Elf on the Shelf Games: Candy Cane Hunt Printable FREE!

Looking for fun Elf Games to keep your elf entertaining all of December? This Candy Cane Hunt is one that kids love and you can play today with these FREE Elf Printables!

If you asked my girls what their favorite part of Christmas is, you’ll definitely hear the answer… “Criddle!” That’s the name Sophia gave our Elf 9 years ago and since that first day she arrived, she has been the center of their Christmas activities!

I can’t quite say exactly why they love their elf so much. Criddle doesn’t do elaborate skits or scenes. In fact, she’s quite lazy [kinda like me] and that’s why I love easy Elf Shelf ideas. But the girls don’t mind, they just love finding her new hiding place every morning!

But Criddle isn’t always lazy. There are 10 things our scout Elf does every year and the one that gets the girls most excited is the Candy Cane Hunt!

One morning [and there’s no rhyme or reason on which morning, it’s just whenever the elf feels like it!] the girls will find Criddle with an empty box of candy canes and a note. The note usually just says “I’ve hidden 12 Candy Canes – can you find them?!”

Since I want to make this whole Elf thing easier for all of us, I decided to make a printable that I can reuse again and again every year! You can print it for free for yourself, just click on the image below!

Depending on your kids’ ages, you can hide the candy canes easy or hard. My girls just enjoy the hunt and end up sharing the candy canes with one another no matter how much either of them find.

This is just one of the ways that we try to make our Elf special, without going overboard with theatrics and elaborate set ups each morning. That’s why I love our elf – because it’s EASY!

So if you’re looking for something special for your elf to do this December, let him or her bring this fun Candy Cane Hunt one morning!

All you’ll need is:

Candy Cane Hunt Printable
Box of Candy Canes [any flavor!]
Christmas Spirit!

If your elf is feeling up to it, there are even more fun things he or she can do. Check out more Elf games and printables below!

More Elf Games

This Christmas BINGO for Preschoolers is a great game to include your elf. I love to have Criddle deliver one each year. It’s a free printable!

Speaking of BINGO, your elf can even have their own tiny BINGO cards – print them for free here.

Another fun spin on Elf Hide and Seek – this time it’s your elf that is hiding!

There’s quite a few Elf games listed here, including Elf Ears and Santa’s On the Rooftop game.

Need some new Elf ideas for this year? This one has a fun and free printable Elf Scavenger Hunt that will work for any home!

I can’t handle the cuteness of these Elf sized printable board games! The girls will be able to include Criddle when they play Monopoly now!

My girls love to play Tic Tac Toe and apparently so do elves – get this game printable for free here!

I love Scavenger Hunts, especially Christmas Scavenger Hunts, and this one is a fun take that includes your elf!

Have your elf bring along this fun, printable Christmas matching game for even more Christmas Elf games to play.

Elf Educational Games and Worksheets

There’s no reason your kiddos can’t learn while enjoying some elf magic. Check out these fun ideas:

Math Games for Elf from She Saved
These elf games incorporate reading!
Put those puzzle and decoding skills to the test, with this fun secret message printable.