Move over Elf on the Shelf, there鈥檚 a new crew of elves working to reinforce a child鈥檚 good behaviour, while taking some of the pressure off parents.
The Kindness Elves, first released in 2013, challenge a child to complete good deeds each day, rather than trying to prevent kids from being naughty.
The idea behind the is that the elves leave notes around the house -- or in a specifically designed mailbox -- with suggestions or challenges for an act of kindness a child could complete that day, such as baking cookies for a neighbour, or reading a book to a younger sibling. Once the good deed is completed, the elves then leave a postcard for the child to collect.
This offers an alternative to the , which launched in 2005 and has exploded in popularity over the past few years. The Elf on the Shelf is a toy elf that is placed around the house in the days leading up to Christmas. It acts as a 鈥渟cout鈥� for Santa and reports the child鈥檚 behaviour back to the big man to determine if the kid has been naughty or nice.
Despite its popularity, some parents have noted the increased pressure to come up with funny or unique places to put the toy and impress admirers on social media, all while trying to complete a busy holiday to-do list.
A hashtag for the Kindness Elves has gathered 1,889 posts on Instagram, with fun photos and ideas for acts of kindness the elves can suggest. The Kindness Elves have also gathered hundreds of
A Kindness Elves set is sold for $34.50.
