The traditional Elf on a Shelf concept seems so fun. Having the elf appear each day somewhere for the kids to find. The idea is that the elf is making sure they are behaving themselves and not being "naughty" for Santa and whether they deserve presents for the holidays. I'm not a huge fan of this concept. I want my kids to learn that giving comes from the heart out of love, not because of good behavior. Most of all I want the holidays to be a charitable time for my family and an opportunity to teach them to have a giving heart. So needless to say this idea from Imagination Tree was the perfect opportunity to have some fun while teaching my children these valuable lessons.
Here is the idea..
You find some fun little Elf dolls (Etsy or Amazon both have some really neat ones) and have them show up at your house on December 1st as Santa's Little Helpers who love to help and show kindness. Similar to Elf on a Shelf, they will show up each morning somewhere new holding a little sign that says something about a act of kindness. For example, "let's bake some cookies for the neighbors" and put them next to the cookie mix. The Elf will also have a little note for the kids seeing them do something kind, for example, "You were so kind helping your sister put her shoes on yesterday". And occasionally during the month the Elf does a random act of kindness for the kids. For example, tidying the playroom for them, modeling direct ways to be helpful and kind.
Turning Elf on a Shelf into a positive reinforcement for desirable behaviors is exactly the type of activity I was looking for for the holidays. If there is anything I teach my children, I hope it is to be kind to others and have a giving heart. While Riley is too young this year to understand the concept, we will definitely be using this in the years to come!
Find the idea here:
http://theimaginationtree.com/2013/11/alternative-elf-on-shelf-tradition-kindness-elf.html
-Alyssa
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