Elf Jr. Play Guide

December 1-9

What to know – before the show!

PLAY SYNOPSIS

When Buddy, a human raised as an elf at the North Pole, discovers he’s not actually an elf, he embarks on a whimsical journey to New York City. His mission? To find his real father, Walter Hobbs, and bring Christmas spirit back to a city that desperately needs it!

But things aren’t so simple. Walter Hobbs is a no-nonsense businessman who’s too busy for holiday cheer, and Buddy’s half-brother, Michael, and stepmother, Emily, have given up on Christmas altogether. Even Jovie, a store employee Buddy meets and quickly falls for, is lacking in holiday spirit. It’s up to Buddy, with his boundless enthusiasm and belief in Santa Claus, to light the spark of Christmas joy in their hearts.

With Buddy’s energetic antics, he turns their world upside down. Walter has to learn to balance his job with family and the joy of the holidays, Emily opens her heart to the magic of Christmas again, and Michael rediscovers the fun and wonder of the season. Jovie, who’s used to being alone during the holidays, finds herself swept up in Buddy’s infectious charm—and eventually joins him in singing loud for all to hear!

As Buddy helps his family and the entire city of New York rediscover the true meaning of Christmas, the show delivers plenty of laughs, heartfelt moments, and catchy songs like A Christmas Song and There Is A Santa Claus. Together, they remind us all that Christmas is about love, joy, and believing in the impossible—because with Buddy around, anything can happen!

PLAY BEFORE THE PLAY

MATHEMATICAL SNOWFLAKES

Buddy grew up at the North Pole where the winters are cold and snowflakes cover the ground. Did you know that every snowflake is unique and different? Create your own unique snowflake that is unique, just like Buddy!

Give the students a square piece of paper and scissors. Have them fold the paper 3 times into a triangle. Use the picture to the right as a guide.

After they have folded their papers, demonstrate how to draw and cut different shapes into the paper. As you go through this activity, explore different math concepts, such as:

Shapes. Talk about the different types of shapes that can be cut into the snowflake. Also, how do the shapes change once the paper has unfolded?
Counting. Have them count how many shapes are in the snowflake. How many triangles? Squares? Circles? Etc.
a. For more difficulty, cut a shape into the folded paper and have the students figure out how many shapes there will be once it’s unfolded.
Size. Use different sized paper and have the students identify which snowflakes are smaller/bigger.
Measurement. Have the students measure their snowflakes. Based off that measurement, have them figure out how many of one size snowflake can fit in a window that is 3 foot by 5 foot.
a. How does that number change when the snowflakes are bigger?
b. What about smaller?

KAS: KY.1.G.2.a; KY.1.MD.2

AROUND THE WORLD: WINTER HOLIDAYS

The winter holiday season can be celebrated in many different ways! In fact, there are dozens of other holidays besides Christmas that are celebrated around the world throughout the month of December. Break students into groups and have them research a winter holiday or tradition other than Christmas. Below are a few examples:

Hanukkah Kwanzaa Yule Las Posadas

Encourage students to look at the history, festivities, key figures, and more that make up the holiday/tradition. Have students prepare a presentation about their chosen celebration and bring an activity for the class to do together or an item to share with their peers.

KAS: 3.H.CH.1; P.IN.C1.A

ACTS OF KINDNESS: BINGO EDITION

One of Buddy’s goals is to rekindle the Christmas spirit for Jovie and the rest of the city of New York. One of the ways he does this is through acts of kindness.

Click the link below and print off the bingo sheet for each of your students. As a class, make a list of nine (9) ways you can be kind or helpful this holiday season. Send students home with their bingo cards and encourage them to cross off each task!

[bs_button size=”md” type=”primary” value=”Acts of Kindness Bingo” href=”https://www.lctonstage.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Christmas-Kindness-Bingo.pdf”]

KAS: 3.4.1; 4.41; 5.4.1

CONTEXTUAL ARTICLE

BRIGHT LIGHTS IN THE BIG CITY: THE HOLIDAY SEASON IN THE BIG APPLE

Elf the Musical was originally adapted for the stage in 2010 from the hit 2003 film of the same name. Both the movie and the musical are primarily set in New York City where Buddy finds everyone lacking in Christmas spirit. However, New York City is one of the most festive cities in the United States during the holiday season!

From mid-November to early January, New York City can expect upwards of 7 million visitors from around the world to come to town to explore the sights and sounds of the city. There are a variety of activities that occur during the holiday season, and those activities cover more than just Christmas. From the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade to the lighting of the largest menorah in Brooklyn in celebration of Hanukkah, New York brims with holiday cheer each year.

