Per official Elf on the Shelf lore, a touched Scout Elf loses their magic. Learning this fact could leave your kids spiraling down an endless rabbit hole of unwanted outcomes — ending up on the naughty list and Christmas being cancelled being their chief concerns, according to my own kids.
Santa advises that no family member touch their Elf on the Shelf, but he does describe a few rare instances when an adult may use tongs or potholders to help an elf in an urgent situation.
Tell them Santa asked you to help the elf move because they weren't feeling 100% after visiting the North Pole. Santa may have given you a phone call, text you, emailed you, or the elf came back with a note {whatever works best at the time}.
Have them sprinkle a little cinnamon on their Elf. If you want to take it further, have the kids sing Christmas carols.
Each morning, the elf chooses a new vantage point from which to keep an eye on the kids. The night before Christmas, the elf flies off one last time to spend the year with Santa until reappearing next season. Every night, a parent hides the elf in a new place.
It erodes intrinsic motivation
As a classroom management system, the Elf on the Shelf is pretty terrible. Having a spy in the classroom doesn't exactly promote an environment conducive to respect, kindness, and learning.
Santa is real in the sense that he was an actual person. Otherwise known as Saint Nicholas, his story goes all the way back to the 3rd century. He was a monk who was born in 280 A.D. in modern-day Turkey. As an only child, he was given great affection by his parents.
Leave a note!
One popular way to bid farewell is to have your elf leave a special, personal message for your kid, whether it's a typewritten note or a message spelled out in candy or plastic letters on the fridge or on snow-painted window or mirror.
The Elf Must Not Be Touched
Considered the most important rule, the Scout Elf must never be touched (of course, apart from when the parents move them around) as that will cause them to lose their magical powers.
Are you supposed to cut the tie between their hands? This is again a personal decision. Some people don't and some people do. The reason you would cut them would be to make your elf easier to position when placing him each night.
Even though your kiddos probably want to embrace your Elf with tons of love before he leaves, he still has to fly back to the North Pole. So, just like the other 23 days, don't touch the Elf.
Santa advises that no family member touch their Elf on the Shelf, but he does describe a few rare instances when an adult may use tongs or potholders to help an elf in an urgent situation.
According to elf legend, the elf moves each night. Some mornings, though, kids might find themselves asking why the elf is still in its same place.
And for all intents and purposes, the Elf on the Shelf is real. It's a real doll, after all. The real question is, though, do you think the Elf on the Shelf is real? And I'm here to tell you that, yes, it is.
What are the Rules for Elf on the Shelf? The Kids can not touch the elf. If they touch the elf then the elf can not fly back to the north pole that night. The elf does not move nor speak when the kids are awake.
Parents need to know that although Elf has some potty language and mild swearing ("pissed," "hell," "damn," etc.) and a few references to bodily functions, it's family friendly at its core.
According to The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition, the night before Christmas, an elf's job comes to an end. On December 24, most Scout Elves say farewell to their families and fly back to the North Pole following Santa's sleigh.
"It's not an overnight shift in thinking," says Laura Lamminen, Ph. D., a pediatric psychologist at Children's Health℠, "and there's no set age where children should know the truth about Santa Claus." Dr. Lamminen says each family and each child within that family will be ready to talk about Santa at different ages.
In 2019, House Method surveyed more than 4,500 families across the United States, and found the overall average age for no longer believing in Santa Claus is 8.4 years old. (But it varies by state: Kids in Mississippi generally believe until they're 10, while kids in Oregon stop believing at 7.)
Nick is fictional. About 40 percent of the parents polled by the site said the right age to break the news about Santa to children is between the ages of 8 and 12, while one in 10 adults feel you can put off that disclosure until after kids turn 12.
In the order, Leonard wrote that the Elves are a distraction to school students and a "risk to the emotional health and well being" of children. "When these Elves do not move, it leaves our children of tender years in states of extreme emotional distress," the order reads.
#1 “Elf on the Shelf” encourages children to be deceitful.
I've heard stories of thoughtful children putting the elf in a box, turning him around, or covering him up so he can't “see” them. Rather than inspiring good behavior, Elf on the Shelf inspires “how can I still do what I want and get away with it”.
The Elf on the Shelf tradition can be started at any age, but most parents recommend waiting until your child is between the ages of 2 and 3. They claim it's the perfect sweet spot for children to appreciate and understand the elves' magic while establishing this family tradition at a young age.