Dads like useful things. If you already know this, it’s probably because this isn’t your first Dad Rodeo (that’s what we call Father’s Day here at Hallmark, ever since…just now, when I made that up).
Anyway, at some point you’ve undoubtedly noticed the blank look, the poorly disguised wince, the tortured grimace on his face when he opened a present, only to find, say, an acrylic paperweight with some kind of bug inside or an unwearable gag T-shirt.
So this year, show your dad you know he means business with these 10 unique, and most importantly, USEFUL, gifts that are guaranteed to get you one proud papa.
Create fun and one-of-a-kind sports equipment for Dad by dyeing, painting and decorating golf balls and tees, tennis balls or baseballs (or whatever sport he loves) with his favorite colors, funny drawings or short quotes. We used permanent markers and craft paint to create our works of sport.
Channel your inner handyman and unleash your creativity for a set of personalized tools Dad will never lose—because they’re just too awesome to loan to neighbors. We decorated our tools with craft paint, duct tape in various patterns and colors, string and twine.
Show Dad how much you appreciate him with his own Dad-branded snacks. Fill cellophane or zippered sandwich bags with some of his favorite treats. Print our snack bag tags, cut out, and fold. Then deliver the goods to Dad along with your undying love and appreciation. (Then maybe he’ll share.)
Get Dad’s mitts on a personalized oven mitt to wear when he’s rustling up grub for dinner. And an apron displaying his Number One-edness will help keep his duds from getting dirty when he’s amidst his flour-power. Download the apron printable and mitt instructions.
These tickets won’t let him into a sporting event, but they will deliver something just as fun. Use these printable tickets to give Dad the gift of great memories when you help him with chores, give him hugs, tell him stories and more.
Does the master of your house often misplace his keys? Have no fear! Building blocks will be the key to this organizing success story. Give Dad a key holder made just for him so he’ll never again have to ask, “Has anyone seen my keys?” Instead, he can ask more important questions like, “Who wants ice cream?” Download the Keymaster instructions
Print this easy and personal gift for Dad and decorate it with drawings, doodles and funny phrases Dad likes to say. Choose your favorite design—or give him all of them, each done by a different kiddo. Tip: We’ve supplied a vertical, lined page that’s perfect for filling in phrases about Dad that begin with each letter. But the other pages (shown) can be used however you want. Download the father page printables
Organizing will be fun for Dad when he has a personalized board to keep all his odds and ends sorted and neat. Whether he uses it in the garage or office, he’ll be proud to display and use this thoughtful gift. Magnets made with just a few old tool parts add some rusty, er, rustic charm. Très magnet-fique! Download the magnet board instructions
Serve up some of Dad’s favorite snacks with photos of your family acting out the “flavor du jar.” For instance, a jar of little cheese crackers can say “Cheesy” and show a picture of a kid making a goofy face. We’ve included a few printable snack jar labels for you to use, or you can have fun coming up with your own. If you don’t want to include photos, kids can create illustrations in the spaces provided.
15-Minute Bacon Cinnamon Rolls
Bake Dad something special to go with his gift.
Jeanne Field enjoys quilting, killer sudoku and washi-tape hoarding in her free time—which she has more of now that her 2 kids are in college. She hopes to live 1,000 or so more years so she can make ALL the quilts.
