Elf On The Shelf: Free Printable Elf Planner, Kit Ideas & Starter Guide
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December is near, which means a certain little festive elf will be returning to a lot of houses and causing havoc, all in the name of Christmas magic.
This is my home base for everything Elf on the Shelf. Start with the free printable Elf On The Shelf planner below, then work through the kit ideas and the rest of my elf posts when you need them.
Want more? Get my mega printable Elf Planner & Tool Kit
Free Printable Elf On The Shelf Planner
It can be surprisingly hard coming up with a new elf idea every single night, and it isn’t uncommon to forget entirely once or twice.
This printable Elf on the Shelf planner is what stops the 11pm panic of standing in the kitchen with no plan. Print it off, fill in the month, and you’re done.
The free bundle includes:
- A daily elf planner for the whole of December
- An elf ideas list to fill it in from
- An elf return letter for 1 December
This is a 3-page sample from my full Elf on the Shelf planning kit, which has the rest of the letters, props and behaviour reports in it.
How To Use The Daily Elf Planner
Print it off, add the December dates, and start filling in ideas.
Take note of any special dates first. Birthdays, school concerts, the day you put the tree up, anything where you’d want the elf to do something themed. Plan those days, then fill the rest in around them.
On 1 December, we usually have our elf arrive with the advent calendars and a return letter. A simple arrival idea.
Then keep the planner somewhere the kids will never find it. Nobody wants to explain that one.
Get your FREE PRINTABLE PLANNER
What Is Elf On The Shelf?
A scout elf arrives on 1 December and stays until Christmas Eve, watching how the kids behave and flying back to the North Pole each night to report to Santa. He can’t be touched or he loses his magic.
The part that makes it fun, and the part that makes it work, is the mischief he gets into while everyone’s asleep.
I was one of those people who screwed up my nose at the whole idea before I had kids. Then I gave in to the fun when our eldest was 3, and now Bo turns up every year.
Come and join our Elfing Around Facebook group for even more ideas and inspiration!
How To Build Your Own Elf On The Shelf Kit
Having a box of props ready before December starts is the difference between a fun month and a stressful one.
Most of what you need is already in the house.
Use what you already have
- Barbie or doll clothing and accessories, which fit an elf almost perfectly
- Play kitchen bits, tea sets, tiny plates and cups
- Balloons and streamers for arrivals and birthdays
- A chalkboard or letterboard, or just paper and pens for notes
- Toilet rolls, which turn into snowmen, trees and ice castles
- Cotton balls for bubble baths and snow
- Sticky tape and fishing line for anything that needs to hang or fly
- Your kids’ own toys, which is where the best scenes come from anyway
- Free printable elf props from my props post
- Free printable scavenger hunt clues for arrival day or a rainy morning
You can also make your own accessories. My Elf on the Shelf Mickey ears tutorial takes about five minutes and a scrap of felt.
Printable Elf On The Shelf Bundle
If you want to take the stress out of this fun but time-consuming holiday tradition, my Elf tool kit is sure to be your new best friend every December!
In this kit, you will find arrival and goodbye letters, a letter to introduce your new elf, blank letterhead, behaviour report cards, printable elf ideas, excuses why the elf did not move, printable lunch box notes, Christmas jokes and much more.
Elf accessories worth buying
If you’d rather buy than make, these are the ones that will give you some fun variety.
You can purchase a pre-made Elf on the Shelf kit from Etsy or Amazon. Many of the physical kits are pretty lame, which is why putting your own together makes more sense.
- Elf on the Shelf Insta Moment Pop-Ups
- The Elf on the Shelf Peppermint Plane Ride
- Elf on The Shelf Snowflake Skirt & Scarf
- Elf on the Shelf Claus Couture 5 Outfit Set
- Mini Elf Door
- Flex Elf Upgrade Kit: Your life will get a whole lot easier once you get this kit and make your Elf flexible!
- Footprint stencil
- Printable letterboard cards
- Elf delivery envelope
- Printable Elf games
- Mega Elf accessories kit (12 or 24 day options)
And from my own shop, the Elf Arrival Scavenger Hunt for a first-day treasure hunt with codes to crack, and What’s Your Elf Name if you’re still naming yours.
Everything Elf On The Shelf
Every elf post I’ve got, in one place. I’ve been Elfing for around a decade now so I’ve learnt plenty of ways to make it easier!
Getting Started
- Elf arrival ideas and free return letter — fifteen ways to announce your elf is back on 1 December, plus the free printable letter. Start here if this is your first year or you want a bigger arrival than usual.
- Elf on the Shelf name generator and 100 name ideas — a generator for a random name, plus a hundred ideas sorted into categories if you’d rather pick.
Elf Ideas
- Easy Elf on the Shelf ideas — my main ideas post, sorted by how long each one takes. Go straight to the 1 minute section on the bad nights.
- Ideas for two or more elves — 29 ideas built around a pair, because two elves need different scenes to one.
- Disney Elf on the Shelf ideas — a full month of Disney themed visits, including how we used the elf to reveal a Disney cruise. Marvel and Star Wars ideas in there too.
- Elf on the Shelf birthday ideas — for the December birthdays. Balloon arrivals, birthday pranks and a wrapped-groceries trick that still gets brought up.
Printables and DIY
- Free printable elf props and accessories — twenty props to print, cut and use straight away.
- Elf scavenger hunt with free printable clues — rhyming clue cards and a candy cane hunt, both free.
- How to make Elf on the Shelf Mickey ears — a five minute felt tutorial with video.
When You Forget To Move The Elf
- 20 reasons the elf didn’t move — for the mornings you forgot. Includes late arrival excuses for when he doesn’t turn up on the 1st at all.
The Complete Elf On The Shelf Tool Kit
If you want the whole month sorted in one download, my printable Elf on the Shelf tool kit is the full version of the free planner.
It’s an instant download with letters from your elf, a welcome letter from Santa for first-year families, behaviour reports, lunch box jokes, Elf on the Shelf printable props, an ideas list and printable prop cards to go with them.
More Christmas ideas:
- Tips to simplify your Christmas
- Non-toy gift ideas for kids
- Christmas traditions to start
- How we do family Secret Santa
- Free printable Santa gift tags
- Fun things to do on Christmas day as a family
- What to put in a Christmas Eve box
- 100 advent calendar fillers
- 110 advent calendar activities
- DIY advent calendar ideas
Do you have an Elf on the Shelf visiting your home this year?
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