Make your elf visits even more magical this year with these interactive elf ideas that invite kids to join in the fun. Instead of simply finding the elf each morning, these activities encourage children to play, explore and participate.
From scavenger hunts and silly challenges to fun games and exciting science experiments, these ideas will take your elf pranks to the next level and turn them into an engaging experience for the whole household. These interactive ideas are great hands-on ways for the kids to get involved in the elf's adventures and magic without breaking the no touching rule.
INTERACTIVE GAMES KIDS CAN PLAY WITH THEIR ELF
Instead of just setting up the elves playing with games your kids already own, the elf can set up an interactive game where your children have to participate to find or win a prize. You can use pieces of candy, individually wrapped chocolates, mini Christmas novelty toys or mini figurines as prizes. None of these games require the kids to touch the elf in order to be involved, so they can still be done in households that have the no touching rule.
Hidden treats in cups
The elf can cover a room with upside down paper cups that are hiding treats, but only some of them have treats hidden underneath. The children need to go through and flip the cups to find the treats.
If you have more than one child get them to take turns picking one cup each and turning it over. Whoever finds a treat gets to keep it. Make sure you use an equal number of cups for each of the kids so each child gets the same number of picks and the chances of finding a treat are fair.
Roll a dice to win a prize from numbered cups
Another similar game is where the elf leaves 6 upside down cups, with different treats underneath, numbered 1-6. Children roll a dice to determine which cup they get a prize from, first person to roll the number gets that cup.
Would you rather game
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| Image | Together to Eat |
The elf can leave 2 different food options for the kids to choose from with a note asking them which one they would rather eat. E.g would you rather eat chocolate covered brussel sprouts or marshmallows with hot sauce? Make sure you don't use items that could actually hurt them e.g. hot chillies. Leave enough of each option so each child gets to take a turn.
Is it cake game
Just like the popular Netflix show Is it Cake, the elves can set up their own version using one food item and other items from around the house. It works best if they use all the same type of item, e.g. trees like above, so it's a little harder for the kids to guess which one is cake.
The kids can try and work out which one is cake just by looking at it like on the show, or to make it more interesting let them touch or small the items too. I wouldn't advise letting them taste test if you're using potentially hazardous items like crayons or bath bombs that shouldn't be ingested.
Prize wrapped in yarn game
The elf can leave a special surprise for the kids and wrap it up in a ball of yarn so they need to unwind it all the get the prize. Make sure you leave one for each child. If you don't want to use something new then wrap up on of their existing small toys and leave a note that says unwrap to see what's inside.
Candy cane pick up game
The elf can set up a game of candy cane pick up for the family to play. Leave a pile of candy canes in the middle of the table and then a single candy cane for each person. Everyone must hold a candy cane in their mouth and use the bendy end to try and scoop up as many other candy canes as they can from the pile within 2 minutes. They get to keep any they can pick up. It sounds easy, but its very tricky.
Pull a string to win a random prize game
Put different prizes onto paper plates and attach a string to each plate. Gather all the strings together through a hole in a paper cup so the strings can be pulled without knowing what plate they're connected to.
The prizes can include a mix of good items and booby prizes {like the apples shown above} that the kids won't actually want to win. Each child has the same chance of winning a good, or not so good prize, each time they pull a string.
Pop the balloons to win a prize
The elf can leave a heap of blown up balloons, some have prizes in them and some don't. Children need to pop the balloons to find a prize.
If you're adding the actual prizes inside of the balloons use black balloons so they can't cheat by being able to see which ones have a prize. Or you can use any coloured balloons and write prizes onto paper in all balloons and have some say try again.
Shoot the tree to win a prize
Make a fake Christmas tree using empty paper cups or toilet paper rolls. Fill each one with a small prize e.g. chocolate, a hot wheels car, or mini figurine and then cover the end with green tissue paper and secure it with a rubber band or tape. Arrange them in the shape of a Christmas tree with a toilet paper roll trunk.
The elf can put the kids nerf gun with some foam bullets beside it so they can take turns shooting out a spot to find a prize. Or, you could simply have the children break open a spot with their hands.
