Do you have what it takes to be an Elf on the Shelf? An elf has to be quick, quiet, and be able to be still for hours. Let’s get in shape with these fun Elf on the Shelf Games. It’s like a training camp for Elves nd kids who want to get in the Christmas spirit.
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Elf on the Shelf Game: Freeze Elf Dance
Everyone knows that you can’t let the people see you move but all elves love to have fun. In this game you’ll have to practice the art of freezing.
To start, put some Christmas music (you can get some good ones here) on and have all players dance. Next, have someone pause the music. All players now have to freeze. Any player who moves as the humans look around is out of the game. These players can now become the watchers when the music stops. The last player in the game is the winner.
Jiggle Limbo
Elves need to be quiet and to win this Elf on the Shelf game, you will need to be too. To set up the game, you will need several jingle bells tied to a broom stick. To play, have two adults hold each end of the broom at chest height. Then each player will need to limbo under the bar without ringing any bells. If a player does ring a bell, they are out.
After everyone passes under the bar, it’s time to lower the bar. Now everyone has to go back under without making any bells ring.
The last player who hasn’t rung any bells is the winner.
Elf on the Shelf Game: Candy Cane Hunt
Elves love a good sweet and they also have to be able to spot anything to report back to Santa. Warm up your eyes with a candy cane hunt. First, have an adult hide a bunch of mini candy canes in a designated area. Then have all the players see if they can spot them. The player with the most candy canes wins.
Still as Can Be
To be a great Elf on the Shelf you will need to learn to be as still as possible—you can’t have the people see you move. In this game, you will practice your stillness skills.
To play, have one player sit on a chair. The other players try their best to make the elf laugh, smile or move. There is no touching allowed. When that elf moves, it’s the next players turn to be the elf.
After everyone has had a turn to be the elf, the player who lasted the longest is the winner.
Elf on the Shelf Game: Don’t Step on It
Elves need to move through the dark, making sure not to step on anything and possibly wake anyone up. For this game, you will need a blind fold and serval present bows.
To play, determine the start and stop line of crossing a room. Next, tie a blind fold on the first player. Once she can’t see, spread some bows across the floor in between the start and stop lines. Next, line the player up at the start line and have her cross the floor, trying not to step on any of the bows.
When the first player is done, blind fold the next player and rearrange the bows.
The player who steps on the least bows is the winner.
Elf Eye
Elves have to keep a watchful eye and remember all the things that their children do in a day. Sharpen your Elf Eye with this Elf on the Shelf Game.
You will need a large cookie sheet with an arrangement of various Christmas items spread out on it. Once all the items are on it, each player has 30 seconds to look as closely as possible at it. When all of the players have had a chance to look, cover the cookie sheet with a tea towel.
Now all players have a minute to write down as many items that they can remember seeing on the tray. The player who writes down the most items is the winner.
Alternative play: If you have a smaller group, you could cover the tray, take it out of the room and remove one object and recover it. Next, take it back to the group and when everyone can see, take the towel off again. The first person to spot what is missing is the winner.
Elf on the Shelf Game: Hide, Seek, Sit
Everyone knows that elves like to hide in places where it’s hard to see them. In this game, you’ll practice finding a good hiding spot. To play, you will need to pick an object that will be in the spot. It can be a small stuffed animal or something like a cholate kiss or other object. To start, everyone closes their eyes and an adult hides the object. When it is safe, everyone moves around the room looking for the object. When they spot the item, they then sit down. Play continues until all players have found the object.
To make this a longer game, the player who was the last one to find the item now gets to hide the object. You can play as long as you’d like.
As always, you know your group of children best. Feel free to modify the rules to any game to fit the situation and your little elves. The aim of the game is always to have fun and make great memories.
Inspector Elf
Elves can be sneaky and in this game you get to practice the art of sneaking.
To play, pick one player to be the inspector. Next, all other players pose as Elves. Now the inspector goes around the room inspecting the elves. The elves are feeling mischievous and want to move positions. If the inspector sees you move, you’re out of the game. The inspector must keep moving around the room, looking at different elves. The last player in the game wins.
Elf on the Shelf Game: Snowball Fight
Elves love a good snowball fight, but remember elves are small. For this game, you will need a package of cotton balls. To start, give each player the same number of cotton balls, or snowballs. Place the rest around the room or in the pile in the middle. On the count of three, all players are free to throw their snowballs at each other. They can then pick up any snowball and throw it at anyone else. The game is over when everyone is tired out. The player who laughed the hardest is the winner.
Even Steven Elf
To make the games more of an even playing field for younger children, here are some suggestions of modifications. In the candy cane hunt, designate different zones. Maybe the older children can’t pick up a candy cane that is below their knees, or you could have different areas of the room that can only be hunted by the younger kids.
For the games where players have to be still, considering giving the younger players one free pass in each round. Clipping a clothes pin on their shirt and then removing it as their one free pass could be a great way to even the playing field.
In Don’t Step On it, put less bows for younger players and more bows closer together for older ones.
Bonus: Reasons Why Your Elf on the Shelf Didn’t Move
Over the years, there have been a few times where our elf was found in the same spot as she was in the day before. What can I say? It’s a busy time of year. Here are some of the reasons that she didn’t move:
- There was a bad snow storm at the North Pole
- She was super comfortable and just returned to the same spot
- The kids went to sleep too late for there to be time for her to get to the North Pole and back
- She fell asleep
- She forgot that she was there the day before
- Santa told her to stay put as there was a line up to talk to him
- She wanted to see if you (the kids) were playing attention tp her
- She wasn’t finished making the report of all the things that you (the kids) did in the day
- She stayed too long playing with her elf friends that she didn’t have time to find a new spot
- Ask your kids why they think she didn’t move. Kids are very creative and can give you some great ones. This works best after you’ve given a few excuses yourself.
And while I’m at it, I’ll share with you some of our favorite Elf sitting spots that might inspire our elf. Don’t worry, our elf is not very adventurous and has certainly never made flour snow angles!
- Looking down from the celing fan
- Riding a unicorn figurine
- Hanging from a door nob
- Reading a book
- Sitting in a Christmas mug
- Playing dice with a few stuffed animals (my personal favorite)
- Hiding inside a mitten
- Wearing a muffin wrapper as a skirt
- Holding a candy cane
- Sitting in the Christmas tree (this is our Christmas Eve spot so she can go back with Santa)
Official Elf on the Shelf
Now that you’ve gone through our Elf training camp, do you feel ready for fun, adventure and silliness? Then you can be an official Elf on the Shelf!
And if you need a new Elf on the Shelf or maybe a new one, you can shop here. Canadians can shop Elves here.
We hope you liked our elf games. For more Christmas fun, check out Santa UNO, Whacky Putt Christmas (indoor mini golf with dice), and the Candy Cane card game. To see the huge list of Christmas games for the whole family check out our Best Christmas games post. Be sure to visit the Family Game Shelf Shop for more holiday fun.
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