Father's Day Crafts

Bake and decorate cookies. prehaps ginger bread dads, bears, or neck ties. Cookie cutters cost a few dollars. Cup cakes or a real cake. Good luck!

I received the most wonderful mother's day present that was completely free. My kids took the camcorder and made a film pretending to be newscasters reporting on mothers day. It is a complete treasure that I share with others. They did it from the perspective of differ countries with differ accents, etc. They were very, very creative. They are 10 and 12 and this was a complete surprise. For your kids ages, you can direct a film with your kids as stars, sports figures, wearing halloween costumes, doing a play etc. All you need is a camcorder (borrow one if necessary) and 3 tapes (dad, 2 grandpas). Trust me, it is a treasure.

Try Familyfun.com and kaboose.com. They have lots of fun ideas. Thanks for asking the questions. It's given me lots of great ideas too.

my answer is always the same Marthastewart.com she has given me plently of fresh ideas...hope this helps

We have given him the same thing for the past two years. We make stepping stones for our garden. I buy a bag of concrete at home depot and use disposable aluminum pie or cake pans as the mold. My kids put their hand prints in the concrete and then decorate around it with pretty stones, tiles, small plastic toys, etc. Its fun to see their hands get bigger and their artwork get neater.

Hi there, I do a craft segment on a local TV show here in Texas. I have some ideas on their website WOAI Crafting with A.. I just did a Father's day show and did Aprons for dad to grill in. You can take a plane white or canvas apron and pick out some fun material like racing or golfing. Use the double sided iron on Fusing and make your own iron ons to decorate the apron. There are a lot of great websites out there just google fathers day crafts. Good luck to you. The website for my show is www.woai.com and you can click on videos and then enter A.. Just remember to get creative and have fun.

You said you have done handprints but have you put them on one of your husbands or FIL old ties? We did that one year. It was fun and something they can wear once in a while. Or if one of the men barbques you can do them on an aprin.

I laughed aloud when you described your son as hilarious! I used to have my kids make name placecards for a "fancy" dinner since we could no way have paid for or sat long enough for 4 kids in a mediocre restaurant. Write the person's name on a piece of paper. Set it on the table where each person will be seated. Invite everyone to Emiliano's Peanut butter and Jelly Restaurant. Tape a sign with the restaurant's name, maybe your son's name. Let him help and serve sandwiches, cheese and crackers, grapes, banana sliced with a pizza cutter. Serve a meal that cannot be screwed up no matter what. Open the dishwasher door for a flat work surface with a rim around it so if there is a spill, it will go straight down the drain and not mess up a thing. Give him paper/plastic cups and put the ice in them ahead of time, store in freezer. When guests arrive, he pours out of a plastic pitcher or a new kid's watering can without the sprinkler end with a million holes. He can pour juice or lemonade or what-have-you. Have him wear an apron or a dishtowel around his waist like a waiter/host. Everybody uses nice manners and a paper napkin and he is the host. You are 3 people: the mother/guest/director behind the curtain. We offered apple slices for one of our pretend restaurant "appetizers". My then 3 yr. old thought we were saying apple-tizers, so when we served cheese cubes, he squalled, "These are not apple-tizers, they're cheeeeese." If you are learning counting, have him count out 5 grapes and 2 banana slices or whatever per person. Put a candle in each cupcake and sing "Happy Father's Day to You" to the birthday song and have the Dad(s) blow them out and clap. Tell your son to hug them and tell them that his gift to them is his LOVE. Sonny can offer a Happy Father's Day toast and everybody can clink paper cups. Anybody who doesn't have a good time being in a fancy restaurant being entertained by a hilarious waiter, should be banned from further dining pleasures. MINI Rehearse the "play" assuring him that you will tell him what comes next. We celebrated a lot so the children would have some idea of the order and that half the fun is enjoying the unfolding of the thing and that it can last as long as the guests are having fun. Helps to see how it works when you go to a Real restaurant and you have to act big and grownup and well behaved. And he'll be a marvel. Cheers, C.

