but definatly in need for more this year. Thanks for sharing.

We do this with our kids but they have to trap the elf. The best way to catch an elf is with chocolate chip cookies and a pillow case. In our house, the elves (the one they caught last year and the 2 they will trap this year) will leave on the 24th to go and help Santa. Each elf comes with his or her own story, what they do for Santa and also what they do for fun. Last year, we woke up to all our daughters Barbies naked on the Christmas tree and the Christmas tree moved. It was priceless! We also let our daughters fall asleep with the elves and in the morning they would have to find them because they would slip away during the night. This year, I decided that I was going to make my own elves and they turned out great. Have fun with the ideas and thanks again for some new Ideas.

They would sometimes find them in the morning but if they didn't, they would set up a trap and catch them.

I also made my own elf doll. A lot bigger than the store bought one, so limited to what he can do. But our elf made treats for my sons class. Cut little flat mice out of felt and used a candy cane for the tail. very cute! My son was so excited to share with his class because they had one in class as well!

Here is is arrival to our house: http://bethstherapy.blogspot.com/2011/12/elf-on-shelf.html

And then some of his adventures: http://bethstherapy.blogspot.com/2011/12/elf-adventures.html

Love this list! Thanks for sharing!!

I am trying to plan an ELF Christmas party for my 6 grandchildren, ages 7 to 16. A challenge every year to enclude interesting things for all to do at the same time. We plan to "Ask for help with a mischivous elf terrorizing Grandma and Grandpa's house!!" He will have left all the messes all over the house when the kids arrive. We will take pictures of the elf doing his damage and then play the pictures the next day for moms and dads along with the videos of the kids playing Minute To Win It games. Should be a good time. Thanks for so many wonderful ideas. And, congratulations to all you wonderful parents that care about taking the time and effort to make wonderful Christmas seasons for you children.

Hysterical! I will have to get more creative. Maybe I will enjoy it more

Oh My! This is a great idea! I'm laughing out loud at the idea and I'm alone at home. My Dad used to hide a little cork guy he made named CORKIE when he came over to visit. When I found him, then I had the pleasure of hiding Corkie at his house. My Dad passed away years ago and this is one of my best memories of him. Now I will start this tradition with my family. Thank you.

Love all of the ideas but please don't use a sharpie to write on people. Sharpies are permanent markers. Use a washable marker instead-all of the fun with none of the embarassement later in the day. :0) Can't wait to use some of these fun ideas!

Hey there! Thank you so much for this! I added a link to your page on mine for an Elf on the Shelf idea compilation that I made. Here is the link: http://kindacrunchymamalife.blogspot.com/2012/11/elf-on-shelf.html I hope that's ok?! Thanks again so much!

Wow! So many ideas! Fantastic!
We'd love it if you would come take a peek at our blog! More elf ideas and a free printable!

http://makinglifewhimsical.blogspot.com/2012/11/we-believe-in-christmas-magic.html

Have a whimsical day!

Great ideas, thanks so much! This will be our first year with the elf, and our daughter is almost 6. I have a question for everyone who has been "elfing" for a while. What do you do with the elf during the day? Does he stay in that same spot, with all his mischief? Or do you clean it up and put him somewhere until you move him that night?

Great new ideas! Our elf, Bernard, has done a lot of these. He has also dressed in cowboy clothes, boots & hat & rode Barbie's horse, brought coal (candy coal) if our son got into trouble at home or school, he caught a cold so we dressed him in hospital scrubs, had old medicine bottles w peppermint, chocolate, & marshmallows that cured him right up. He brought my son a cake & special present on his bday, Dec 21st, wrote out Happy Birthday in sprinkles. We are from the south & are a hunting family so this year he made his debut with his very own toy 8pt Buck deer, he had on his orange vest & hat but left a note to assure us it wasn't one of Santa's reindeer. My mind overflows w ideas lol.

We leave him in the same spot all day, kids aren't allowed to touch him or he'll lose his "magic". So if u have really little ones put him out of reach.

We do the same.. My kids are 3 and 7 so usually, he's somewhere they can't get to him.. This does give me some ideas of what to do for him this year :)

My friend has a boy and a girl elf and the elves are getting married at her house this yr. Can't wait to see her pics!

Our elf was caught in my son's toy boat fishing in the goldfish bowl. He used a fishing pole that consisted of a candy cane, strip of ribbon, & a partially opened paper clip. He also spray painted my son's hair and his stuffed dog while they were sleeping. My husband & I had a ton of fun with Sneaky Elf!

ok when you do ideas such as make snow angels in flour/sugar on the counter do you leave the elf in that postion all day because you are not allowed to touch the elf. First time doing elf on the shelf. Thanks!

Our first night with "jingle" he climbed the Christmas tree! Trying to think of what to do with him tonight!

Our Elf has his own community Facebook where we all share pics & ideas! My girls wait anxiously for "Freslin" to arrive every year, and they talk to him on his FB page when they're missing him during the year :)

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Elf-On-A-Shelf-Friends/260738140640891

Love it! I'm always looking for more ideas, so thanks!! (I don't like to duplicate). For the other idea seekers, here's a photo collage of what we did last year (I'll add one for this year after Christmas). My boys were only 18mo, 2, and 4 last year, so we had to do a lot of "up high" stuff. http://mycdoisoutofcontrol.blogspot.com/2011/12/elf-on-shelf-adventures-2011.html

When our elf, "Chip", makes a mess, we move the elf to the side because when the kids touch him, it takes away some of his magic. We have the kids clean up the mess. This way, THEY are taking care of him. We love our elf. Tonight, he might tape crepe paper across Chloe's doorway.

Oh Goodness! Our elves are so naughty!! We have 3 as we have 3 kids. Plus it's easier to make up scenes with more than one! Our elves arrive on 1Dec. At night, the kids put them to bed in their own special box. (a box like you'd wrap a shirt in). They leave them water (3 shotglasses) and crackers. (The dog loves that part) During the night the elves have duct taped the youngest to the wall, decorated ornaments (and the kids can make their own also), written on the bathroom mirror, undecorated the tree, decorated the tree with the kids underwear, taken down all the pictures on the walls, locked one in the bathroom cabinet, hid in cereal boxes, sat in a bowl of ice cubes in the freezer, set-up scenes with the kids' other stuffed animals (ski jump, spa time, making a mess with shaving cream on the kitchen table...) decorated a small tree for the hallway, bought small gifts for kids, made a fort with all out canned goods, Food colored the dog and cat...

How cute are these!

[...] Someone’s been causing a little mischief and turned the milk GREEN!! I’ve heard of other elves turning the milk blue and even pink! That’s a fun way to start off your morning breakfast – with crazy colored milk!  {Photo Credit: Design Dazzle} [...]

Thank you! Just got our Elf today!

I love the ideas! Can't wait to print the Elf Stationery for my daughter's elf, Chuckie. He's a bit mischievous around our house, but she'll enjoy his new hiding spots!

What a great round-up of ideas! We have three elves that visit our family (I post some of their antics on my blog). Sometimes they're well-behaved, but a lot of the time they really get into mischief. It has been fun to see some of the ideas my husband or oldest daughters come up with for elf adventures.

We bought 3 canisters of white play-dough. Our elf will make an elf-sized snowman on the kitchen counter tonight!