Our elf has been hanging around our house for the last 3 Christmas seasons. Lots of days she just moves to a new location and does not do much else. But on a few special days, she brings a little treat or gift to the kids.
Here are several elf on the shelf gifts under $5 that our littlest member of the family has brought to our home in the past.
Also remember, the elf is fun just to find. My daughter (just turned 5) gets the biggest kick out of searching for her every morning. So don’t get tied up in thinking that the elf needs to bring a treat every day.
Ours usually brings a small treat a few times a season.
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Elf on the Shelf Gifts Under $5
When thinking about elf gifts, there are lots of options. I like small gifts because well the elf is small.
Also, since it is so close to Christmas, we don’t want to overdo it. But a fun little surprise from the elf is a great way to increase the anticipation and magic of the upcoming holiday.
Here are some of my favorite small elf on the shelf gifts under $5 for your elf to bring.
Breakfast with the Elf
The elf moves at night. So breakfast is one of my favorite elf on the shelf gifts under $5 to bring. I mean, your kids have to eat breakfast so a fun Christmas inspired breakfast delivered by their elf is oh so special.
Your kids will think your elf is the coolest for bringing these special breakfast treats! Throw in a banana or something to add a little nutrition! Of course this is just a treat – I don’t want the organic breakfast police on me!
Christmas Crunch Cereal – This is the breakfast treat that our elf brought this year.
Gingerbread Spice Oatmeal – I am not sure if my kids would eat this but it sounds good to me!
Hot Cocoa & Marshmallow Mini Donuts – I found mine at the grocery store. And can I just tell you, I broke my diet for one of these. And then I noticed the serving size was 4, so I went ahead and had a serving. I got these for the kids and the combo did not even sound that good to me but they are really yummy!
Sugar Cookie Poptarts – We had these at Halloween and they are so fun.
Clif Bar Peppermint Bark – What a fun flavor for a holiday granola bar.
Books from the Elf
The Littlest Elf – What is cuter than the elf bringing an elf book? We read this during our 24 Book Christmas Advent Countdown! It is a cute book about a tiny elf looking for his purpose.
Stained Glass Christmas Coloring Book – This is a small book with 8 pages that you color and then hang in a window for a stained glass effect. Cool concept and great price (especially if you need to get a couple to prevent fights).
A Christmas Celebration Sticker & Activity Book – This is by The Beginner’s bible which we own and love. We don’t have this activity book but it gets good reviews and looks like a fun way to remind kids of the reason for the season!
Disney Princess Christmas Eve Coloring Book – With 40 pages, this is a big coloring book of Princesses in Christmas settings. If your little one is Frozen obsessed or princess obsessed like mine, this might be a good choice.
Check out this cool 24 Days of Christmas books Advent Calendar for Kids.
Candy from the Elf
Candy Canes – We did a candy cane hunt this year during our A to Z Christmas countdown. My 4 year old searched around for candy canes hidden in our living room and had a blast. Your elf could hide the candy canes!
LOL Surprise Finders Keepers Eggs – My daughter would probably eat broccoli if it had an LOL Surprise doll on it. I made a huge list of LOL gifts because she loves it so much. The toy in these is very small but it is still a fun little treat and the chocolate egg gets eaten quickly!
Magic Seed & Candy Cane filled Candy – Our crazy little elf did this the other day. She brought two magic seeds (you could use M&M’s, cheerios, dried beans, raisins, tic tacs) and a bowl of powdered sugar. The note instructed that we plant the seeds and wait to see if they would grow. When we got home from school, the seeds had grown into two candy canes filled with candy! So fun and easy.
Hot Cocoa & Snowflake Shaped Marshmallows – We like to do hot cocoa and a Christmas movie a few times during the month of December. I would usually buy this anyway but it is a little more magical coming from the elf.
Other Cute Elf on the Shelf Gifts Under $5
Good to Grow Character Top Juices – My kids go bananas for these.
Frozen $1 Bill – Fill a 4 oz Glad container with water. Put a $1 bill in a snack size ziplock bag and seal it. Roll up the bag/dollar combo and stuff it in your water filled container. The elf will deliver a frozen $1 bill in the morning for the kid’s piggy bank. The elf should sit with an Elsa doll if you have one!
Christmas Grinch Bandaids – Kids love bandaids. Your elf could get into this box of cute bandaids & put a couple on herself. She leaves the rest for the kids. My kids always get bandaids in their stocking too and they are thrilled.
Rudolph PJ Pants – You can find cute pajama pants for $5 at Target. Our elf has even brought Elf on the Shelf pjs for our kids before (but those fall out of the $5 range).
Holiday Goldfish – The elf goes fishing and leaves some special goldfish for snack! Use a toothpick, lollipop stick or even a skewer for the “fishing pole.”
Hopefully this list of elf on the shelf gifts under $5 gives you some new ideas to make the magic of the elf come alive on the cheap!
18 Dollar Tree Gifts from Elf On the Shelf
Check out my other gift guides while you are here to make your Christmas shopping even easier!
We have LOL Surprise dolls and Frozen II gift guides. Stuff your stockings for under $5 for your 1 year old and your 3-5 year old.
