British Education Expert Warns Against Elf on the Shelf

Who doesn’t love Elf on the Shelf? The mischievous little fellow who encourages good behavior as Christmas excitement reaches fever pitch: the elves report back to Santa each night on whether children have been naughty or nice.

Your children may ‘behave’ while Santa’s elf is keeping an eye on them, especially as it will result in presents as a reward for good behavior. But what happens when your elf returns to Santa’s workshop and is no longer keeping a beady eye on what your child is up to?

Typically, we often find smaller, more manageable goals easier to achieve. The same goes for children; asking them to be ‘good’ every moment of every day in December can feel overwhelming. Do we really want our children thinking they’re being watched every moment of the day by these festive home invaders! Could the expectation be setting some children up to fail? If children don’t succeed, parents may even feel they need to follow through with sanctions such as removing presents.


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