Best one I've did so far:

You can prob look it up on Family crafts.com or something...

Got a canvas apron and let the kids put their painted handprints on it. I wrote Dad of the Year 2007 on it in fabric paint pen.

We made homemade bbq sauce for him...SO much fun!!! Get out all the ingredients into little bowls and line them up on the table. NOTE: Start w/ a base of REAL bbq sauce!! Then let them smell each thing when they get to it (or taste depending what it is) and ask how much of it should go into the sauce. It's fun to watch them think so hard. Have out different sized measuring spoons. At the end of the 'line' they can wisk the ingredients together themselves.

To bottle: I personally boiled the label off a beer bottle..but you could use a glass bbq bottle. I let the kids paint on a pc of paper. Over the top of their paint job in silver paint pen...wrote Happy Fathers Day. and cut out the 'label' to fit the bottle. I wrapped it around the bottle, then afixed it w/ clear shipping tape. That way it stuck and it was water proof.

THEN...we got a alum bucket from Wal-mart and made a basket w/ the bbq sauce, apron, and a couple bbq grill tools. It took a couple hrs to do. But my friend and her two kids did came over and we shared the project, and the work!!! It turned out looking great!! We had so much sauce and 'label' left over, I made one for their grandpa!...just the sauce...not everything else. Cost was pretty low and the kids' self esteem HIGH!!!

C.,

There's something I've done for my husband for our anniversary and one year for Grandmas for Mother's Day that could easily be done for Father's day.

I sat with my children and asked them reasons why they love their grandma. I then typed them on the computer and printed on colorful cardstock. I cut them in strips and folded. I placed them in a special container (you could even decorate a box with a photo or decoupage pictures from magazines of some of his favorite things) and attached a note:

These are just a few of the MANY
reasons we think you’re SO special
and love you very much!

or

"Here are daily reminders of why we love you so much"!

Daddy can pull them out daily (or when he needs a little pick me up) and read throughout the year.

My son was 4 when we did this (and my daughter 6). You have to kind of help them with questions (how does daddy make you feel, what do you like about daddy, special times, etc). The responses were so cute.

Examples:
You are funny, Your neck feels squishy, you are silly, you make bathtime fun, you make me feel happy, I like your kisses

You can do as many as you want (and even add to them next year).

To make it from both of you, when you type it out put the name at the bottom of who said it. For example, here's how I typed a strip:

You make me happy
Jake - 2008

If you don't want to do the strips you can do the same in an album (Hobby Lobby has some small soft covered albums for about $6.00). On each page put one of the quotes and a picture (either a photo or one that your son draws).

Enjoy!

Just heard an idea on the radio for drawing a tie on a t-shirt and letting your child color in the tie however they want. Also, one year, my kids decorated a t-shirt with an american flag (since July 4th is coming up). We used some star stamps and then I let them paint on the red stripes (kind of an abstract design). We also made matching ones for the kids, too. I think this would also work great on an apron for grilling, if your husband's not the t-shirt wearing type.

My son's only two, so last year we stamped his foot in paint and framed it next to a poem and a pic of him and his dad. This year we found some cool animal cookie cutters and will bake them for him then give him a card with pics inside of all the baking we did for him. I'm going to stick in a coupon for a night off of bathtime (his chore.) :)

C. ,
you say you have done the hand and foot prints ,so how about a lil twist to it and make them stepping stones and do it every year
lanettte

As far as father day's gift, your husband needs a gift from your son. The kids need to learn to give gifts that are age appropriate. If he is 4, get him to draw a picture and color it or paint it...You can buy an inexpensive frame for it. He can put it in the office or at home. Same for gifts for the other fathers from the kids. You can go to Michael's and they have clay projects and they can make multiple gifts for the dad's. Your gift doesn't have to be expensive, make a card on the computer that is from the heart, save a few bucks there... You can give pictures...On mother's day - I went to mypublisher.com and made a photo album with my digital photos for both my mom and my husband's mom...IT just had pictures from our wedding, trips and kids...They usually run a program buy one get one free...$26.95 for 2 albums.... The cards are the best way to save some money....Look for clip art or use a picture of you and your dad...add pictures of the kids....

