Free Printable Elf on the Shelf Toy Donation Letter
One thing I am sure that we can all agree on is that the Elf on the Shelf takes a lot of effort. The least the little bugger could do is help out a little right? Well, today I am sharing the Elf on the Shelf toy donation letter we use to help encourage our kids to declutter their toys before Christmas comes to town!
How to Get Your Kids to Declutter Their Toys: Elf on the Shelf Pre-Holiday Toy Donation Letter!
I know that many of you (like me) have a love/hate relationship with your family’s Elf on the Shelf.
Sure the time and effort it takes to find a diffident hiding spot for the elf each night can be overwhelming, but the excitement and joy that it brings to our children is absolutely worth it.
If you have followed me for long, you know that our elf does not make any messes and that drastically reduces the amount of stress involved, but I still feel like that little elf owes me!
Last year, I decided that little guy needed to earn his keep to be invited to return to our house next year by convincing my kids to declutter some of their toys before Christmas!
It worked great and it can work for you too!
How to Use the Elf on the Shelf to Get Kids to Donate Toys
This is how our elf “Squiggles” made the announcement to my son that he would need to choose some toys to get rid of if he wanted Santa to bring some more.
I love our letterboard for fun little messages like this, and the kids were stoked that it came from our elf.
I gathered up a few toys and set them around the box to make the message clear and maybe make the process a little easier 😉
Both of my kids have been on the border of naught and nice this year, so they jumped at the chance to make Santa happy and fill the toy donation basket with items they no longer needed, wanted or play with.
I wish I would have thought of this sooner! It would have been a great pre-Christmas tradition to start when they were little.
It also helps to support the one in, one out rule that we enforce in our house.
Want more fun Christmas activities like this Elf-themed toy donation letter? Read these next:
- 12 Days of Christmas Kindness Countdown (Free Printable)
- The 12 Best Christmas Board Games for Families
- Secret Message from Santa – Elf on the Shelf Activity
No letterboard? No Problem!
I created this to share with you:
Free Elf on the Shelf Toy Donation Letter Printable Template
You can grab this free printable Elf on the Shelf toy donation letter right here!
Simply set out a basket with the letter inside and watch your kids gather up their items for him to take to the North Pole!
****Important****
If you use this letter be sure to actually remove the toys from your home!
I suggest putting them directly in the trunk of your car and taking to a holiday toy collection event or local donation center straight away.
This way you don’t risk having your children find the toys in the closet in a few months and question you.
In my letterboard version, I didn’t mention specifics because I wanted my children to be able to participate in taking the toys to the donation center as a random act of holiday kindness.
Happy Holidays!
Want more fun Christmas family activities? Read these next:
- 25 Insanely Easy Elf on the Shelf Hiding Spots
- Elf Yourself – Holiday Body Tracing Art for Kids
- 25 Fun Christmas Traditions to Start with Your Family
