Father’s Day, Dad’s Birthday, Christmas – if kids are still young, sometimes they need help with a gift for Dad. Why not get something for their quality time together?
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Father’s Day is coming – time to start sneaking gifts for Dad into the closet. That’s my customary holiday hideaway. Last Christmas, I was busted by my son, so now we can share that secret place together.
Father’s Day is a holiday on which kids can express their appreciation to their dads. When our family was still young, our children could use some help doing so. When I first wrote this post, our three-and-a-half-year-old son was just starting to notice the meaning of different holidays. Our daughter was a mere-month-old baby, so all she could produce was a particularly nice smile for Dad.
That left me as the main director of the Father’s Day celebration. I don’t mind; I enjoy making plans for different holidays.
Besides, I never had a father in my life, so for me this holiday is all about celebrating my husband, who is a great dad to our children. Usually, I try to find something that he could enjoy together with kids. These are some of the ideas I came up over the years.
Gifts for Dads and Kids
LEGO sets. My husband was a big LEGO fan in his teens, and ever since our son has been able to put two bricks together, the two of them have bonded over LEGO constructions, their heads bending together over the table. When my son was three, and I asked him what we should get for Daddy, he grabbed the box with the TIE fighter set and insisted that this was exactly what Daddy wanted. He was probably right, too!
Seriously though, LEGO sets are a fun gift that dads can enjoy together with their children.
Besides Star Wars, other popular LEGO series in our family are Creator sets (like this Beach Van), Icon sets (like this Bonsai Set), and Idea sets (like this Motorized Lighthouse Set).
Another idea is to get a couple of little LEGO Creator sets like these Dinosaurs and have a friendly competition of who can build them quicker. With three projects to make out of each box, you can even do “best two out of three.
If you are looking for more games to play with LEGO, check out our LEGO Charades and LEGO challenges.
Microscope. My husband loves taking our kids on nature adventures in the forests, parks, and backyard. It’s probably their favourite thing to do together. They look for insects, little animals, plants, and nuts and come home with stories and pockets full of little things. If the dad you have in mind is also a naturalist, a pocket microscope can add a lot to such outings.
On the other hand, if you are shopping for a bigger present, a proper microscope is also something that children can enjoy with their dads. We got this binocular microscope, and it has been very easy and enjoyable to use.
Telescope. With some padding to the budget, a telescope could be another wonderful gift for dads and kids to explore together. With cheaper ones, you may not be able to resolve the same details, but it’s about experience as much as about education.
Imagine preparing a little snack and blankets, then going into the backyard or driving somewhere into the country where the lights of the city wouldn’t interfere with your space observation. Finally, sitting quietly under the vast, dark sky and waiting to have a glimpse of Venus or Mars. It seems like a perfect bonding experience for dads and kids.
Building kits. I imagine that our kids will always remember their Dad as building, fixing, and tinkering. He likes showing them how to build things from scratch, but they also enjoy simple projects that can be put together quickly.
In the past, I got them a wooden catapult kit, a book nook kit, a carving kit, and a woodburning kit. When the kids got older, we also tried metal kits such as Star Wars, Star Trek, and Transformers, as well as many generic ones, like ships or insects.
If you have older children and a bigger budget, consider something like a 3D printer or a laser cutter! We got them within the last year, and it is amazing what my husband and my (now preteen) son could do together! Our 3D printer helped them make tool parts, swords and maces, board games, plant pots, and LEGO decorations. You can read about what we made with our laser cutter here.
Active toys are also great gifts for fathers and children to enjoy together!
A set of water guns is always a big hit in our family. If you happen to walk by our house in the heat of summer and hear shouts from the backyard, don’t worry—we’re probably cooling off by having a big family water fight. For that reason, another popular toy is these reusable water balloons. And during the colder months, there are always NERF guns to run around with.
Kite. Flying a kite requires a certain amount of skill, but it’s always beautiful to watch, so dads and kids can make a perfect kite-flying team.
Board games add fun to holidays and family gatherings. So many good games were created in the last decade that it is hard to choose! Some of the games that my husband and my kids enjoy playing together include Sheriff of Nottingham (a humorous bluff/deduction game), Quacks of Quadlinburg (a light strategy game of pushing your luck), So Clover (a cooperative game of associations), Pictures (an easy-to-learn game that challenges your creative and abstract thinking), and Kingdomino (a quick game of building an optimal 5×5 map).
If you are looking for a last-minute gift, consider a printable game like our Nature Trivia Game for a nature-loving dad, our Ancient History Timeline game for a dad with an interest in history, or our Bird Guess Who for a bird enthusiast.
RC Toys. Another toy that appeals to dads no less than to kids! My husband is more of a nature and do-it-yourself guy, not so much into technology or vehicles. So, it was a surprise when he fondly mentioned playing with radio-controlled toys. Admittedly, he was most interested in flying vehicles, and they do seem very cool! If Dad likes the idea of flying a helicopter around, I can imagine our son going absolutely crazy over it.
And what about controlling a robot who can dance, run and carry loads?
Non-fiction books with lots of pictures and photographs for Dad and kids to pour over. The subject of the book would, of course, depend on the interests that Dad and the kids share. Jeffrey likes reading books about nature to our children.
Some of the hits over the years included Farm Anatomy and Nature Anatomy Books, The Wonders of Nature and The Mysteries of the Universe, and The LEGO Book.
Matching clothes for Dad and kids. When our son was little, he thought that matching clothes were very exciting! If your children are also into twinning, you can consider matching t-shirts: Star Wars shirts, computer-themed shirts, or dinosaur shirts.
My husband also likes to cook together with our children, so I’d love to make them a set of matching aprons.
Fun snacks. One of our family traditions is to have a box of fun snacks for different holidays. Sometimes, we go to a store and just buy any snacks that we haven’t tried yet. Other times, we do a themed box. This Father’s Day, I’d like to give my husband a box of fun soda drinks. A subscription to a snack box is another fun idea. For instance, we all like to get the Universal Yum box once a month!
Experiential gifts. Cinema tickets. Zoo tickets. Water slides passes. Favourite restaurant gift card. Anything to make it easy for dads and kids to go have a good time and make memories together!
More Ideas for Dad
This art project captures the scene of a parent and child walking side by side along the beach, their footprints about to be washed away by an incoming wave. Use our printable paper-cutting design to make this picture and give it as a present!
Make an All About My Dad printable poster for a special father figure in your life! If you have a special granddad to congratulate, there are also templates for an All About My Grandpa printable poster.
What kind of presents are you planning to give to your dad?
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