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Free Printable Elf on the Shelf Planner + Elf Kit Ideas

December is near, which means a certain little festive elf will be returning to many homes and causing some havoc all in the name of Christmas magic. Of course, I am talking about the Elf on the Shelf – a modern tradition that is becoming more and more popular in households with kids.

To help keep you organised during December, I have created a free printable Elf on the Shelf planner!

Plus to keep you one step ahead, tips for putting together your very own Elf on the Shelf tool kit… with Elf props and accessories to inspire plenty of mischievous fun!

Want more? Get my mega printable Elf Planner & Tool Kit

Elf on the shelf planner and elf kit

What Is Elf on the Shelf?

If you haven’t heard of Elf on the Shelf (and have perhaps been hiding under a rock during the past decade of Decembers), it involves the arrival of a rather cute little Elf on the 1st of December each year.

He visits your house each day to make sure the children of the household are behaving.

Each night he returns to the North Pole to let Santa know if the child has been naughty or nice.

But that’s not where the story ends. The Elf on the Shelf is a mischievous Santa’s Helper and gets into all sorts of fun during his visits. But he cannot be touched.

If he is touched, the magic disappears.

Make sure you come and join our Elfing Around Facebook group for even more ideas and inspiration!

What This Means For Parents

It pretty much means not only do you have a little fun getting creative each night with your Elf on the Shelf’s location and latest mischief. But you also have extra incentive to keep the kids behaving in the lead up to Christmas Eve.

No wonder so many parents are on board with this new tradition.

Personally, I was one of those people who screwed up my nose at the thought of it before becoming a mum. Then I had kids and started to come around to the idea.

Now we have a regular visitor – Bo the Elf – each year and it has become a bit of extra fun during December!

We have an adorable boy Elf. You can get a girl elf and scout elves with different hair colours and skin tones. Some families even choose to have 2 Elves on the Shelf or more join their family – one per child.

Free Printable Elf On The Shelf Planner

Printable elf on the shelf planner return letter

It can be surprisingly hard coming up with creative Elf on the Shelf ideas each night. It isn’t too uncommon to forget sometimes too unless you plan ahead!

This printable Elf on the Shelf planner will help you avoid those late-night panics of not knowing what to do with the elf. It is for you to print off and help keep you organised and creative with your planning during your Elf visits.

Get your FREE PRINTABLE PLANNER

This bundle is a 3-page sample from my mega Elf on the Shelf planning kit. The freebie also comes with an elf ideas list and an Elf return letter so you are ready to roll for a month of magical moments.

You can also find some awesome and creative Elf on the Shelf inspiration to help get you started!

And in case you do get a bit forgetful during December with everything else you have to plan, make sure you’ve got a few excuses for why the Elf on the Shelf forgot to move too!

Free printable elf on the shelf planner

How to Use The Free Printable Elf on the Shelf Planner

This planner is simple to use. Print it off, add the dates in December and start planning your ideas.

If you haven’t already got ideas, check out my inspiration post and head over to Pinterest for plenty more ideas too.

Take note of any special dates you have in December, such as birthdays or other celebrations where you may want to theme your Elf’s activities around what is happening with your family.

Plan these days first and then you can work out the rest around it.

For the 1st of December, we usually have our elf bring advent calendars and a return letter to welcome him back.

And most importantly, keep your planner in a safe place where it won’t be found by your kids! No one wants to explain that…

How To Create An Elf On The Shelf Tool Kit

An Elf on the Shelf kit is the perfect way to have plenty of cool ideas ready to go well before December rolls around.

Having a collection of props and ideas ready to go will make your life easier and delight your kids when they see the exciting new things their elf has gotten up to each night.

You can purchase a pre-made Elf on the Shelf kit from Etsy or Amazon or get my mega Elf on the Shelf tool kit in my store.

You can also create one of your own using items you already have in your house.

To create your own Elf kit all you need is a few suitable props and accessories that you can use with your Elf. Many of these are items you may already have at home, especially if your child has similar-sized toys.

Here are some items that you can include in your elf kit:

  • Barbie clothing and accessories
  • Balloons and streamers
  • Tea set and play kitchen accessories
  • Chalkboard, paper & pens
  • Elf scavenger hunt clues

You can get my complete printable tool kit bundle in my online store:

Elf on the shelf tool kit

Elf on the Shelf Props & Accessories

If you want to up-level your Elf game, while there are a few official Elf on the Shelf accessories available, there are also a huge range of Elf-inspired props and petite accessories that are perfect for nightly scenes.

Add a couple of these to the things you already have at home and you will easily be inspired to create fun new activities for your house Elf every single night.

Don’t forget to add your ideas to your planner so you know what you’re doing when!

Official Elf on the Shelf accessories:

The official Elf on the Shelf store has plenty of cool accessories these days, including Elf Pets, in case you want to expand your family a little further:

Elf Props & Accessories on Amazon

Amazon has a massive collection of Elf accessories, including a variety of Elf babies and different look elves from the well-known Scout Elf. Here are some of my favourites to help you get started:

Elf accessories on Etsy

The home of handmade is full of Elf inspired accessories and fun props. Find loads of Elf inspiration, including printable props that you have instant access too (perfect if you left things until the last minute) on Etsy:

Elf mask
Elf return envelope
Printable elf games

Now print off that Elf on the Shelf planner and start planning your December fun. Get your Elf kit ready to go and you won’t have any last-minute panic of not knowing what to do with your Elf.

Make sure you check out my inspiration post for some simple ideas.

And of course, see what your friends are up to on Facebook… some people go all out to keep that Christmas magic alive for their kids!

Free printable elf planner and elf on the shelf return letter

Check out more Christmas ideas here:

Do you have an Elf on the Shelf visiting your home this year?

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Free elf on the shelf planner accessories