Good luck...

Hmmm... ya'll could bake soemthing for them... and as your son helps, take pics that tell the story. Him licking the batter-bowl, icing the cupcakes, etc.... would they enjoy that?Not sure if that sutis your family but hopefully you gets lots of recomendations today.... good luck~

we got a small cardboard box and cut out all kinds of pictures of things he likes - fishing etc and made a collage on the box. He can use it to keep his receipts and what nots. Then we will put some coupons in it, massage, breakfast in bed ... and maybe buy him a few cool looking fishing lures my daughter picks out...

I love doing t-shirts with the kids' handprints, feetprint, and names, etc. That is what we are doing this year.

Hi C.... My kiddos and I are going to make a cookie bouquet for my hubby. You can get recipes all over the internet. We are making the cookies look like books and then give him a gift card for Barnes and Nobles too. We are really excited about it and it won't take much money!!! Here's the website we are using http://www.kitchengifts.com/makingcookiebouquets.html. Hope this helps!!

We are doing t-shirts painted by my kids. There is also a photo album...take some pictures of your son doing different activities that remind them of Daddy and Grandpa, like pushing the mower, cooking, laying in bed, watching football,etc and print them, put them in a small photo album with the title, "thank you for all that you do," or "I love who you are." Good luck and have fun.

Once for Fathers Day my daughter used a nice galvinized pail and painted happy fathers day on it for my husband to use to put things in.

I have also had my kids buy an unfinished frame and use water colors to paint it any way they wanted and then glue little wood decorations on it. From Micheal's.

C.

Baking! What I plan to do with my daughter is bake a cake and then decorate it by tracing her hand out on the cake with gel frosting, and then finish it myself because she's only 17 months. But where your son is 4 he can help mix, and keep track of the oven timer. He'll feel very involved. And it's an original and cheaper way to do many gifts. As far as my own father and father in law, they both live up in New England so they're just getting cards. Hope this gives you an idea. Lots of luck and messy fun!

One year we gave Hubby a "coupon book" with family coupons such as "Good for one breakfast in bed" or "Redeem to get out of taking out the trash" and "Good for one uninterrupted day of sports on TV" and the like. Let the kids come up with some and let them decorate the coupons. Tie them together with a piece of yarn or ribbon. Hubby never redeemed any of them (or he hasn't yet), but he does keep the book in his nightstand! It's very cute!

in my opinion you can never have too many cute hand prints!

I am right there with you...We color pictures and I really like making photo frames you can stick on the fridge...good luck

How about a mobile with pictures or things gathered on a walk, or artwork. Hobby lobby has cheap (less than $1) mugs that you can draw picture ont he paper and insert between the plastic. One year I gave DH a "daddy sandbox, just a wooden box with little cars and bulldozers, things to dig up. Kind of a fun twist on the zen garden. He loves it. and lends it out to co workers. LOL.

Hey there C.!

I found a great craft idea from an old highlights magazine. It's a Father's Day scroll. You get 2 tubes (toilet paper or paper towels) and paint them. Then you take long strips of paper (I used butcher paper). If you want an "old" look to it you can wet the paper then wad it up and then carefully re-open it to let dry. Once dry, your child can decorate it however they choose. Tape each end of the decorated paper to each of the painted tubes. Roll it up and secure it with ribbon; and you're done! You can thread a piece of yarn through the top tube so that it's able to hang.

