Elf on the Shelf Ideas for the Classroom

If you have a classroom elf, it can be hard to come up with Elf on the Shelf style ideas every day along with all the other things you have to do in the crazy runup to the holidays.

My daughter had one in a couple of her elementary classrooms, and the teachers had the after-school staff move them at the end of the day once the kids were gone. Brilliant!

If you’re doing it yourself — or even if you’re doing it at home — let this post of Elf on the Shelf ideas for the classroom make things a little easier for you.

First off, K Teacher Tiff wants to remind you that doing the elf thing doesn’t have to be hard. Especially with little kids, you don’t have to do big, dramatic scenes, you don’t have to use the name-brand elf, and you can find lots of inspiration online. Which is what we’re here for. She also has an elf journal on Teachers Pay Teachers you can give to kids so they can track the elf’s movements.

For some of that inspiration, Saddle Up for Second Grade has 15 Elf on the Shelf ideas for the classroom, which includes some classics like taping it to the clock or wrapping it in a roll of paper towels on a cold day.

Simply Kinder has a couple of posts with Elf on the Shelf ideas. If you have centers in your classroom (or your house!) there are lots of easy things you can do like have the elf reading a book or doing math. The second post linked here shows some fun accessories she bought her elf, which can give you some ideas for other scenes and things you might craft for your elf. (The candy cane grappling hook is adorable, but you could make something similar with pipe cleaners, for example.)

Chaylor and Mads has a printable introduction letter you can download to share with your class on the first day. That post also has a list of potential names if your class has trouble coming up with one, and ideas for things the elf can do in your classroom.

Sweet for Kindergarten has more cute ideas, including having the elf hanging from a paper chain from the ceiling! And if you need even more ideas, Ms Rachel Vincent has 20 on her blog. I love the idea of having all the elves from different classrooms team up to cause chaos one day (but kids might get emotional trying to ensure “their” elf gets back to the right place, so make sure you know which one is yours!).

Elf on the Shelf Kit for making the 24 days a little easier with props and suggestions.

When it’s hot outside it’s fun to do any kinds of activities that involve ice, water or anything cold. Check out my water and ice activities here, and read on for sensory and science experiments using and inspired by ice cream, and maybe grab a sweet treat after you’re finished.

In the Playroom has a bunch of ice cream inspired STEM challenges that would be great for older kids. These include things like designing an ice cream cone holder that will hold cones upright, making the highest stack of “scoops” (using cotton balls) and making a cover that can keep ice cream from melting so quickly. The challenges and printable pages kids can use as they work on their experiments individually or in teams are included in a free download.

This ice cream water table from Happy Toddler Playtime doesn’t use real ice cream, but you could try chilling the shaving cream for the fake ice cream base (though cans of shaving cream should not be frozen). Or just throw some ice cubes in there while you play.

You could also make fluffy ice cream slime (not edible) with this recipe from STEAMsational Family and use that in a sensory tray or table if you like.

Happy Toddler Playtime also has an ice cream cone volcano idea, which is the classic baking soda and vinegar project with an ice cream twist.

Turn building an ice cream cone into a lesson about sharing with this idea from Extremely Good Parenting. Read the book Should I Share My Ice Cream? and then make paper into an ice cream ball you can share with someone else (or just make for fun).

Learn about states of matter and sequencing with a melting Popsicle experiment (you could also do with ice cream) from Mrs. Jones’ Creation Station. This is a good one if you have a sunny spot on the playground or in the yard where kids can observe and time the melting of a frozen treat, ideally while eating their own. There’s also a free printable for kids to record their observations if they didn’t get too sticky.

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