Alternatives to Elf on the Shelf for children aged 6 and 9

[Lisa900]

My children who are 6 and 9 got a bit bored of Elf on the shelf last year, is there any other alternatives?

Not doing elf on the shelf? 😂I can't stand that little stasi elf.

Ordinary advent calendar, advent candle? Different craft/baking activities for each day of advent?

Reverse advent calendar- you put something into a box every day and at the end give it to the food bank.

Grab the opportunity to drop it! No alternative needed!

Make the advent calendars a bit more active. E.g. a challenge or puzzle for each door etc. gives something funny and exciting to do each day. But you just need to prepare it once and it's done, unlike the elf which requires daily effort.

Just say no to the elf!

I always used to have 3 tiny stocking, one each for my kids, hanging on the fireplace. Every day in December each of their elves would leave them some sort of christmas chocolate or sweet treat with a letter from each of their elves. On a Saturday they would have something different like hair clips, bath bomb, toy car type thing.

They used to love it and would write letters back to their elves. I miss those days!

Something wrong with an advent calendar and presents on the day itself?
same goes for bloody Xmas eve “boxes”. Load of old landfill tat 😂😂😂

Just don’t do it, no alternative needed! Assuming they have advent calendar’s what else would you need every day of December

Armadillo on the pillow?
Spiny anteater on the water heater?
Louse on the house?

We do the kindness elves 🥰🥰 they leave a message every day with a gift to share or an activity to do, noticing something they've done like great homework, good manners,or looking forward to do

If you’re a wee bit creative and have time…(and need to keep your kids busy!)

Cheap sketch books with a themed challenge drawn in each day - word search, drawing task, colouring (decorate the tree), maths task. Give an Xmas chocolate for each complete task.

Can usually download free colouring sheets to print or worksheets off Etsy if you don’t want to make your own.

We made our own alternative - we have a tomten who hides around the house with a tiny Christmas choc each morning. Kind of a cross between the elf and an advent calendar.

It worked great until the dc were mid primary school when everyone else had an elf and they wanted one too. So we ended up with both a tomten and The Bloody Elf!

I much prefer my tomten!

You could try the little advent fairy book by Sarah Cubitt. It’s a super cute story book of a character that does something each night in Advent, but there is no physical character to move. She does kind and helpful things basically the things to their parents do overnight as standard like tidying but has a very magical feel to it and she also leaves treats in the diy advent calendars. Although might be a little young for 9 year old. I just love the little advent fairy as there’s little labour & prep and is all about kindness. And there’s no panic that it hasn’t moved or been setup as it’s just stuff that parents naturally do anyway! Grab the book and a bag of chocolate coins and your sorted x

I definitely agree the elf stuff is just too much!

Have a "retro" Christmas. Ie cut out most of the faff and expense. Advent calendar during December, tree up when school finishes and a few gifts, a nice dinner and some festive telly on the day!

We are also anti elf!

Our DIY advent calendar is my fave. I fill it with a chocolate per person in the house and then each day has a slip of paper with either a festive joke, fact or activity.

Examples of activities:

Wear Christmas pjs
Listen to Christmas tunes
Read a Christmas book
Go for a drive to look for Christmas lights
Bake mince pies
It's time to buy the tree!
Write Christmas cards
Hang up your stockings
Give to the food bank
Wear a Christmas jumper
Christmas disco at school
Visit a light trail
Go to the panto
Light the next candle on the advent wreath

Once per advent the Grinch visits. He steals the chocolates and leaves clues for a treasure hunt instead. At the end of the hunt he's always dropped most of his stash of stolen treats so it's a bumper chocolate day.

I blooming love advent 😁

My friend does a game with a Christmas rubber duck. She hides it in plain sight on 1 December. Whoever finds it has to move it (always in plain sight). Whoever brings it to dinner on Christmas day is the winner

A Christmas soft toy of any sort who hides wee treats or notes for things like “today we can go for hot choc and marshmallows after school” or might have a Cookie cutter one morning with a baking day planned or salt dough. Or tickets to the panto. Basically things you’d have done anyway but linked to the animal or toy. We had an advent angel who was a rag doll angel… but any wee Xmas themed toy would do.
Kindness linked things like delivering cards to neighbours or donating stuff to food bank or dunelm gift tree things etc could also be linked to this.