The SWEETEST Ever! Elf On The Shelf Candy Cane Ideas

In this post I’ll show you a ton of cool and silly off on the shelf candy cane ideas that you won’t need to spend hours and hours creating – they’re easy, I promise!

Candy canes are a really versatile candy because of their unique shape. There are lots of ways elves can play with them!

Candy Cane Skiis

Making skis out of candy canes for your elf is an obvious choice, because the candy canes are exactly the right size and shape to be skis for an elf!

Female elf on the shelf doll Going skiing with candy canes.

To make the candy cane skiis:

A photo illustrating how the candy canes are taped to the elves legs.
  1. Lay the elf on a flat surface and place two candy canes near it, one beside each leg.
  2. Tape the candy canes on to the bottom of the leg using scotch tape (or another type of strong tape that won’t un-stick easily).
  3. Bend the legs up right where you have taped them to the candy cane.

Be careful that you don’t break the candy canes! They are fragile.

If you need help making your elf bendable, read my guide here: How To Make Your Elf On The Shelf Bendable

Candy Cane Sled

Zoom zoom zoom, you don’t have to have snow outside to let yourself go sledding! Just need some candy canes.

A girl elf on the shelf doll sitting in a sled made by taping candy canes together.

A candy cane sled is a really fun and simple idea you can do for your elf. It takes about 5 minutes to throw it all together. If you’re planning ahead for your elf ideas, you can get started making the candy cane sled beforehand so it’s ready to go on the night you plan to set it out.

A girl elf on the shelf doll sliding down a candy cane sled that is taped to the stairs railing.

To make the candy cane sled, simply take 4-6 candy canes and hold them in position with one hand, on a table. Lay a piece of tape across the candy canes and press the sides of it down on the table to hold it. Then add a second piece of tape on the other end of the canes. Both these pieces will be on the straight end of the candy canes.

Next, carefully lift up the candy canes and wrap the tape around so it sticks to the back. Now your candy cane elf sled is ready to go!

A photo illustrating how to tape candy canes together to make them into a sled for your elf on the shelf.

Candy Cane Hunt

You can write a little note or print out the one I’ve made (it’s free!) so that your kids won’t recognize your handwriting.

-Can you find all the candy canes?

-I hid ____ candy canes around the room! Can you find them all?

If you don’t have any candy canes, no problem! Print out this image of candy canes and cut it out. It’s available in color as well as one that you can add colors to if that works better for you.

Elf On The Shelf Candy Cane Hunt Printable

Free Candy Canes For Clean Rooms

Just place the candy canes in a glass or jar on the table and have the elf sit beside it. Make a little note (or print one out from here) that says “Free Candy Canes For Clean Rooms!”

I Love You Candy Cane Message

This one is so easy – take a piece of paper and place two candy canes on it, to make a heart shape as shown:

Then write “I” above the heart and “You” below the heart so that it reads “I Love You”. You can make one for each child if you want. For this elf idea, the elf just sits nearby!

Another way you can do this one is by just using candy canes. Write “I ❤︎ U”

Candy Cane Trapeze

To make a candy cane trapeze that your elf on the shelf can hang from, just tie a long bit of ribbon, yarn, or other sturdy string to each side of a candy cane. Then hang it from a hook or light on the ceiling or wall. Bend the elf so it’s arms or legs are attached to the candy cane and it will look like it’s swinging in the elf circus!

Candy Cane Zipline

This candy cane zipline is one of our kids’ favorites! Check out our post to see how you can set it up: Elf On The Shelf Zipline

On the shelf dog zip lining through the house using a candy cane.

Candy Cane Mini Golf

This is another cute little candy cane idea for the elves that looks a lot fancier than it actually is.

To make the elf look like they’re mini golfing using a candy cane, first you’ll need to choose a suitable location. A bookshelf, counter or other spot where the elf can stand without getting bumped is good – make sure the elf can lean on a vertical surface such as the wall.

If you have a green piece of paper, or a piece of green felt or cloth you can use, that can help to make it look like grass. But it’s not necessary.

Then position the elf so it looks like they’re standing and holding a candy cane with the curved side down, to look like a golf club. Color a small black circle on a piece of paper and cut it out – then place it on the “golf course” to make the hole.

Lastly, use a mini marshmallow or a small ball (gumball or other small round candy perhaps) to make the golf ball.

Magic Christmas Seeds

I find this elf idea so silly and I think kids love it for how goofy it is. It’s called “Magic Christmas Seeds” and basically what we’re going to be doing is growing some candy canes! This idea takes up 2 days, so it’s double fun!

First, find something you can use as the elf’s magic Christmas seeds. Christmas sprinkles, M&M candies, peppermint candies, Christmas-colored Tic-Tacs…. use what you’ve got! Take about 5-10 of them (make sure you have an equal number of candy canes) and place the “seeds” in a small dish.

Next to the dish, you’ll put a sign that reads, “Plant these Magic Seeds in sugar, blow them plenty of kisses, and sprinkle them with love!”

Be sure that you have sugar on hand to place in a small dish with the kids’ help. Then let them plant the little magic seeds into the sugar.

For the second day, spoon out the magic seeds first, then stick an equal number of candy canes into the sugar so that it looks like they have grown their over night.

The result is fun and will surely be one that they remember!