Make an easy Elf on the Shelf craft with this free template, construction paper, and a paper bag. Kids will love this paper bag elf puppet!
If you have young children, then I’m sure you are more than familiar with the Elf on the Shelf who comes every holiday season!
I have quite a few posts on the famous Elf, including Elf on the Shelf printables, Elf on the Shelf ideas like a scavenger hunt, and Elf notes.
But today we are going to make a cute Elf on the Shelf craft! And the best part is, you probably have all the materials you need around the house.
Easy, cute, and cheap… my favorite type of Christmas craft! And the best part is, making crafts together is a great way to spend quality time with your child during the craziness of the season (or some people call it holiday fun!).
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In case you are just hearing about the Christmas elf, he or she are cute (and some may say creepy) little scout elves that check on young children during the day and then fly home to the North Pole to report to Santa every night.
That’s why they are in a new spot all over the house each morning like in a Christmas tree or a stocking and children love searching everywhere until they find their own elf.
Using a Elf is a fun way to make sure the kiddos are on their best behavior to get on the nice list during the holiday season until their return on Christmas Eve!
You can learn all about the Elf on the Shelf and some of my favorite ideas (including elf pets!) on the Elf website here.
If you are in need of simple ideas, check out social media! Parents love to take photos and post about all the trouble even the best elf gets into. I’ve seen such fun ideas as an elf wrapped in Christmas lights and falling in the toilet.
Sometimes I think parents love this Christmas tradition even more than the kids, lol!
How to Make Elf on the Shelf Puppet
Have your kids make a new elf that they can touch and take anywhere!
The following Elf on the Shelf craft puppet comes with a free template that you can download at the bottom of the post!
The template has a collar, head, hair, pompom, hat, gloves, sleeves, and trousers.
Tools
- Pencil
- Craft glue
- Sharpie or gel pen
- Printer
- Scissors
Instructions
- Download the Elf on the Shelf puppet craft template below and print on regular copy paper. Cut the pieces of the template out. Then trace around the template patterns on the corresponding colored craft paper and cut them out with scissors.
- Glue the small white circle (hat pompom) on the tip of the hat cutout and the glove pieces on the sleeves.
- Glue the hair on the top part of the head cutout.
- Cut two small round shapes out of pink paper for the cheeks. Now it's time to put your kid's artistic side to work! Draw and cut out a pair of eyes (whatever eye color you want) from white paper. I'd recommend looking at a few pictures online of the different Elf on the Shelf toys for a cute idea of their eyes!
- Glue the blush cutouts and eyes to the Elf head. Then use a Sharpie to draw the rest of the face (nose and mouth) of the cute Elf.
- Glue the hat with it's pompom to the top side of the head.
- Cut a piece of red paper the size of one side of a brown paper lunch bag.
- Glue the collar to the red rectangle you just cut out. This will be the shirt of the Elf on the Shelf puppet.
To give the little elf some dimension, glue cotton balls on the collar. - Attach the red trouser leg cutouts to the bottom side of the shirt.
- Now attach the entire body to the paper bag under the flap with glue.
- On the flattened part of the paper bag, glue the head on.
- To finish the Elf on the Shelf craft, attach the arm pieces to both sides of the paper bag!
Notes
The printable elf template to download is below! Have the paper elf participate in elf activities with the real Elf on the Shelf for more fun!
This fun elf would be a great idea to make at craft time during school holiday parties or a Christmas-themed birthday party!
Elf on the Shelf Puppet Template
As with all my free printables, these are for personal use only! Please no selling or redistributing of PDF files or digital downloads. Thank you!
The template will automatically download or pop up and is a three-page PDF file. Just print on any home printer on white copy paper.
If you are in search of more Elf on the Shelf crafts, make sure to check out SimpleEverydayMom.com who uses paper plates for the elf face and provides step-by-step instructions!
Make the craft time extra special with some sweet treats Elf style then get inspired by these Elf on the Shelf last minute ideas!
If you’d like to save this cute Christmas craft for next Christmas season, simply hover over the image below and PIN It now!
Thanks so much for stopping by and have a Merry Christmas! Have fun making the cute little guy!
