Ideas For Father's Day Activities

Father's Day is a time for little ones to shower their father with lots of love and attention.

Older kids may be more reserved about a gushy display of emotion but they want to get in on the celebration, too.

What can you do to ensure that Father's Day is fun for everyone—especially dad?

Here are some fun ideas for activities, Father's day gifts aside, that you can make part of your festivities.

In this game, little kids hide and Dad gets to find them. Kids love hiding and while dad is looking for them he can enjoy his cup of coffee and some Father's day cookies. The longer they stay hidden, the more chance they will be the winner. So dad can even get through the entire paper while the kids are hiding.

After dad calls out that he gives up, any child who has not been found gets to come jump on dad. You can play several rounds of this game so dad gets to enjoy some down time while also playing a game that kids love.

Kids love being part of a scavenger hunt. Let the older kids help set this up along with the younger kids. The children can hide objects that are really gifts for dad in a certain area. Dad has to find every object on the list before he can have any of them. They could be his favorite gourmet chocolates, a new golf club, a gift certificate, a book he’s been wanting, or any other little gift. Kids love the adventure and it makes dad work for his presents.

Kids love playing charades and acting like characters. Get the kids involved in acting like dad. They can use some of his clothes as props—like ties and shirts and hats. Then they each get to be “on stage” and act like dad. Loads of laughter will break out as dad realizes what he sounds like to his kids of various ages.

As a family activity, kids can make a meal with all dad’s favorites. This is a great chance for kids to learn how to cook a lobster (older kids can help, younger kids can watch) and to really get the inside scoop on what goes into dad’s favorites. Dad can be there to help or he can just be the taste tester.

Kids will have fun putting out a table full of foods they helped cook. Dad will love that he gets to eat his favorites. Have the children design a menu and present it to dad, too. Take photos of dad at the “restaurant.” This activity will show that you don’t have to go out to a fancy restaurant to have a great meal.

In this activity, every member of the family gets to say one thing they love about dad. It should be a time they remember being with dad or something that stands out in their memory. It can be a saying dad always uses or an admonition he often gives.

Young children will come out with some of the most cherished answers. And dad will be surprised at the impact small things have made on his kids. You can record the whole thing on video to watch next year before you do it again.