For our Father's Day Gift, we're making a wind chime. We took an empty plastic bowl (we used an old butter tub) and painted it. Then we went to home depot and bought different sized washers (2 of each) and painted them a different color for a little variety. Once everything dried we took fishing wire and threaded it through the washers and connected it to the tub (you'll need to punch a hole through it first). We did that for each of the sets of washers. I used a fishing weight for the middle of the wind chime. Don't forget to use a sting to hang the wind chime!

Enjoy!

we are making a pencil holder out of sample formula cans :) Just cut up construction paper (or any kind) glue it on then use Modge Podge <sp?> to seal it. Works pretty nicely! We will also cut out words and pictures from magazines to decorate the can.

Are there any community centers in your area that have die cuts and craft supplies you can use?

go to www.familyfun.com they have a section on Father's day with crafts and different ideas. It's a great website that I use a lot for different ideas.

Hi, C.. Why don't you look up FamilyFun.com online and see the really cute gifts that you and your son could make. I love their magazine and use the ideas for art projects for homeschool. Best wishes!

Make a freezer of home made ice cream....what ever flavor the Dad likes the best. How about homemade cookies for the other Dads?
Nothing spells lovin' like something from the....well, you know the rest.
Home cooking these days is a treat.

We went to Michael's yesterday and bought a $1 wood frame and I'm going to take my left over paint and paint half purple and half blue. Then I'm taking cutouts (wood and foam) of the things my two little ones do (one's in ballet and horses, the other is all sports) and glue them along the sides. I got cut outs of wood blocks to spell "Dad" and "Greatest". I"m going to take a dig. head pic. of the kids and stick it in the frame. This will go to dad's office to help him remember why he's working in that jungle! LOL

Hey C.,
I know what you mean about the gifts. It does get expensive !
Here is my suggestion, which you may or may not like. You say your son is hilarious, well, what is his favorite animal or character or sport or whatever .... You see where I am going with this. His imagination must be endless. He will, of course, help you and you two can make a cake for Daddy and the Grandpas. These can be box cakes, and you can decorate in your son's favorite passtime theme, or character theme. It does not have to be complicated. It is a gift from a little boy and Mommy. Three cake mixes and some frosting and a few other decorations should not be that expensive. You two can cover a cardboard box for a base, put doilies on it and lay your cake right on there. Anybody you know have heart shaped pans or some other shapes ? Maybe you could borrow some of those, or perhaps, purchase the aluminum foil throw away types at the grocery.
Then, your precious little boy can make a card, which he already knows how to do, and there you have it.
Best wishes. Happy Father's Day to everyone !

R.

Last year we bought a wooden picture frame from Hobby Lobby and some puzzle pieces. We painted the puzzle pieces and glued them to the picture frame and then wrote "We love you to pieces!" and put a picture of the children in it. It was fun to paint and my child enjoyed it. He J.

My husband said last fall that he didn't want us to BUY anything for him for his birthday or whatever, and that he prefers home-made cards.

Today I got out a bunch of crafty things and asked my two and a half year old what to put on the 3 cards we needed to make. I just let him take the lead and helped with the glue and a little guidance.

What we ended up with was really quite simple. I took an 8 1/2 by 11 paper and folded it into a card and then unfolded it again. I held it up to the window and traced pictures that he picked out from his coloring books (he picked a t-rex for the front and super man for the inside of one) He also, for the two grand fathers, he used his scissors to cut out a few dinosaurs from the books (his idea) and glue-sticked them on. Then he got really excited about glitter that was left over from christmas-- I traced the t-rex with elmers and he sprinkled the glitter and then shook it off. I couldn't believe the "ooohs and aaahs" that he came up with. We really had fun and made a mess. For dad's, the one with Superman, we wrote in there that "you are our hero" or something.

We are probably going to bake something, too, since your responding moms made that sound so good.

Good luck.

Your son is old enough to help you write a story for each. Maybe it could be his take on a day he spent with Dad or Grandad. He could then illustrate it. You could even create a "book," going to whatever extreme you'd like to make it realistic.