Our elf has borrowed a familiar story setting and moved underneath the bridge. Three paper goats are waiting above him. 🐐
The note asks “Who’s crossing my bridge?” He looks more curious than fierce.
This funny elf idea makes a little story-play scene with a cardboard bridge and your own goat shapes.
What you’ll need:
- One official Elf on the Shelf doll (paid link)
- A small cardboard box for a bridge
- Paper or coloured craft card (paid link) for three goats
- Scissors, tape, a folded cloth and a note
Setup:
Have an adult cut a broad arch into each side of the box, leaving the top intact as the bridge deck. Check that your elf’s head fits comfortably through the opening. Draw and cut three simple goat profiles in different sizes, adding short horns and a beard, then tape each one to a folded paper base. Place them on top of the bridge. Lie your elf on his front underneath it, with his face and mittens looking out through the near arch. A small folded cloth under his chest makes the pose easier to support. Add the “Who’s crossing my bridge?” note. In the morning, the children can name the smallest and biggest goats, move the paper characters across the bridge and invent their own friendly conversation with the elf. There is no need to copy a book’s illustrations or wording.
Make it cheaply:
Make the bridge from a recycled box and the goats from scrap paper. If drawing animals is tricky, write “small goat”, “middle goat” and “big goat” on three folded cards instead. They still give the children characters to move around, and the elf’s hiding place supplies the scene.
Try the spaghetti bridge or the tiny elf library for another elf scene.
