It’s a joy to honor our husband or father in a special way on Father’s Day.
But what to do? What to get? If you’re drawing a blank or just looking for some ideas and inspiration, read on.
Here are five tips to guide your planning, and 16 gift ideas for inspiration.
Tip #1: Make His Life Easier
How can you make his life easier?
Anything that does that is bound to please. Less stress and higher productivity = more time and energy for enjoying himself.
Think about his lifestyle. What would help him do his work or hobby faster, more efficiently, or more easily? If he’s mentioned something he needs or wants, then that could be the answer. It could be something related to organization, or it could be a tech gadget, or a much-needed tool that he’s been doing without. Here are some ideas.
Damai Portable Universal Wrap Electronics Accessories Travel Organizer
For travel or just around the house, this compact organizer bag would be great for organizing all the charger cords, flash drives, and other small technical items floating around. Knowing where to find things is such a relief, so I think this would make a great gift. It’s also only $17.99 right now on Amazon. (On a side note, it also comes in lots of pretty colors and would make a great organizer for your purse or diaper bag, too!)
Lightning Power Bank
With this small, easy-to-carry power bank, he won’t need to worry about any of his devices dying. It works for both Android and Apple cell phones, as well as cameras, tablets, and Kindles. (It doesn’t charge laptops.) It also has a helpful screen that shows how much power is left.
Tip #2: Make His Life More Fun
What would bring more fun and play to his life?
My husband loves playing drums and bass, so I know he’d love something musical (although I’d probably be wise to surprise him with a drive to the music store and let him pick out exactly what he wants).
Kindle
Does the dad in your life like to read or watch movies in bed? Get him a Kindle Fire (only $99 right now!).
Audible
If he would love to read, but doesn’t have time for it, get him an Audible subscription so he can listen to books on the go. It’s free to try.
Try Audible and Get Two Free Audiobooks
Board Games
Does he like to play board games, or do you think he would enjoy trying something new? There is a whole world of new board games and forgotten favorites to explore. Check out Board Game Geek Store, which also offers gift cards. And here is a game a friend of mine recommended.
Ticket to Ride Board Game
2,204 5-Star reviews can’t be wrong, right? :) The goal of this game is to create the most railway lines between U.S. cities. It is for 2-5 players, and children can play, too. It says for ages 8 and up, but with some flexibility on the rules and help from the adults, even younger children can enjoy it. There is also a Europe version.
Tip #3: Create Memories
My favorite gifts to give are the ones that foster sweet memories of family togetherness.
When the children are younger, I like to buy books about daddies and their children that they can snuggle up and read together. When the children are a little older, there are fun activity books for them to do with dad.
Plan an Adventure
A family outing to a local park would be fun, or even a road trip!
Father’s Day is a great time to try something new. A friend of mine shared this idea on Facebook, and I think it’s a great idea: a Stargazing Paddle Trip. That sounds amazing.
Something else I’ve been wanting to try is geocaching, and Father’s Day would be a great time to try it for the first time.
Tip #4: Be Sentimental
A sweet homemade card is sure to melt his heart.
You can also create a one-of-a-kind photobook at Snapfish and fill it with photos of dad and the children or the whole family. They even have tiny photobooks that will fit in his wallet.
Another cool option is a digital picture frame. Load it up with all of your favorite pictures.
Digital Photo Frame
This highly recommended digital photo frame has a motion sensor that automatically turns it on and off when you enter and leave a room. It also has a USB port and SD port, and holds thousands of photos.
Tip #5: Make His Life More Delicious
You know what they say, the way to a man’s heart… So, what does he love to eat? Or drink? Surprise him with his favorite specialty coffee or wine, or related books or accessories. Or cook him a special meal or a dessert he would love, or treat him to his favorite candy.
The Ultimate Bar Book
This book is the gold standard for bar books. Now dad can make his own delicious mixed drinks at home like a pro.
