Our elf has challenged a teddy to table tennis. The note says “First to five!”, so we hope somebody has remembered to keep score! 🏓
The table is a small box with a green-card top. Their bats are made from paper, and the little white ball is scrunched paper too.
This easy elf idea makes a miniature match from things in the recycling box. The elf can sit at one end while a toy takes the other.
What you’ll need:
- One official Elf on the Shelf doll (paid link)
- A small closed box
- Coloured craft card (paid link) — choose green — or paper
- A white pen or thin strips of white paper
- White card for the net
- Red and blue paper for the paddles
- A tiny scrunched-paper ball
- A small teddy or other toy
- Paper for the match note
Setup:
Cover the top of the box with green paper, then draw the border and centre line in white. Fold a low strip of white card for the net and draw a simple mesh pattern on it. Add folded tabs at each end and tape them to the table so the net stays upright. Cut two little paddle shapes, each with a round head and a short handle. Sit your elf at one end against a small support, with his legs resting beside the table. Put the teddy at the other end and place a paddle near each player. Scrunch a small piece of white paper into a ball and leave it on the table. Add the score note at the front. It’s a pretend match, so the paper props only need to suggest the game.
Make it cheaply:
Draw the whole court on an old box lid and use one folded strip for the net. Colour the paddles on scrap packaging instead of using coloured paper. The children can make extra paper balls, gently tap them across the lid and count the points with you.
Try the table-football match or the paper-basketball game for another elf scene.
