Father’s Day is just around the corner, and we’re sure, like us, you’re starting to think about gifts for Dad. So we thought we would share with you our favorite ideas for showing Daddy some love this Father’s Day. They’re simple ideas that are about creating and preserving memories, because when all is said and done these are what make life memorable.
Make Daddy a Tie
What Father’s Day isn’t complete without a tie? Last year, my daughters and I made this personalized silk tie for my husband. It’s a fantastic way to keep your children little forever – well, their sweet little hands and feet at least.
These ties are available on Daddystie.com for $29.95 with free shipping. The kit comes with a silk tie and a black non-toxic washable ink pad.
They’re incredibly easy to make. In fact, we made ours in about 20 minutes while Daddy was upstairs showering and dressing one day.
Simply lay the tie on a flat surface with newspaper underneath. Rub the ink generously on your child’s hand or foot. You may need to wet the ink pad a little with a spritz or two of water. It also helps to practice on a piece of paper once or twice to get an idea of how much ink you need. For kids under 1, it’s best to do a foot because their hands haven’t quite grown out of the grasping reflex so it’s difficult to get a flat handprint.
Press your child’s hand or foot onto the tie and apply a little pressure directly on top and then lift their hand or foot directly upwards off the tie. Reapply ink and repeat.
Then take your child immediately to the sink and rinse. 
Spray lightly with a little Scotchgard to protect the tie and prints and hang to dry.
Make Your Own Personal Greeting Card for Daddy
Recently, Heather’s kids made these cards for their daddy for his birthday. They add the perfect touch of personality to any special dad on Father’s Day. First, start by helping the kids make their handprint on a piece of construction paper or white stock paper. Then, scour through your photos to find a good one of your special dad with each child, and tape the photo to the inside of the card. On the other side of the card, you can either write something really nice, or make up a poem.
Heather wrote touching poems that were very personal between each of her daughters and their father. Combined, both poems took her about 20 minutes. If your child is old enough to write his/her own poem, by all means, they should try their hand at poetry. Her kids are 21 months old and 3 1/2, not quite old enough for poetry.
Here is the poem she wrote, if you’d like some inspiration. You’re welcome to use her poem below as long as you include the author byline/attribution.
“From the moment I was born and heard your soothing voice;
I knew you were my dad, there was no other choice.
And thank goodness there wasn’t, because you’re as good as it gets;
Without you and only you in my life, I would be quite upset.
I look up to you with admiration, love and respect;
Please don’t forget that when our two very similar personalities intersect.
Because I love you daddy with all of my heart.
I always have, right from the start.”
-By Heather Fruzzetti
When Heather’s daughter was born, she cried louder than any infant she had ever heard cry. When her dad began talking to her, she stopped crying immediately because she recognized his voice. Her husband was so touched by the poem that he cried.
If you need help rhyming words, try RhymZone.com (
http://www.rhymezone.com/). You type in a word, and it generates several words that rhyme.
Make Daddy Breakfast in Bed
Courtesy chiefmoamba, flickr
Growing up, making breakfast together with Mom or Dad while allowing the other to sleep in on Mother’s Day and Father’s Day was always a special treat. As kids, we loved to walk into the room with our handmade cards and breakfast and wake them up.
Let your children do as much as they are able. They’ll love delivering breakfast to Daddy knowing they helped. If you’re looking for a special breakfast treat, here are some of my family’s favorite breakfast treats:
Brown Sugar Bacon Waffles – These are positively amazing! They’re sweet and a little savory, light and fluffy, yet incredibly filling. LOVE! LOVE! LOVE them!
Nutella Pancakes with Raspberry Sauce – These pancakes are moist and light. The raspberry sauce is a little too tart and overpowering, but these would be excellent with strawberry jam. And a healthier substitute for the nutella is MaraNatha’s dark chocolate almond spread with no preservatives.
Sausage, Egg, and Cheese Casserole – For the man in your life who likes a hearty breakfast, this is it. I haven’t shared my recipe on purebebe, but this link is essentially it. The casserole requires assembly the night before. Refrigerate overnight and then place in the oven the next morning.
Give Daddy a Day of Leisure
Courtesy Timmy2wheels, flickr
Let’s face it. Becoming a daddy often means giving up some of the things he loves. Not that he’s complaining, but we’re sure he might appreciate a day out doing something he loves like golfing.
To make it fun and personal, have your children make up a handmade gift certificate to his favorite activity or outing. Have them draw a picture of Daddy doing his favorite activity. Then perhaps choose a fun place to meet up with Daddy after his day out for dinner and/or an activity together, like mini-golf.
Plan a Special Activity with Daddy
Choose an activity that the whole family can enjoy, perhaps something you don’t get to do very often. Some excellent suggestions:
- Have a picnic at your local park or even in your backyard, and plan your meal to include some of Daddy’s favorite foods or snacks
- Go camping at your local campground, or pitch a tent and camp out in your backyard. If you have a firepit, roast marshmallows and make smores!
- Visit a local sight or go on a boat tour. We live in the DC area, and it’s not often that we get out to visit landmarks in our own backyard but for when we’re playing hostess for out-of-towners. If this sounds familiar, perhaps there’s a local sight or event you’ve been meaning to visit.
- If you’re lucky enough to live near the ocean, go to the beach. Otherwise, go to your local pool or waterpark.
- Visit your local zoo.
- Go to a movie. These days, plenty of movies are made for kids with humor for parents too. We recently saw Kung Fu Panda 2 and loved it.
Capture the Memories
Grab your favorite pictures of Daddy over the years and put together an ensemble. One year I made an accordion book like the one in this Martha Stewart craft. Include pictures of your child and their favorite activities with Dad or a picture of each child and have them include a note about why they love Dad.
Or make a custom board book that your little one can enjoy with Dad. You can start with a blank board book available here or, if you’re not feeling too crafty, use a service that will print a custom board book for you with your own photos and text. But you’ll need to move quickly if you want to have a service prepare one in time for Father’s Day. Here are a few that we found:
My Custom Story: Custom Photo Board Books
Hullabaloo Stories: Custom Board and Fabric Books
LifeTimez Enterprise: Custom Board, Photo, and Panoramic Books
What are some of your favorite gift ideas? Please share!
We hope all the Daddies out there know how much they are loved, appreciated, and needed this Father’s Day!
-Jasmine and Heather
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