5 Great Father’s Day Gifts That Kids Can Give

All kids love to get presents, but they want to give presents, too!

The challenge is that it’s hard for kids to make the arrangements, and even harder for them to pay for the gifts.  But the pride and good feelings that come from giving a gift are character-building, so helping your kids to give to others is a wonderful thing to do for them!  (Not to mention a treat for the person receiving the gift.)

Here are a few gift ideas for Father’s Day that your child can do mostly on their own, for very little money.

* Write “I love you” on a sheet of paper with bold marker, take a picture of the child holding the paper in front of their chest.  Print out the photo on a plain ole’ home printer (or be fancy and have it developed like a real photo!) and frame it or glue it to a card.

* Help your child write a note to dad telling him the top 5 things your child loves or appreciates about him.  For example: “I love how you help me roller skate.”  “I like it when you take me places.”  “I like it when you make cereal for dinner.”

* Help your child make a “coupon book” for dad.  The coupons can say things like: “Coupon good for 1 free hug,” or “I will take a bath tonight without complaining.”  “I will share my toys with my brother” or “I will take you to the park.”  (That last one is both funny and serious!)  You can let your child come up with the coupon items all on their own, or you can print out 5-10 options and let them choose.  It’s important to really let them choose, though, otherwise this “gift” will backfire!

* For a 3-4 year old child: print out a few pictures of your child and Dad doing stuff together.  Show the picture to your child, and have them describe what they see going on in the picture.  This is always a random and hilarious commentary: “My Daddy is in front of the lake.  He is wearing a green shirt.  I am wearing my favorite shoes.  I want an ice cream.”

* Have your child write short notes (or just “I love you Daddy”) on several different pieces of paper.  Together, hide those notes in places where Daddy will find them over the course of the next few days (lunchbox, dashboard, pocket of clean pants, etc.)  If your child is too young to write, cut out several small hearts and have him color/scribble on them, and you write the sweet note on the back.

Have fun with this, and remember to make the focus about how good it feels to do nice things for others.  Happy Father’s Day!