CHALLENGES THE ELF CAN SET UP FOR KIDS
The elf can also set up fun challenges where the kids have to figure something out like guessing mystery items, building structures, deciphering messages or solving puzzles. These are great for school age kids who can already read.
Mystery drink challenge
The elf can set up a mystery drink challenge by putting a few different drinks inside a box, so they can't be seen, and poking straws through the box for the kids to drink from. Each child has to guess the drink from the taste. If you set it up the night before I suggest setting it up in the fridge so things like milk don't spoil overnight.
You can use common drinks like milk, juice, softdrink {soda}, cordial and water. If you want to make it even trickier use different flavours of drinks they know e.g. vanilla coke instead of plain coke or strawberry milk instead of plain milk. You can also add in things they may have never had before like sparkling mineral water to throw them off.
Mystery box challenge
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| Image | Fabyuleus Elf Duo |
Just like the mini version shown above, the elves can set up a mystery box for the kids to put their hands in to guess what's inside. Just use any cardboard box that's big enough, cut out two holes for their hands and then place one or two objects inside for them to touch and feel to guess what they are.
Make sure it's all set up without the kids seeing and the open side of the box is either taped back up, or facing away from the kids. You can use gross items like slime, or use Christmas items like ornaments, bells, tinsel etc.
Build a gumdrop house challenge
The elf can bring some gumdrop lollies and toothpicks for the kids to use to build their own gumdrop house. This is a great stem activity where they need to figure out how to arrange the matchsticks and the lollies together the same as the picture in order to create their own house.
If you want to try more challenging builds you can get these free printable gumdrop challenge cards to use. Of course the best part about this challenge for the kids is they can eat the lollies afterwards.
Decodable message
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| Image| The Elf on The Shelf |
The elf can leave a special message for your child or children that is written in code so they have to figure out what the message says. The one above is from the Elf on the Shelf and you can download it here. They also have a Christmas code cracker that you can use {download it here}.
You can also get a free printable elf secret message game here where kids need to answer questions to decipher the letters of the code and reveal a secret message. If you want you can create your own code to use.
Elf escape room
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| Image | Digital by Sam Whiting |
For the ultimate interactive experience, the elf can set up an escape room with multiple games, riddles and puzzles that the kids need to solve. You can get a printable one here and then you only need to have a padlock, toy jail and some coloured blocks to set up all the activities.
Or, if you have older kids you can do a free virtual elf escape room online at The Suburban Mom. This doesn't require any set up but the kids will need access to a computer and the internet to play.
SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS THE ELF CAN CREATE FOR KIDS
something about these are science experiments where the elf can leave the items needed to complete them and the kids can do it in the morning to watch it unfold in real time.
Skittles experiment
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| Image | @jamesandholly.eots |
The elves can help the kids turn a plate of Skittles into a real life rainbow right before their eyes. You'll need some Skittles, a shallow plate and some warm water. The elves can leave the Skittles rainbow instructions so the kids can complete the experiment themselves in the morning.
Lava Lamp Experiment
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| Image | Crafty Morning |
The elf can bring everything the kids will need to make their very own exploding lava lamp. You'll need Alka-Seltzer tablets, some oil, water and food colouring. The elf will need to leave the instructions to make a lava lamp so the kids know how to put it altogether to create the bubbling explosion.
If the kids love this experiment, you can make lava lamp sensory bottles to use over and over so it's not a one time reaction.
Snow storm experiment
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| Image | My Heavenly Recipes |
The elf can help the kids create a magical blizzard inside of a jar. In a very similar experiment to the lava lamp one above, you'll need some clear oil, white paint, water and an Alka-Seltzer tablet. Follow the instructions here.
Grow a rainbow
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| Image | My Heavenly Recipes |
The elf can also leave all the items kids will need to watch a rainbow grow across paper. You'll need some white paper towel, washable markers in rainbow colours and 2 cups of water. Leave the paper towel with both ends already coloured and the cups of water and the elf can tell the kids to put the paper in the cups in the morning.
Watch the video here to see how the experiment works.
SCAVENGER HUNTS THE ELF CAN SET UP FOR KIDS
Even younger kids can participate in these easy hunt ideas, they're just like a fun version of hide and seek. If there's instruction cards just read them out loud for the kids who can't read yet.
