Education chiefs want parents to replace the naughty Elf on the Shelf with a woke do-gooder.
The tradition sees the imp keep an eye on whether children are being good – but Santa’s little helper often gets up to mischief himself.
Former teacher Emma Shingleton, of education resource experts PlanBee, said: “Parents can be forgiven for wanting children to be excited in the run-up to Christmas, creating little scenes in which elves get up to mischief.
“But are these naughty elves sending the right message? Or are they encouraging the exact kinds of behaviour parents are actually wanting to avoid?
“I’m not suggesting parents scrap the tradition altogether – where’s the fun in that?
“Instead, we have come up with some alternative ways to enjoy the popular tradition – modelling behaviour you would like to see.”
She said: “a helpful elf” could be seen brushing its teeth, taking a bath, doing the washing up or making the bed.
The news comes after a mum was branded "cruel" for playing an Elf on the Shelf prank on her son. The five-year-old cried when he saw the festive pixie in the morning – but the parents insist it was "just a bit of fun."
Tanya Lee, 30, placed chicken bones next to the film character to make it look like he’d scoffed the festive pixie.
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But the prank totally backfired as her five-year-old Oscar was left in floods of tears.
While Tanya was amused by the prank, she faced backlash from some parents when she posted her story on Facebook.
One wrote: "That's a bit cruel. You shouldn't do that."
And another argued: "I'm not surprised he was traumatised. It's not a nice joke to play for a child."
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