Looking for some unique, creative ideas for Father’s Day gifts your kids can give Dad or Grandpa this year — that aren’t crafts? Bonus points if they cost nothing? Look no further!
Don’t get me wrong. I love receiving crafty gifts — and (usually) enjoy making them, too! But there are already millions of ideas for that stuff on Pinterest and Google.
If you DO need craft ideas, I love these 26 Surprisingly Easy Father’s Day Crafts for Kids to Make.
As a mom who’s constantly trying to declutter, I’m in favor of limiting crafty gifts. It helps minimize the mess that comes from the process of making them and the crafts, themselves, piling up in bins and on shelves.
My favorite formula for Father’s Day gift-giving:
- Homemade card (more meaningful and WAY cheaper than store-bought)
- Creative gift (like those mentioned in this post)
- Small, meaningful crafty gift (or not)
- One useful, purchased gift (i.e. a new baseball cap) (or not)
So, without further ado, here are 10 ideas for Father’s Day that are unique, creative, FUN, meaningful, cost nothing, and won’t add to the clutter.
1. Write and Record an Original Father’s Day Song from Kiddo!
Your child doesn’t have to be a musical prodigy to record a meaningful, original Father’s Day song for Dad or Grandpa. In fact, the more random and unique the song, the cuter, in my opinion!
You don’t need to be a master audio engineer, either. A simple iPhone voice memo recording will do just fine.
After you play the song for Dad and he wipes away the happy tears, be sure to title and email it (easy to do straight from your voice memos) so that you have it saved forever.
Listen to the song below for an example. It’s the Father’s Day song my stepdaughter and I made for my husband in 2020. She made up the melody and lyrics on the spot, singing it a capella while I recorded.
Then, I added in musical accompaniment with my keyboard to go along with the wild melody she made up. (That part is totally extra and optional! The song will be just as adorable and sweet without the accompaniment.)
“FATHER’S DAY IS HERE” By Aliya, June 21, 2020
For guidance on this project, visit the blog post on making an original song with your kid. It has step-by-step instructions for both amateurs and experienced musicians that want tips on how to add in accompaniment like I did in the example above.
2. “Chin-Face” Video
What better way to celebrate Dad than with the ultimate silliness? This activity is guaranteed to make ALL of you laugh, and the result will be a hilarious keepsake forever.
Here’s how:
- Grab some eyeliner, face paint, googly eyes, or even a washable marker
- Draw upside-down eyes and a nose on your chin
- Lay flat or upside-down, cover up your neck and your face (from nose to forehead) and have someone video you from upside down.
Father’s Day chin face (aka “chin puppet”) ideas:
- Dress your kid’s chin character up to look like Dad, complete with accessories and costume!
- Do a “chinterview,” where the person filming interviews “Chin Dad” and asks questions like:
- “What’s the best part about being a dad?”
- “What are your favorite things to do with your kids?”
- “How are you hoping to celebrate Father’s Day?”
- Have your kid answer in character as Dad.
3. Co-Choreograph and Perform a Father’s Day Dance To Dad’s Favorite Song
The only “rule” we like to have for this creative activity/gift is that both child and parent have equal say in the choreography. Kid makes up the first move, then parent, and so on, until a nice little routine has formed.
If you can find a little time to pick a song, make up a dance together, then “rehearse,” this makes for a fun surprise performance on Father’s Day. Costumes and props optional, but encouraged.
Last year, my stepdaughter and I made up a dance together to “Dynamite” by BTS. No, it’s not my husband’s favorite song. It’s just one we really wanted to dance to.
My son was only eight months old at the time, so this was NOT a very involved or time-consuming project, because it couldn’t be!
We giggled the whole time but also took it seriously, which made it fun. And the fact that my stepdaughter made up half of the dance was a point of pride for her. She was beaming throughout the performance.
It was a cute, mess-free, memorable moment on Father’s Day, and definitely the start of a new fun tradition!
4. Acrostic Father’s Day Poem
This is always one of my go-to gifts for all occasions. You might remember making these back in elementary school. It’s incredibly easy, collaborative, creative, and personalized.
The process is simple:
1. Take the letters of Dad’s name (or “Happy Father’s Day”) and write them vertically on a piece of paper OR inside his Father’s Day card, OR better yet: on a chalkboard or white board if you truly want no extra paper/clutter. You can display it all day and then take a picture to keep forever.
2. Write something specific about Dad for each letter.
Try to include some of following to make it interesting, unique, and extra personal:
- An inside joke
- An activity that child likes to do with Dad
- A special skill or talent Dad has
- Something about Dad’s appearance
- A quality you love about Dad
- Something Dad loves to do
- Something Dad loves (i.e. favorite sports team)
Here’s our acrostic poem for my husband this year, complete with doodles from my toddler.
My stepdaughter insisted on using the giant poster board we had in the garage so we went for it this time. But my preference is usually to put it on something small or erasable and just take/save a picture!
5. “Dad Libs!” (Mad Libs All About Dad)
If you’ve seen my post about Mad Libs, you already know that it’s my favorite game of all time. It’s easy and inevitably leads to laughter and memorable inside jokes.
