Father's Day Gifts From the Heart

As you know by now, I am a firm believer that gifts are much more memorable if they are creative and come from the heart. Anyone can toss a check at someone or buy some flashy new “must-have” gadget. 

But Dads are pragmatic by nature and therefore they are much more likely to prefer a personal homemade gift versus an overpriced, mass-produced one!  So it is no surprise that I have a few frugal to share.

Gifts from the Heart:

Many of these gifts are geared for dads with young children, but with a little imagination they can be easily tweaked into older kid creations as well.

Trunk Tote

Create a fabulous storage solution for dad this year.  All it takes is a cardboard box and a little creativity. Simply have the kids decorate the box and attach handles to each end. That’s it! This cute, yet practical gift will eliminate all the odds and ends from rolling around while dad’s driving. 

The link below provides all the specifics:

http://familyfun.go.com/fathers-day/fathers-day-cards-gifts-gallery-855222/#Totes%20and%20Sweets;19

Money Tree

How many times has you dad said money doesn’t grow on trees?  This father’s day prove him wrong by creating his very own money tree. 

• Purchase a potted plant, (the more it looks like an actual tree the better).  A rosemary plant would probably be my choice since my husband loves rosemary.
• For as many gift cards or scratch tickets you wish to give, staple together the corresponding amount of “money pockets.”  Money pockets are made by taking two pieces of pretend money and stapling them on the bottom, and two sides only, therefore allowing the gift card to be slipped into the top.
• To attach the loot to the tree, place the money pocket into a plastic floral pick. The picks can be cut to different lengths to create the sense of money growing all over the tree.

Show Dad That He Rocks…literally!

Have your child locate a decent sized rock in the back yard.  Clean and dry it, then break out the paint color of choice and go to town.  Cover the entire rock and when dry, decorate it as a head.  Use various household materials for the eyes, nose, mouth and of course, the hair! 

Of course you can pick up googley eyes and pom-poms at the craft store by why waste your money, they should be as unique as Dad is himself! Don’t forget to include a note telling your dad all the reasons that “he rocks”!

The Gift of Time

I don’t know any father who would turn this down, so depending on what kinds of things consume the weekend for the Dad in your life, here are some practical gift ideas that will allow dad to truly enjoy the efforts of his kids to celebrate him on Sunday!

• Pay a neighborhood kid to mow the lawn on Friday. This way you give the gift of extra time and energy.
• Find a neighbor who knows how to vacuum pools and pay him a small fee to do such.  This is a great use of your money for all the reasons listed above. (This gift is FREE if you or the kids have time to do this yourselves).

Father’s Day Coupon Book

Kids of all ages can participate in this one and it too affords dad the gift of time.

While you can create a coupon book of dad’s most loathed household maintenance duties by cutting and embellishing your own paper with the redeemable chore, my recommendation is take the Time Saver Tip.

• Time Saver Tip: Simply Print out the “Father’s Day Coupons” from any of these sites and then staple the completed coupons together in a cute book for dad to redeem at a time of his choosing.
• http://fatherhood.about.com/od/fathersdayresources/ig/Fathers-Day-Coupons/?once=true&
• http://familyfun.go.com/printables/fun-fathers-day-coupons-704055/

Take Time Together

By giving your dad the gift of time with the ideas above, why not make the most out of this time together.

* A Touching Timeline

Break out the family photos and take a stroll down memory lane. Grab some of your dad’s favorite snacks and drinks, crank your dad’s favorite tunes and prepare yourself for a lot of laughs!  Think of all the bad haircuts, crazy clothes and the wacky candid shots that never made it to the scrapbook.

Using a roll of drawing paper, or several sheets of paper stapled end-to-end, create a family timeline by attaching some of your favorites in a sequential order! 

Have every family member contribute a thought or story to create fun captions for each photo.  While it may not come out professional, I am confident you will want to hang it up for everyone to enjoy!

* Paper Bag Puppet Family

Help dad find his inner child by breaking out lunch sized brown paper bags, markers, crayons and any other craft materials you have around the house.  Then have the entire family hang at the table and make a paper bag puppet of another family member.  (What fun would it be if everyone just did themselves?)

After the puppets are complete and dry, put on your own puppet show!  No script required, act out the day or a memory from years past.  Pretend to talk like the person you have and then switch the puppets and see how long you all can do this while truly enjoying yourself.  Let go of being a parent and remember to let your inner child loose!

* Read Together

Books for fathers and young children to enjoy together:

• Butterfly Kisses by Bob and Brooke Carlisle
• My Daddy and I by P.K. Hallinan
• The Berenstain Bears and the Papa’s Day Surprise by Stan & Jan Berenstain
• I Love You, Daddy by Jillian Harker and Kristina Stevenson
• At The Beach With Dad by Mercer Mayer
• I Love You, Little Monkey by Alan Durant
• Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney
• A Perfect Father’s Day by Eve Bunting
• DADDIES by Dian Curtis Regan
• Dads and Babies by Beth Brust

 For more Father's Day gift ideas, click .