Our elf has found a very small pair of boots. He insists that they were normal-sized when he went to bed! 👢
The full-size wellies are still right behind him, which rather weakens his story. He’s brought a ruler anyway, in case anyone needs proof of this mysterious shrinking incident.
This funny elf idea is all about the size difference. A pair of paper boot shapes beside real footwear makes the joke clear with very little effort.
What you’ll need:
- One official Elf on the Shelf doll (paid link)
- A pair of adult wellies or other large boots
- Coloured craft card (paid link) — choose green — or plain paper and a green pen
- Scissors and tape
- A small ruler
- Paper for a “Who shrank the boots?” note
Setup:
Draw two little boot silhouettes, roughly a few centimetres tall, and colour them to match the large boots. Cut them out, leaving a small strip at the bottom to fold back as a standing tab. Tape the tabs flat so the paper boots stay upright. Put the real boots behind them and sit your elf against one large boot, with his long legs comfortably to the side. Lay the ruler near the paper pair and rest a mitten beside it. Add the question note at the front. Keep the little boots recognisably flat and homemade; they don’t need to look like a realistic doll accessory. The children can compare the two pairs and decide whether the elf’s explanation is convincing.
Make it cheaply:
Use the back of a cereal box for the tiny boots and colour them with whatever pens are nearby. Any big shoes work, so there’s no reason to buy miniature footwear. If cutting tabs is fiddly, simply draw the little pair on one folded card and stand it in front of the real shoes. The ruler is optional too.
Try the shoe train or the cardboard robot costume for another elf scene.