Smokin’ With Myron Mixon
If your husband or dad loves to barbecue, this is the perfect gift. Full of tips, techniques, and recipes- this is sure to inspire dad to crank up the grill.
Atkinson Peanut Butter Bars
I remember eating these with my Daddy when I was a little girl. I think he would enjoy getting some of these now. He loved them, too. Think about something that would be special, sentimental, and yummy.
The Next Level
If you want to take your gift to the next level this year, you can combine these tips to create an even more awesome Father’s Day experience for the dads in your life.
With a little planning, you can combine all five of the tips or at least two or three to create an extra fun and meaningful Father’s Day this year.
Try a homemade card, breakfast in bed, a thoughtful gift, and a family adventure trip.
What? You Waited Until the Last Minute?
(Oh, that’s me. Oops!)
If you happened to wait until the last minute, despair not. You can create something meaningful that he will love, even if you don’t have a lot of time.
Quick Make-at-Home Cards and Gifts
At times I have been known to procrastinate on these things. Last year I used a template in Word to create a quick, yet special and cute card for the dads in our lives. I just chose one that I liked, and then I imported some photos of the girls, changed the title to Happy Father’s Day, wrote a sweet message, and popped them in the mail. They turned out really cute and my dad and stepdad really liked them. I think they both still hold a place of honor on their refrigerators.
My children are great at creating art quickly, and I know they could make a cute card in no time. To make it extra special, ask them to tell you all the things they love about their daddy (or granddaddy) and write them down. Then help them to write it out in the card, or you write it. He will love it.
Fast Store-Bought Gifts
For last-minute store bought gifts, Amazon rocks. If you’re not yet an Amazon Prime member, I highly recommend it.
Not just for the free two-day shipping, but also for all the streaming video. We watch it on the TV using the Roku, or on the Kindle. There are a lot of great shows for children on there, too.
Amazon Prime would also make a nice gift for Father’s Day.
Shop Amazon – Give the Gift of Amazon Prime
Over to You
How are you planning to celebrate Father’s Day this year?
Pass It On
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Happy Father’s Day
I just want to say thank you and I love you to my husband, Adrian, who is a loving father to our sweet daughter, Rose.
And to my own Daddy… I love you more than there are fathers in the whole world, and we know that’s a lot. Thank you for always being there for me.
Note: This post contains affiliate links.
Jayne says
Great post again Heather!!
Just thought I’d share an idea – I’m doing this for my Dad for his birthday in October but it could work for Father’s Day too!
He’s going to be 80 this year so I wanted to do something special again. When he turned 60 I made him his own newspaper (yep, a real one that was printed at a newspaper print place!!) because he used to be a compositor (newspaper job lol). Anyway, it was a real hit even though it took me months of work. I contacted all his old friends and workmates and got them to contribute a story and then I made up silly ads etc. Anyway, there’s another idea lol
So, this year I was racking my brains about what to get him when I remembered that I still had some old audio tapes (yes, cassette tapes!) of recordings of my Nanna (his Mum). We emigrated to NZ from England when I was young and we used to make cassette tapes and send them home and then his Mum & Dad would make tapes and send them back – full of chit-chat, gossip and local news from our home town.
So I’ve decided to digitize them and give him the CD of his Mum & Dad’s voice for his birthday!!!
Father’s Day will probably be a hardware voucher – because he’s still doing renovations at his age and just like me LOVES the hardware store to pieces!!
Love and Light
Jayne x
Heather says
Thank you so much, Jayne! I love your gift ideas. That newspaper one is awesome… and I love the CD idea just as much. I know he is going to love it. What an amazing gift, to be able to hear his parents’ voices.
I know your dad will love the hardware store voucher as well. :) That reminds me of going to Home Depot. I love the smell of lumber in there and all the promise of a million projects waiting to happen.
I have some old cassette tapes around here, too that I’d love to have digitized.
Thank you again for reading and commenting! <3
Love,
Heather