Our elf has opened a tiny funfair stall, but he still hasn’t mastered his own game! 🎪
Three little posts wait on the tray, with coloured paper hoops ready to throw. He’s holding the next ring and looking very hopeful, while the scorecard simply says “Try again”.
This easy elf idea leaves a little homemade hoopla game for the children. It’s all paper and cardboard, so the stall can disappear back into the recycling afterwards.
What you’ll need:
- One official Elf on the Shelf doll (paid link)
- Three short cardboard-tube sections
- Scrap card, or lightweight white card (paid link), for the bases and rings
- Pens or coloured paper
- Tape or reusable tack
- A tray or flat cardboard playing area
- Paper for the stall sign and scorecard
- Optional small toy spectator
Setup:
Fix each short tube upright on its own card base, using tape or tack. Cut a few flat paper rings with holes comfortably wider than the tubes, then colour them in. Put two rings around posts to suggest the elf has had a little success, and tuck another between his mittens. Sit him beside the game against a small folded-card support, with his legs outside the playing area. Add a “Three throws” sign and the rather discouraging scorecard. A small toy can watch from the other side. In the morning, the children can drop the hoops over the posts from nearby; paper rings don’t need to travel very far to make a fun little challenge.
Make it cheaply:
Roll small strips of packaging into tubes if you don’t have any cardboard tubes to cut. Make rings from the back of a cereal box and colour them with ordinary pencils. Use a container lid as the tray, or tape the posts straight onto a spare cardboard sheet. A one-post version works too if you’re short on time.
Try the Christmas mini-golf course or the Christmas cup-stacking challenge for another elf scene.