So, why not play Mad Libs with Dad on Father’s Day — but make it all about him!
I wrote an original “Dad Libs” to play on Father’s day. You can have Dad give all the words to fill in the blanks, without him knowing that the Mad Libs is about him.
Tap here to access my free “Dad Libs” and give Dad the gift of laughter this year!
Or, make up your own!
6. Treasure Hunt For Dad
Send Dad on a treasure hunt by leaving clues around the house for him that lead to his gift or card!
You can collaborate with your child to decide on the hiding spots, make up the clues, and hide them around the house when Dad’s not looking.
*Bonus points for making the clues specific to Dad-related things! For example, for the clue that leads to Dad’s sock drawer :
“The next clue is easier to find than you think. Look for a pair of something that’s fresh now but later will stink!”
I suppose you could argue that this isn’t exactly a “gift,” but here’s my rebuttal: the creativity and love that goes into making and setting up the treasure hunt makes the experience a gift. And who doesn’t love a good ‘ole treasure hunt? Dads definitely do!
For tips on easy and cute ways to carry out the treasure hunt, check out: Treasure Hunts: Easy, Magical Family Tradition
7. Dad: The Biography
Get your child’s take on the story of Dad’s life.
Here’s a simple way to make a cute mini “biography” for Dad on Father’s Day:
1. Brainstorm a Timeline Together: Sit down with your child and brainstorm together to come up with a rough timeline of Dad’s life, according to what they think. Start from his birthdate and go up until now, including important events and facts about Dad’s life!
They may need help, but have them try and come up with as much as they can on their own. (It’s even okay if some of the facts are wrong or out of chronological order — that makes it even cuter!)
2. Fold and staple together a few pieces of paper to make the “book”
3. Write the separate events/facts throughout the pages of the book and a put title on the front.
4. Illustrate with crayons or tape in some photos!
This gets a little more into the craft world that my other ideas, but it’s something that requires a lot of creativity and thought, rather than focusing on the artsiness or aesthetic of the product.
8. Original Rap About Dad
This doesn’t have to be as hard as it sounds! Here’s a step-by-step guide:
1. Fill in the blanks on this template to create a short, simple rap:
2. Pick a free beat (search freestyle beats on YouTube or make one on Groove Pizza!)
3. Practice, practice, practice…
4. Perform the rap for Dad on Father’s Day! Alternatively, you could record a “music video” of your kid performing the rap and present it to Dad on Father’s Day.
9. Hidden Dad Jokes
This is less of a “gift’ and more of a funny, playful way to celebrate Father’s Day.
1. Write down your favorite “dad jokes” with your child on little strips of paper (or for an easier option, copy/paste, print, and cut some from this awesome list: 135 Best Dad Jokes That Are Actually Funny
2. Hide them ALL over the house, focusing on places Dad will eventually look.
- in his wallet
- inside his slippers or shoes
- under his comb
- in the fridge
- taped to his coffee mug handle
- bathroom mirror
- under his keys
This is not meant to be a treasure hunt. More of a silly surprise to bring him a smile throughout the day as he stumbles upon them. If he doesn’t find all of them on Father’s Day, that’s even better. It’ll be the gift that keeps on giving throughout the week!
10. Daddy Documentary
You can let your imagination run wild with this, but here is a loose guide:
1. Kid gets dressed up in some of Dad’s clothes and accessories and get “into character” as Dad.
2. You follow them around the house, filming and interviewing them as if they were Dad… showing you a day in the life of Dad.
3. Have “kid Dad” show and explain about some of “his” favorite things. Where he likes to do certain things. Talking about his life in general as he does “Dad” tasks.
This is just a cute video idea to surprise Dad with on Father’s Day. The saggier the clothes and the more mistakes and “bloopers,” the funnier and more memorable the video!
11. Friendly Dad “Roast”
This might work better with older kids or teenagers, but it could be cute with younger kids too. They just may need some help understanding the difference between a “friendly roast” and making fun of someone.
1. Sit down with your child and brainstorm a list of Dad’s funny quirks, habits, or qualities.
For example, our brainstorm list might say: poops for an hour, only sings on pitch in his falsetto voice, always ends up sounding like Elmer Fudd when he tries to do an accent, leaves his floss picks all over the house, has extremely long armpit hair, etc.
(Sorry for putting you on blast, babe. These are only LOOSELY based on reality!)
2. Turn each list item into a “joke” for the roast, standup comedian style!
For example, “My dad’s armpit hair is so long, he puts Rapunzel to shame!”
Or, “One great thing about my dad is that you can always be sure he’s keeping up with his dental hygiene… because Mom can’t keep up with all the floss picks he leaves all over the house!”
Or, “One time, my dad took soooo long to poop that by the time he came out of the bathroom, my baby brother had grown a full mustache and beard!”
All in good fun. Not mean. Just embellishing funny facts about Dad that he’ll be able to laugh about, too.
Have these ideas inspired you to go craft-free for Father’s Day this year? Let me know in the comments!
Hi! I’m Mia.
Mom, stepmom, wife, songwriter, performer, and theater educator.
I love sharing ideas, tips, and templates for connecting with kids through low-to-no budget, waste-free, creative play.