Scavenger hunt for the elf
Instead of simply moving to a new spot and the kids getting up to look for the elf in the morning, have the elf create a scavenger hunt where the kids need to follow a trail of clues in order to find their hiding spot. You can create clue cards yourself or get elf arrival scavenger hunt cards here for the kids to find the elf on the first day back.
Candy cane hunt
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| Image | Paper Heart Family |
The elf can hide a packet of candy canes in different spots around the house. The kids will have to go looking through the house to find them. Whoever finds the candy canes gets to keep them. You can get the free printable candy cane hunt card here.
If you want to avoid the possible sugar high you can use these printable candy cane hunt cards instead of real candy canes. This year I've bought candy cane ornaments to hide instead of real ones and the kids will get to exchange the ones they find for a prize at the end.
Christmas scavenger hunt
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| Image | Elf on the Shelf |
Print off this free printable indoor Christmas scavenger hunt from the Elf on the Shelf website and the elf can leave it for the kids to go around the house and tick off each item as they find it. Make sure you have all the items on the list in the house or cross out the pictures of the ones you don't have.
Duck the halls
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| Image | Cultivating Brilliant Minds |
The elf can duck the halls to decorate for Christmas {a way more fun play on deck the halls}, by hiding rubber ducks around the house for the kids to find. The elf can use normal rubber ducks, Christmas themed rubber ducks, or to make it even harder, tiny mini ducks or mini Christmas ducks.
Make sure the elf leaves a note letting the kids know how many ducks are hidden so they'll know when they've found them all. If you want to hide 10 you can get the free printable note shown above from here. This activity could last one day or could end up going on the whole of December depending how hard they're hidden.
Find the hidden money
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| Image | Shinichi Day |
If you prefer the elf hides something more useful than novelty toys, they could hide money around the house instead. Again make sure the elf leaves a note letting the kids know how much money is hidden so they'll know when they've found it all.
If you have more than one child you may want to work out how the money will be split between the kids to avoid meltdowns if one child finds more than another.
Find elf hidden under paper cups
Similar to hiding sweet treats under the cups earlier in this post, the elf can hide themselves in a cup. Place lots of upside down cups around the room and leave a note for the kids to find which one the elf is hiding in. You may need to use jumbo paper cups to fit the elf in properly.
MAGIC TRICKS KIDS CAN HELP THE ELF DO
All kids know elves are magic and they can show off this magic doing lots of different magic tricks throughout December, however these magic tricks below take it even one step further by allowing the kids to create the magic alongside the elf.
Secret message in drink
The elf {or elves} can leave a secret message on a glass or plastic cup that's covered by a dark drink {e.g. Coke or cold black coffee} and leave a message for the kids to add milk to the drink in the morning.. When they add milk to the drink it will change to a lighter colour and the magic message will appear.
Magic eggs
One of the most well known magic tricks elves can do is turn normal eggs into Kinder Surprise eggs! The kids will need to sprinkle some special glitter {or sprinkles} onto the eggs to help the magic happen overnight. The next morning the eggs will turn into Kinder Surprise eggs for the kids to eat with a toy inside they can keep.
If you don't have Kinder Surprise eggs where you live {in some places they are banned}, you can always use any other type of surprise eggs that contain toys.
Growing Christmas treats
The elf can leave special items for the children to plant in dirt or flour and overnight they'll grow into special treats for the kids to eat. The most popular version is peppermints that grow into candy canes, however there are many other options like Skittles into rainbow candy canes or cheerio cereal into donuts.
Snowing inside
The elf can even make it snow inside the house, but they'll need the kids help. The elf can leave the snow on top of a fan and leave a note for the kids to turn on the fan once Mum & Dad are awake with them. Once it's turned on the snow will start falling just like real snow.
There are many snow alternatives that can be used including cut up paper {cut tiny or cut out with a hole punch}, artificial snow powder, mini bean bag filler {although these may be harder to balance on a fan}, or cut up packing peanuts.
If you're looking for even more fun, easy, or even elaborate Elf on the Shelf ideas, join our Facebook group Elfing Around for lots of inspiration from thousands of elf enthusiasts around the world.
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