Not all kids’ crafts are created equal. While they’re all sweet, some just feel like clutter after a few days. These Father’s Day crafts hit different, though.
Kids love their dads, and kids love crafts. It’s a no-brainer to put the two together, especially on a day that celebrates dads in all their corny-joke-telling, couch-napping, golf-playing, BBQ-grill-mastering, king-of-the-swingset glory. However, coming up with Father’s Day crafts that are cute, fun, sentimental, and simple enough for little hands (or feet, in this case) to help with can feel like a tall order. Fortunately, the internet holds lots of incredibly crafty people willing to share their creativity with the rest of us. And thanks to them (outside of dads, y’all are the real MVPs), this list of craft-ivities exists. Most are the kind of crafts that kids can give Dad after making them, while a few are educational crafts they can do with Dad. Are all of these crafts going to make the long haul to graduation or beyond? Probably not. But they’re at least cute enough to leave tacked onto the corkboard until next year.
After all, how many of your kids’ crafts do you have lying around right now? It seems like they multiply overnight, especially once they start school. While you wouldn’t replace that beaming proud smile for all the money in the world, wouldn’t it be great if their paper crafts were a little more… useful? Now that you’re a parent, you know the deal: Your mom was a saint for holding onto that stupid pink glittery clay fairy house you made in kindergarten for nearly a decade. There’s another way to deal with this common parenting conundrum, though. Instead of keeping bins in the basement full of every holiday craft keepsake your kid has ever made (or, you know, carefully slipping their art into the trash after bedtime), you can help instigate the creation of decent crafts — the kind you’ll actually want to keep out and put on display.
So, whip out the craft supply bin. These are the Father’s Day crafts your partner hopes to get this year.
1. Daddy’s Footsteps
Warning: K Kids Play’s twist on a classic kid’s craft will probably have you up in your feels. You’ll need one of Dad’s favorite shoes (preferably something with a strong tread), some paint and other typical craft supplies, and your kid’s willingness to dip their foot in paint. “Stamp” Dad’s shoeprint on a piece of card stock first, then have your child stamp their foot in the center of Dad’s print. Get it? They’re following in Daddy’s footsteps. Brb, crying.
2. Memento Golf Balls
If a dad or granddad in your family considers the golf course their home away from home, this super-simple and sweet craft from TikToker Amie Potter will surely be a hit. All you need to do is give your kids permanent markers (carefully supervised, of course) and a box of new golf balls, and let them go wild scribbling and decorating. One commenter suggests using ModPodge Ultra, which is non-toxic, to coat the balls so your kids’ art stays put.
3. Dads Rock
Everyone knows Dad’s a rock star, and this craft from Timm Sevitz at Timm Easy Crafts puts that sentiment on display. A cool spin on the quintessential kid handprint idea, all this one requires is standard crafting supplies.
4. Annual Q&A
Say hello to the craft that will leave you and your partner struggling to explain why your eyes keep leaking, courtesy of Chrissy Horton at Horton Lane. Sure, it starts like typical kid’s handprint art. But then you add a section on the bottom with questions: Why do you love Daddy? What does Daddy always say to you? What makes Daddy happy? You get the gist. Then you laminate the print and put it in a binder, and do the exact same craft every single year on Father’s Day to see how your kid’s handprint and answers evolve.
5. A Picture Is Worth 1000 Words
OK, this tutorial from Kylie at Love Hard, Travel Often is a bit trickier, so it’s probably best suited for tweens, teens, or just exceptionally artistic younger kids. Pick a favorite family picture that you can print a copy of. Then, using a pencil, shade in the back of the pic. Next, place it on a piece of paper (Kylie uses a card, which you could frame after giving to Dad) and trace using a sharp pencil. Take the pic away, and then let your kid paint the family into the outlined space.
6. Bouquet of “Scratch-offs”
If your child has sensory issues and won’t go near paint for a Father’s Day craft, let them help you assemble something Dad will go nuts over: this lottery ticket scratch-off bouquet, as conceptualized by video creator Kammy Makora. Have your kiddo cap it all off by making a homemade card.
7. Terra Cotta Candy Pot
Dad doesn’t have to be a green thumb to love this flower pot from Made to Be a Kid’s Katie Wyllie. You’ll need to paint everything but the rim of a terra-cotta pot black and let it dry. Then, set your kid up with some sparkly permanent markers that will stand out against the black paint so they can create adorable works of art for Dad on the sides of the pot. Final step? Fill with his favorite candy!
8. Daddy’s Caddy
Looking for a genuinely practical craft-slash-gift idea? Dollar Tree DIY Lovers has you covered with this “Daddy Caddy.” You should be able to find an affordable unfinished wooden caddy at the Dollar Tree or any craft store. From there, it’s just a matter of letting your little one decorate it for their pops. He can use it for everything from organizing grill tools to stashing the remote control and his reading glasses.
9. Biggest Fan Mug
You’ve seen DIY mugs before, but this one from TikToker @kraftikellii is too good not to share. Since her partner is a huge basketball fan, she had her kids dip their thumbs in orange paint and then “print” them sporadically on a plain white mug. Once dry, she went in and lined the orange prints to look like basketballs and added a sweet message. Her mug is decorative, but if you want Dad to be able to use (and wash his), you’ll have to take a few additional steps: make sure the mug you choose is heat-resistant, use DecoArt glass paint markers, and bake the mug at 350 degrees for 20 minutes to cure the marker.
10. Dad’s Snackle Box
This “snackle” box will put a huge smile on Dad’s face. 4Everlasting Keepsakes uses a vinyl-cutting craft machine to make the letters for the outside of the box, but you could definitely loop your little one in by letting them decorate it instead. Then just fill it with Dad’s favorite sweet treats.
11. Money Tree
One of the most iconic thing about dads are the many “dad-isms” they break out on the reg. And this craft from The Young Wild Me Family celebrates a favorite: “Money doesn’t grow on trees.” Only, you and your kids will finally be able to prove Dad wrong by crafting this clever money tree.
12. Fries for the Big Guy
Dad may not be able to actually eat this fun French fry craft from TikToker Kimberly Lopez, but he’ll find it filling all the same. Using standard craft supplies, you’ll help your kid create a French fry holder and individual “fries” to go inside. But before tucking them into the holder, have your kiddo write something they love about their father on each fry.
13. Out-of-This-World Dad
Here’s another solid swap for that plain ol’ handprint Dad normally gets. In this Made to Be a Kid craft, your child transforms their handprint into a fun little alien with a paint-splattered intergalactic background.
14. D.A.D. Photo
There are a few more steps involved with this craft from (hilarious) artist Andrea Nelson, but the end result will be something Dad might have to wrestle out of your clutch because you’ll love it so much. To start, you’ll have your kid create and decorate oversized D, A, and D letters out of poster board paper. If you have an only child, you can take three different pictures of them holding each letter. If you have three kids, well, each kid gets a letter. Print out the photos, pop them in a frame, and you’ve got a keeper.
1. Matching Ties
Dad and little learners will have a blast creating this “tie board” from the U Can Handle It blog. Plus, watching them match ties to the appropriate “Dad shirt” will make for a precious moment to capture in photo.
2. A Close Shave
If your kiddo loves to watch Daddy shave in the mornings, this interactive and sensory craft from Mr. Mintz Crafts will make them feel like they’re a chip off the old (bearded) block.
3. Tie Counting
Another gem from the U Can Handle It blog! Dad will get a chance to help out with early learning when he and your little one practice counting with this easy craft.