Rockefeller Center is among the most popular holiday destinations in NYC. Rockefeller Plaza boasts one of the most famous Christmas trees in the world that is lit in a grand ceremony each year. The 2024 tree, a Norway Spruce, will come from Massachusetts for the first time since 1959. The lighting ceremony will take place on December 4th during the live broadcast of Christmas at Rockefeller Center. The tree is lit daily from 5am to midnight, and on Christmas Eve, it will remain lit for 24 hours. The Rockefeller Christmas tree makes a wonderful backdrop for the ever-popular ice rink that sees nearly a quarter-million skaters each holiday season.

The more you venture into the city, the more decorations, lights, and delicious food you’ll find. Times Square is already a bright and bustling metropolis, but it takes on even more excitement, especially on New Year’s Eve with the renown ball drop. Visitors can stop by the New Year’s Eve Confetti Wishing Wall each December to write their wishes for the new year on official pieces of confetti that rain down in Times Square after the ball drops at the stroke of midnight.

Of course, there’s plenty of festive arts opportunities to enjoy as well during NYC’s holiday season. Radio City Musical Hall’s Christmas Spectacular starring the Radio City Rockettes is a beloved stage show that’s run from November to January nearly every year since 1933. The Rockettes are know for their grace, precision, and high energy dance skills. They’ve been American performance icons for almost a century, and they continue to dazzle and delight audiences to this day.

With so much to do in the big city, it’s no wonder Buddy the elf would want to share his love of the holidays with everyone around him. New York could never be short on holiday spirit.

How to grow – after the show!

EXTEND THE EXPERIENCE

A VISIT FROM BUDDY THE ELF

Buddy ends up moving from the North Pole to New York City and gets into all sorts of mischief. But what if Buddy came to your hometown? Have you students create their own story about a visit from Buddy that they’ll act out for the class. Begin by dividing your students into small groups and ask them to think about Buddy as a character. How does he like to spread Christmas cheer? What makes him stand out from other people? What do they think Buddy would do if he visited their school or homes?

After their chat, have each create their own story where Buddy comes to visit. Encourage students to have a clear beginning, middle, and end to their stories. What conflict or problems arise when Buddy comes to town? How do they help Buddy fit in? How do their daily lives change as Buddy brings his holiday spirit? Ask your students to be as detailed as possible.

Once they have the key plot points of their stories finalized, have your students get on their feet and act it out. Students should clearly show each of their story’s characters using their bodies, voices, and imaginations. Add dialogue and movement to help tell the story. After giving them time to practice, have each group perform their short plays for the class. After each performance, talk about what they saw, their favorite parts, and even ways to improve the scene if they were to perform it again.

KAS: TH:Cr1.1.3.a; TH:Cr2.1.3; TH:Pr5.1.3.a

JOURNEY TO NEW YORK

In LCT’s production of Elf the Musical Jr., Buddy travels from the North Pole all the way to New York. Ask your students what Buddy might have seen on his journey. What kind of animals, landmarks, weather patterns, etc. could he have seen? What types of challenges might he have faced along the way or people who could meet? Would he only travel by foot, or could he use other modes of transportation?

Now use the list your class generated to create your own board game. Start by designing and making a large gameboard with several spots. The gameboard will start at the North Pole and end in New York City. Each spot can feature a different landmark, mode of transportation, scenario Buddy faces, person he meets, etc. Allow students a chance to add in some imaginative stops as well such as “Candy Cane Forest” or “Iceberg Alley.” To add to the challenge, some spots can have positive outcomes like gaining an extra turn while others can have less than ideal outcomes like moving back a certain number of spaces.

Once the gameboard is complete, allow students to play. Students will be Buddy trying to get from the North Pole to New York. Have students roll a die to determine how many spaces they can move forward. As they move across the board, they should act out what’s happening. If they land on a spot that causes a blizzard, how can they use their bodies to show how cold it is as they move? If they land on a spot that says to feed a reindeer before they can move on, they must act out feeding a reindeer. You can play the game in several ways:

Every student plays individually and the game ends when the first person successfully makes it to New York.
Play as a whole class and end the game once everyone makes it to the end.
Play teacher versus student and see who makes it to the end first.
Play in pairs/small teams to see who can get all their players to New York first.
As a class, have every student play the game solo. Time each person and see how long it takes the class as a whole to make it to the end by combining everyone’s time. Have everyone play a second time to see if they can beat the class time.