Our elf is preparing some Christmas music. He has chosen an instrument with a wonderfully silly sound. 🎶
A little red kazoo is resting across his mittens, and the note says “Hum a Christmas tune.”
This easy elf idea sets up a cheerful music challenge for the morning, with no sheet music required.
What you’ll need:
- One official Elf on the Shelf doll (paid link)
- A pack of coloured metal kazoos (paid link)
- A small note and pen
- A folded cloth or cushion to support the elf
Setup:
Sit your elf against a folded cloth and rest one kazoo horizontally across his mittens below his collar. Keep his face visible and leave the instrument outside his closed mouth; he is simply waiting for his concert to begin. Add the “Hum a Christmas tune” note beside him. The linked listing is a pack of six coloured metal kazoos, although this scene needs only one. In the morning, an adult can demonstrate the important trick: hum into a kazoo rather than simply blowing through it. Follow the supplied instructions and age guidance for the instrument. Try a short familiar tune and let the children guess what they have heard, then swap to humming with your own voice for another round. The elf’s tiny performance does not need to be in tune to be funny.
Make it cheaply:
Skip the instrument and lay a rolled paper tube across the elf’s mittens as a pretend kazoo. It will not make a real kazoo buzz, but the children can hum familiar tunes themselves and enjoy the same guessing game. A simple music-note doodle makes a nice extra prop.
Try the elastic-band guitar or the Christmas carol clue cards for another elf scene.
