Make A Lasting Impression With These Unique Gifts For Dad

While moms are often regarded as the primary caregivers of the kids – in the trenches, so to speak – every day, we often forget about another vital influence in the life of a child.

Dad — he is often the backbone of the family unit, always ready to take on any task needed to benefit his family.

Dads are our unsung heroes, and with Father’s Day fast approaching, it’s time to show them how much we appreciate all they do for us with some fun gift ideas.

Instead of the usual tie or wallet this year, we’ve got some unique and super fun ideas for the dad in your life – perfect for the little ones to help make and give with pride.

Candy bar cards:  If Dad has a sweet tooth, here is a fun gift that does double duty – the kids can decorate a special card, and Dad gets a sweet treat to enjoy on his special day.

With cardstock or other heavy paper or poster board, Mom or another adult can help the little ones cut out the desired shape and size of the card.  It can be a traditional folded rectangle, or you can get creative depending on the kind of candy you use!

Try a big heart shaped card the kids can paint or color with these popular candies:  “Hugs and Kisses From All of Us,” or “I Wanted To Send You Mounds of Love This Father’s Day.”

Or the kids can paint a little ocean scene with a sailboat that says, “Dad, You’re A Life Saver!”

A large rectangle can be cut out and painted green – Mom can draw an oval in the middle, print out a picture of the kids and glue it in.  The kids can add their names or little drawings with the phrase, “Dad, I wish I could give you a 100 Grand, but I wouldn’t trade you for all the money in the world!”  This large dollar bill is a unique card that will give dad a good laugh!

Kids can also decorate cards with handprints or family photos and Mom can write, “(lollipop) Dad, You’re A Lolly of a Pop,” “(Extra chewing gum) You’re An Extra Special Dad,” or “(Pop Rocks) My Pop Rocks.”

Candies can be glued to the above cards with craft glue and should be left to dry overnight.

An even more impressive gift idea?  Make a gift basket of all of these treats with their corresponding sayings printed on small cards for a yummy surprise that dad may have to share with the family.

Mommy Underground has got you covered with a free printable of these cute candy cards with the sayings mentioned above.  We want to make it super easy for you to give the dad in your life a unique Father’s Day gift this year and these are sure to be a hit.

  • Sports-themed cards:  If the thought of all that candy in the house makes you cringe (or will likely get eaten before it’s presented to Dad), there are lots of fun sayings that can be added to cards for the Dad who is a sports lover.

Again, this is a time for the kids to get creative with their design.  Cut a large fish shape out of heavy paper with the phrase, “Dad, I’m Hooked On You.”  Or have the kids draw a blue sky and rolling green hills with a hole and flag for the golfer saying, “Dad, You’re A Hole In One!,” or “I hit a home run when I got you as my dad” for the baseball lover.

  • A lasting treasure:  Just like moms, dads love handmade treasures they can use around the house – and little ones love to see their parents actually using something they’ve made every day.

Many areas have pottery painting shops where kids can paint a coffee mug, pencil holder, or change jar for Dad and they will kiln fire them for a lasting gift.  Try handprints, a “portrait” of dad drawn by the kids, or designs with Dad’s favorite color.

And if there is no pottery place near you, many craft stores now sell do-it-yourself kits allowing kids to decorate a special item that Mom or another grown-up can bake in the oven to seal the design.

  • Memory book: Mom is often the one in charge of keeping baby books, journals, and the like, but having a special keepsake book of memories shared with Dad is something everyone will cherish.  With an inexpensive photo album or binder, kids can decorate the cover and pages with a few photos on hand, ticket stubs, or other mementos.

And to make this gift extra special, we want to help with some free printables created just for the special father or grandfather in your child’s life!

Use these special pages for your Memory Book for Dad or Grampa! Choose from the Dad Keepsake page or the Grandpa Keepsake page.  The little ones can ask the special man in their life questions about himself, creating a permanent reminder of this Father’s Day.

The kids will love marking down all the things that make these dads special with this gift from us to you, and it will be treasured for years to come.

We also have a special certificate available to print out for the achievement of being the Best Dad or Best Grampa a kid could have.  The Dad Certificate and Grandpa Certificate are suitable for framing and are sure to be displayed with pride.

  • Scavenger hunt: Present Dad with a card made by the little ones along with the first “clue” that directs him to find another clue card, and so on.  After following all the clues, Dad can find one of the special gifts at the end of the hunt, like one of the ideas we’ve shared here.

He can be prompted to follow clues that evoke special memories throughout the house, for example, “Go to the place where we share Sunday breakfast.”  Older kids can come up with their favorite places in the house where they spend time with Dad, and Mom can help the little ones to draw pictures or write out the clue cards.

This scavenger hunt will be fun for the whole family, especially when the kids get involved in planning the clues and locations.  We’ve got you covered here too with our printable clue cards!

Themed Dad kitsHow about a fun themed kit of everything Dad might need to enjoy some of his favorite activities?

*Is he handy around the house?  With some help from an adult, kids can use specialty craft paints to decorate a toolbox for Dad, writing his name on it and any pictures that the kids want to add that make them think of their father.

It can be filled with some basic tools, or if he already has plenty of those, helpful household items like rags, tape, gloves, or even bandages for those inevitable bumps and bruises while working around the house.

*Every dad dreams of the perfect backyard cookout for Father’s Day – and he would love receiving an gift basket with all his favorite sauces, rubs, or grilling tools.  Mom can even pick up a gift card from a butcher or grocery store so Dad can enjoy a steak or whatever else he may like to make for the perfect barbeque.

To take this gift up a notch, the kids can decorate a plain apron with fabric paints, writing “#1 Dad” or “King of the Grill” on it and adding handprints or other designs.  He’ll wear it with pride, and the kids will feel all the more special to see him wearing it.

*A gift basket can be made for virtually any hobby Dad may have – a tackle box filled with fishing supplies, a basket of sports gear with a jersey from his favorite team, (even tickets to the next big game if it’s in the budget), hobby supplies like model kits, trivia or crossword books – you name it.

And, remember, to make these gifts extra special, Mommy Underground wants to help with free printables!

Don’t forget to print out your candy cards, memory book page, and scavenger hunt clue cards here.

The bottom line is, get creative, let the kids help put together a gift for this special day, and have fun coming up with unique ideas for that special dad, uncle, or grandfather you love.

There is no better gift for a parent than something that the kids think up and make themselves.  With a little imagination, you can dream up some great ideas that will make Dad feel like the most important man on Earth.

And who really needs another tie?

What are some of your favorite creative gift ideas for Dad?  Is there a special gift that your kids once made that stands out as your favorite?  Leave us your ideas in the comments.