10 inventive Elf on the Shelf ideas

It’s almost December, and that means your trusty Elf on the Shelf will emerge from his storage to take stock and watch your kids' every move right up until Christmas.

For those not in the know, there are two rules: the elf can't move while you’re awake and in turn, you can’t touch him. Since your elf sits so still during the day, he likes to pull pranks while everyone is snoozing. Here are 10 easy and funny ideas for your Elf on the Shelf. For the purpose of this article, let's call our elf  "Charlie." 

Read more: Top 10 toys at The National Toy Hall of Fame>

Your kid isn’t the only one who likes to make snow angels. Charlie enjoys diving into a small pile of flour and spreading his wings. Set him up in the kitchen so your little one can find him at breakfast time.

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There’s nothing Charlie likes better than to kick back and relax in a cup of marshmallows. Set this one up in a cupboard beside the hot chocolate. 

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Like every elf, Charlie loves to hang out with his friends. Why not let him share a sweet drink with his pal Barbie?

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Little tykes will have a good giggle from this one: gather random items from the kitchen and put them in a lunch box. Set your elf up with a sign so your kid knows this odd assortment is for their lunch. 

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This one is discreet, but funny. All you need is a family photo, small red pompoms and tape. Affix the pompoms to everyone’s noses in the photo so it looks like you’re all dressed up as Rudolph.

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Set Charlie up so it looks like he's been working on a masterpiece all night. 

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Charlie is made up of magic and Christmas, so it's no wonder he poos minty candies. Kids will hoot and howl when they wake to find Charlie on the toilet seat. Plop a few candies into the porcelain bowl and set your elf on the edge of the seat–just make sure he doesn’t fall in!

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If you’re worried your elf will fall into the toilet, you can wrap him up in toilet paper. The kids might not even notice until they reach to grab some paper for themselves.

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Looks like somebody has turned the tables and played a trick on Charlie! All you need is some colourful tape so your little one can read the sign when she opens her door.

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Is Charlie hiding or is he stuck? Leave it up to your kid to decide whether or not he wants to set his Elf on the Shelf free.

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