Our elf has booked a round of Christmas mini-golf. Unfortunately, the tunnel is bigger than his putter and the ball keeps refusing to cooperate! ⛳
A green strip of felt becomes the course, with a cardboard arch halfway along and a paper-cup hole at the end. He’s sitting beside the first shot, looking as though he’s been considering it for hours.
This easy elf idea also leaves a little game for the children to try. Keep the course short and the ball soft, and there’s hardly anything to tidy away afterwards.
What you’ll need:
- One official Elf on the Shelf doll (paid link)
- A strip of craft felt (paid link) (green looks nice; pack colours may vary), paper or thin cardboard
- A small soft craft pom-pom (paid link) for the golf ball
- Two blunt wooden lolly sticks (paid link) and tape for a putter
- Scrap card for a tunnel
- A paper cup or small cardboard box for the final hole
- Paper and a pen for signs
Setup:
Lay out the green base on the floor or a broad tray. Bend a strip of card into an arch and tape the ends down to make a tunnel. At the far end, turn a paper cup upside down and cut a doorway at the rim so the pom-pom can roll inside. Tape two lolly sticks into an L-shaped putter. Sit your elf against a low box at the start, with the putter resting between his mittens and the ball just ahead. Add a “North Pole golf” sign and a number on the final hole. The children can roll the ball by hand if the little club proves rather temperamental.
Make it cheaply:
Draw the course on green packaging or plain paper. A small crumpled paper ball works instead of a pom-pom, and a folded strip of thick card can replace the putter. Use a cereal-box corner for the tunnel and another folded piece for the hole. Decorate with scraps of Christmas wrapping paper rather than buying miniature sports props.
Try bottle-cap curling or the North Pole skate park for another elf adventure.
