Bonfire Night is a sparkling time of year when the skies light up with colour, families wrap up warm, and everyone enjoys a cosy evening filled with wonder.

At the North Pole, The Elf on the Shelf® Scout Elves love this celebration almost as much as Christmas itself! With the help of Mrs. Claus, they’ve been busy creating magical Bonfire Night crafts that are fun, safe, and perfect for families to make together.

Here are ten creative ideas that will make your Bonfire Night go off with a gentle whizz, pop and a bang, without ever lighting a match!

1. Candy Kebab Bonfire Treats

For a sweet twist on Bonfire Night snacks, try candy kebabs, one of Mrs. Claus’ favourite North Pole treats.

You’ll need:
Wooden skewers, mini marshmallows, jelly sweets, and colourful gummy rings.

How to make it:

  1. Carefully thread sweets onto a skewer in any order you like.
  2. Add a few marshmallows for a toasted look.
  3. Present them on a plate beside your Elf, who might be “roasting” one with a wooden stick.

North Pole Tip: Use toffee stones or small wrapped sweets to create a pretend safety ring around your edible bonfire.

2. Pretzel Stick Campfire

A firm favourite with Mrs Claus, this edible craft is the perfect way to enjoy Bonfire Night magic without any flames.

You’ll need:
Pretzel sticks, chocolate spread, mini marshmallows, a small plate or saucer, and a spoon.

Steps:

  1. Break the pretzel sticks into shorter “logs” if you wish.
  2. Spoon a small dollop of chocolate spread into the middle of the plate, this is the “glue” for your firewood.
  3. Arrange three or four pretzel sticks in a triangle so they meet at the top, pressing each base gently into the chocolate.
  4. Add another layer to make your campfire look stacked and realistic.
  5. Pop a few mini marshmallows on top to look like glowing flames.
  6. Finish by sprinkling edible glitter or sugar crystals for a little shimmer.
  7. Set your Scout Elf beside the plate holding a tiny spoon and a sign reading, “All toasted, no fire required!”

3. Pipe cleaner fireworks

Creating fireworks with paint is easy when you’ve got a few pipe cleaners to hand! It’s super creative for the little ones and gives them free reign to let their imaginations run wild.

Just follow these simple steps to get them started:

  1. Ask the children to pick out three or four pipe cleaners and bend them in half keeping them bunched together.
  2. For the next step, work with the loose ends of the pipe cleaners, not the creased end. Proceed to bend each pipe cleaner upward so that they are at a 90 degree angle.
  3. Fan the pipe cleaners out so they’re in the shape of a circle. This will be your stamper to create the exploding fireworks!
  4. Have a mixture of paint colours ready for dunking and stamping.
  5. Let them use the pipe cleaners to stamp firework shapes on a piece of black card.
  6. Encourage them to repeat this until they’re happy with their firework lit night sky!

4. Paint splattered fireworks

When it comes to bonfire night craft ideas this one’s a little messy, but the Scout Elves love it nonetheless, and we think your kids will, too!

It’s super easy and they won’t need a lot of guidance to create something great, you can even give it a go yourself with these simple steps:

  1. Prepare a variety of paint colours, black card and protective covers to stop paint getting on furniture and clothes.
  2. Let the kids dunk their paintbrush into the paint and start splashing it across their black card.
  3. Let them keep going until their firework display is complete!

5. Glittery night skies

If your little ones love a bit of sparkle, then be sure to throw some glitter at your craft time, quite literally, Bonfire Night is a sparkly event after all.

The kids will love getting creative with their sparkly side making it one of our favourite craft ideas this Bonfire Night!

glittery-night-skies-craft
  1. Give each child a piece of black card and some PVA glue decanted into smaller squeezy bottles with pouring spouts.
  2. Let their imaginations run wild as they draw a firework display on their card using the glue, they could even draw a bonfire, too!
  3. Next, give them glitter to sprinkle on the card until all of the glue is covered.
  4. Give it a couple of minutes, then ask them to shake off any excess glitter to reveal their finished piece.

