Ten ways to celebrate dads this Father’s Day

Whether your partner is a father-to-be, a new dad, or a papa of many years, Father’s Day is a perfect opportunity to recognize and honor his special role in your life and the lives of your children. Here are ten ideas to celebrate him this Father’s Day, Sunday June 16, 2013. If this is his first Father’s Day it’s a perfect time to initiate a tradition that you follow each year—whether it’s an annual activity or a similar type of personalized gift.  Of course, it’s never too late to start a new tradition (especially when your kids are old enough to help).  Likewise, it’s not too early to celebrate expectant fathers either!

1.  Make your own card

Sure, Hallmark’s been successfully selling sentiments for years, yet there is nothing quite like the personal expression of what a person means to you.  Depending on your talents and inclination, you might consider including a poem in this card.  If you are expecting or your babes are little, perhaps you write a poem as if your kiddos were speaking.  You can talk about the special times they’ve shared this year or the special times to come.  It doesn’t have to be a literary masterpiece; it will be special no matter what (hey, the sillier the better!).  As your kids get older, they can write their own poem to dad.

If words aren’t really your cup of tea, consider a photo card.  You may select one or more special photos from the last year.  Alternatively, maybe you stage a photo of your little ones (or your beautiful pregnant belly!) with a sign that says “Happy Father’s Day” or “I/We love you Dad.”

For older kids, a special drawing or painting made for dad may also be the perfect keepsake.

By making this a tradition you do every year, your partner will have a prized collection of moments and sentiments to look back on in the years to come.

2. Partake in his favorite activity

The lifestyle changes that come during pregnancy and especially parenthood often mean less time for our own favorite activities.  Father’s Day is a great time to let your partner indulge in one of his favorite past times, if possible with the whole family.  Of course you know your partner best, but ideas include:

• sports game
• special hike
• family BBQ
• a park side, lakeside or riverside picnic
• a fishing trip
• a meal at a favorite restaurant
• bicycle ride
• a camping adventure (even if it’s a pitched tent in the backyard)

3.  Help with a project

Along those same lines, you may help dad with a special project or hobby of his.  Whether its gardening, carpentry, working on the car, brewing beer, or fixing up something around the house, a shared project can be a fun way to connect with dad.   Let him go to the hardware store with a gift card in hand and pick out the tools needed for the job, if he enjoys that kind of thing.  Or, alternatively, get the items needed ahead of time to simplify the job.

4.  Guys night out

While its great to find an activity or project the family can enjoy together, you may decide that what dad really needs is some time for himself.  You might set aside an afternoon or evening for dad to enjoy some guy time—maybe golfing, taking a motorcycle ride, poker night, or a ballgame—arranging as much of the plans as possible so he can enjoy a hassle-free guilt-free outing.

5.  Daddy love coupons

Love coupons are a great way to shower dad with special treats on father’s day.  Kids also love to come up with the “treats” they want to share with dad—extra hours of sleep, special snuggles, help preparing his favorite meal, a back rub, you name it. Kid-designed coupons are adorable and sure to warm dad’s heart.

6.  Make a special meal

Surprise dad with breakfast in bed or coffee from his favorite café (bonus: let him sleep in while you make it/buy it), a meal at his favorite restaurant, an outdoor grill-out, or a picnic.  This may be something you can turn into a tradition that happens every year.

7.  Hand or footprint art

This is a fun tradition that celebrates not only dad but the children as they grow. Consider creating some footprint and/or handprint art for dad each year.  There are many ways you can do this:

• Garden stepping stones with the baby’s prints and the date (after some years, you will have created an entire walkway!)
• A tee shirt with hand or footprints using non-toxic fabric paint
• A framed piece of footprint/handprint art
• A page in a special memory book just for dad
• Quilt squares

8.  Photo/Video project

Extending from the card idea above, consider framing or having a canvas made of a special photo.  This can be a photo that captures a special moment from the previous year or it may be a specially-staged photo for Father’s Day.   Such a photo may be the perfect thing for his desk at work and not something he is likely to make for himself.

You may also consider making a special video for dad or dad-to-be.  It may be of the kids telling dad what they love about him, a montage of video clips from home videos taken throughout the year, or something else you and the little ones come up with.  Dad can re-watch these year after year.

9.  Make Dad king for a day

Come up with ways to pamper dad all day long.  Maybe your kids make him a special “king for a day crown” and explain to him how being king for the day works—maybe he gets to sleep in, get extra snuggles, have a chore-free day, get to pick the activity, make up his own “rule” for the day, or whatever else the king desires on his special day.

10.  Make a father’s survival box or treasure box

This can be a silly homemade gift for dads-to-be or fathers of little ones.  Take any box (like a shoebox or smaller) and decorate—if kids are old enough they can decorate it with paper, magazine clippings, markers, glued-on decorations, etc.  You can select or let the kids add little tokens, drawings, toys, or anything special for dad.  These can either be funny or sentimental (i.e. representing something you appreciate about dad).  Either mom or kids can write an explanation of what each item represents.  Here are some fun ideas:

• Paper heart (to remind you how much you are loved)
• Marbles (to replace the ones you’ve lost)
• A penny (to give you a “cents” of how valued you are)
• Rope (in case you are at the end of yours)
• Paper clip (to help you hold it together)
• Rubber band (to remind you about or honor your flexibility)
• Super glue (to help keep your eyes open after sleepless nights)

What ideas or special things do you do to celebrate Father’s Day?  Please feel free to comment below!

Did you know?

Father’s Day was an idea born, ironically, during a Mother’s Day sermon in 1909.  After hearing a minister extolling the virtues of motherhood, Sonora Dodd of Spokane, Washington decided her father—a farmer, Civil War veteran, and widowed dad to six kids—deserved a day of honor too.  In 1910, she declared the first Father’s Day in Spokane on her dad’s birthday: June 19. Presidents Woodrow Wilson and Calvin Coolidge supported the making of an official Father’s Day; and in 1966 Lyndon B Johnson proclaimed it a national holiday. But it wasn’t until 1972 that Nixon officially designated the third Sunday in June as Father’s Day.  Now, the holiday is celebrated around the world.