12 Easy Elf Ideas for Kids Ages 3 to 11

Set up

1. Line up three or four large toy dinosaurs across the table, facing Theo's spot.
2. Sit the elf on the back of the biggest dinosaur at the front.
3. Tape paper footprints flat on the floor from the table to Theo's chair.
4. Set one more large toy dinosaur on Theo's chair, waiting for him.

Set up

1. Pile cotton balls in the back of a toy dump truck and a heap beside it.
2. Sit the elf in or on the truck, arms up like he is cheering.
3. Park another toy truck or digger by the pile and set an empty box nearby.

Set up

1. Lay masking tape or painter's tape in a winding road across the living room floor, stopping short of Theo's chair.
2. Stand a few upside-down paper or plastic cups along the road as cones.
3. Fill a toy dump truck with building blocks and park it at the end of the unfinished road.
4. Sit the elf in or beside the truck, like it's waiting for Theo's help to finish the road to his chair.

Set up

1. Tip a shoebox on its side on the living room floor to make a goal.
2. Roll a pair of socks into a ball and set it inside the box.
3. Pose the elf a few steps away with one leg kicked back.
4. Write the scoreboard card and the note and lean them against the box.

Set up

1. Set a stuffed unicorn at Maya's place at the table, or any stuffed animal with a rolled-paper horn taped on.
2. Sit the elf on its back with arms out like it just galloped in.
3. Write the note and tuck it under the unicorn's front hooves.

Set up

1. Tape three or four of Maya's drawings to a wall at her eye level, each with a paper-strip frame around it.
2. Tape up one empty frame with a blank sheet inside and write its label.
3. Write the museum sign and tape it above the drawings.
4. Sit the elf on a low table nearby holding a crayon like a tour guide's pointer, with more crayons beside it.

Set up

1. Build a small block house with four walls and no roof on the table.
2. Write the official notice on an index card and stamp it 'DENIED' in big red letters.
3. Seat the elf on a pile of loose blocks beside the house, holding the notice.

Set up

1. Turn three plastic cups upside down in a row on the counter.
2. Hide a small treat under one cup and notes saying 'Nope!' and 'So close!' under the others.
3. Prop the sign against the cups and stand the elf behind them, one arm raised like a magician.

Set up

1. Cover a small cardboard box with foil and cut a round window in one side.
2. Write the mission log and a tiny 'Answer Key: Mercury first!' hint on the back.
3. Sit the elf inside the capsule with a flashlight beside it as the launch beacon.
4. Tape the mission log flat to the floor in front of the capsule.

Set up

1. Set a mixing bowl and a measuring cup on the kitchen counter.
2. Tie a dish towel or napkin around the elf like an apron and sit it in the bowl.
3. Write the résumé on paper with the two tick boxes and a pencil beside it.
4. Lean the résumé against the bowl so it faces the kitchen entrance.

Set up

1. Set Ava's basketball on the living room floor or sofa and sit the elf on top.
2. Write the scouting report with a few stats, like 'Free throws: suspiciously good'.
3. Leave the blank weakness line and tuck a pen under the elf's arm.

Set up

1. Slip the bookmark out of Ava's current mystery book and leave the note on top of the book.
2. Tape clue 2 flat to the cereal box, pointing to 'where your feet sleep in the morning'.
3. Tuck clue 3 into a slipper or shoe, saying 'The culprit sits where you curl up to read'.
4. Seat the elf on Ava's favorite reading spot holding the bookmark and a 'Case closed. It was me. Your book was too good to put down.' note.