If there’s someone who gets less credit than they deserve during the Christmas season it’s Santa’s elves!

All that tireless year round work making the toys while Santa is the one all the boys and girls want to see.

We’re changing that up today with this special elf paper bag craft for kids! There’s not a Santa in sight here. Just let the kids make a fun and festive Christmas elf.

Read on below to see how to make this simple paper bag craft with your kids or students.

Brown Paper Bag Elf Craft

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One of my favorite things about making paper bag crafts is how little supplies you need and how cheap they are to make!

All you need is some paper, glue and in this case, some pom poms.

We like to use colored card stock because it’s more vibrant and sturdy than construction paper. But if all you have is construction paper, don’t let that stop you. It’ll look just fine with that as well!

Related: Photo Buddy The Elf Craft

Supplies

Brown paper bag
Colored card stock (in red, green, brown, pink, yellow and peach)
Glue stick
Scissors
Green pom poms
Elf puppet template (download form located at the end of the post)

Directions

Download the free printable 3lf template, print out the pieces and cut out.
Glue the peach elf face to the top flap of the paper bag.
Glue the hair to the top of the elf’s head.
Take the pink nose and glue between the eyes.
Glue the ears to the back of the paper bag, on either side of the flap.
Measure out the bottom space of your paper bag (ours was 5″x7.75″) and cut out a rectangle from the red card stock. Glue this onto the paper bag.
Glue the elf collar just below the paper bag flap.
Finish off the elf outfit by gluing three green pom poms in a column on the red rectangle.
Assemble the elf’s hat by gluing the green hat bottom to the bottom of the hat.
Glue the bell to the tip of the elf’s hat.
Position the completed elf’s hat on the top of the paper bag.

That’s all there is to this festive craft!

Related: Buddy The Elf Photo Craft

Ways To Use This Elf Puppet

There are so many ways to utilize this elf paper bag puppet. You can have the kids put on their very own puppet show, take turns telling Christmas stories or just use it for creative play!

One great way to put these puppets to use is to make a fun Elf themed family night.

Have your kids pick out their favorite elf book or head to the library and check out some elf themed books. Read the holiday book, then after you’re done, make the puppets!

Finish the night with some fun Elf snack and you have yourself a simple and cute Elf night!

We could also see this as a fun activity at the library for the holidays!

However you decide to use these cute little elves, we’re sure your kids will have fun with them.

Adapting For Young Children

If you want to do this elf puppet craft with little kids, like toddlers and young preschoolers, we have a few suggestions.

First, have all the pieces cut out ahead of time and ready for gluing on. Since your little ones attention span isn’t as long you want to be sure you have everything set to get started right away.

You can also simply the craft by leaving off the hair, the hat trim and the shirt trimming. It won’t have all the details, but it’ll still look cute and complete.

Instead of using the green pom poms let the kids draw on the buttons with markers and you’ve got yourself an even simpler craft to make with the little kiddos!

Share With Us

Did you make this elf paper bag craft with your kids or students?

Post a picture of your completed project on our Facebook wall or in our private Facebook group.

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Elf Paper Bag Craft For Kids

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Active Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

This Christmas, make Santa's little helpers with this easy elf paper bag craft for kids! It's a simple craft that comes with a free printable template.

Materials

Brown paper bag
Colored card stock (in red, green, brown, pink, yellow and peach)
Glue stick
Green pom poms
Elf puppet template (download form located at the end of the post)

Tools

Scissors

Instructions

Download the free printable Elf template, print out the pieces and cut out.
Glue the peach elf face to the top flap of the paper bag.
Glue the hair to the top of the elf's head.
Take the pink nose and glue between the eyes.
Glue the ears to the back of the paper bag, on either side of the flap.
Measure out the bottom space of your paper bag (ours was 5"x7.75") and cut out a rectangle from the red card stock. Glue this onto the paper bag.
Glue the elf collar just below the paper bag flap.
Finish off the elf outfit by gluing three green pom poms in a column on the red rectangle.
Assemble the elf's hat by gluing the green hat bottom to the bottom of the hat.
Glue the bell to the tip of the elf's hat.
Position the completed elf's hat on the top of the paper bag.

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