6. Handprint bonfire

This one couldn’t be easier and it’s great fun too! Your child only needs their hand and a little paint to create a flaming bonfire this Bonfire Night.

handprint-bonfire-craft

Here’s how to do it:

  1. Set out flame coloured paints, red, yellow and orange will do nicely, and let them use it to cover the palm side of their hands.
  2. Give them a helping hand when it comes to stamping their hand on the paper ensuring they create a bonfire-like design.
  3. Don’t forget to add some brown paint at the bottom of the flames for the logs.

7. Tissue paper bonfire

This is another great way to create a flaming bonfire, this time using colourful tissue paper, instead.

Mrs Claus always has tissue paper in her Christmas craft box as she knows the Scout Elves love using it for their craft ideas. Here’s how they create a flaming bonfire with tissue paper:

  1. Cut red, yellow and orange tissue paper into strips.
  2. Let the little ones get stuck in sticking the strips onto a piece of paper in the shape of a bonfire using PVA glue.
  3. Have some brown tissue paper to hand, too. The Scout Elves like to roll this up into log-like shapes and stick them to bottom of their flames.

8. Wax crayon etching

This one’s a little bit magical, just like the Scout Elves, and we love it! All you need are some wax crayons, drawing paper and a lollipop stick. Let’s go…

wax-crayon-etching-craft
  1. Ask the kids to cover their paper in an array of different colours using the wax crayons – make sure they cover the paper!
  2. Next, get them to cover the colours in another layer of crayon, this time in black only.
  3. Ensuring all the coloured crayon is covered, show them how to use a lollipop stick to etch through the black crayon and create a bonfire scene using swirly lines.

9. Penny for a guy

No Bonfire Night is complete without Guy Fawkes, so be sure to get busy with the kids creating your own this autumn.

There are a few more steps to take when completing this craft, but it’s a fun group activity the whole family can get involved with. Here’s how to make your very own Guy Fawkes:

  1. First things first, find some old clothes for your Guy Fawkes to wear, a pair of trousers and jumper would do perfectly.
  2. Next, find an old pillow and dress it in the jumper. This will form the body of your Guy Fawkes.
  3. Fill the arms with stuffing, we’d recommend newspaper, straw or old bedding and secure it all in place by tying the ends of the sleeves with string.
  4. Do the same with the trousers and secure it to the body with a belt.
  5. Last but not least, for the head of the Guy use a balloon or a stuffed pillowcase and draw on a face with a marker pen.
  6. For the finishing touches, pop a hat and a scarf on him.

10. Paper rockets

The Scout Elves never play with rockets and fireworks, but they do love making decorative ones instead. When Bonfire Night comes around, Mrs Claus loves to hang them in her kitchen for everyone to enjoy.

paper-rockets-craft

What you’ll need:

  • Paper tubes
  • Pipe cleaners
  • Piece of card
  • PVA glue
  • Paint, glitter and accessories to decorate your rockets with

Instructions:

  1. Start by letting your little ones pick out a handful of pipe cleaners in any colour they like. Give them a hand sticking them inside one end of the paper tube using PVA glue.
  2. Next, take the piece of card, cut out a circle and cut into the centre without going all the way through.
  3. Fold and stick the circle into a cone shape and stick it to the other end of the tube using PVA glue.
  4. Their rocket is now ready to decorate! Let them get creative with paint, glitter and more. Encourage them to give it a name too

Learn the Story Behind Bonfire Night

The Scout Elves love a good story, and Bonfire Night is filled with history! As you enjoy your crafts, you can share with your children how, over 400 years ago, Guy Fawkes and his companions planned to light up the Houses of Parliament for all the wrong reasons. The failed Gunpowder Plot led to the first Bonfire Night in 1605, when people lit fires to celebrate that the King was safe.

Today, we celebrate with fireworks, family fun, and creative crafts that keep everyone safe. You could even make your own “mini Guy” using old clothes and paper stuffing, just for fun, of course!

Bring the Magic Home This Bonfire Night

From edible campfires to glittering jars, these Elf on the Shelf® Bonfire Night crafts are the perfect way to bring creativity, safety and a sprinkle of North Pole magic into your home.

Whether your family enjoys making candy kebabs, decorating paper rockets, or watching your Scout Elf set up their own mini campfire, you’ll be creating memories that will sparkle for years to come.

This Bonfire Night, remember: it’s not just about fireworks, it’s about togetherness, laughter, and a little touch of Christmas magic arriving early.