Homemade Father's Day Gifts: Creative Ideas For Grandad And Dad

Father's Day falls in June, the shops are full of socks and barbecue tongs, and the man in question has said he doesn't want anything. He means it, and he's still pleased when something homemade turns up.

These are the ones that land: personal, practical, and mostly built around tea.

For the tea drinker

• A hand-painted mug. Paint-your-own kits let a child produce something a dad or grandad genuinely uses every morning, and the wonkier it is the better it works.
• A builder's brew kit: his brand of teabags, proper biscuits, a bag of sugar and the mug, boxed up together.
• A written note of exactly how he takes it, framed and stuck above the kettle, as a hint to the rest of the household.
• A tin of the biscuits he hides at the back of the cupboard, refilled.
• A flask for the shed, the allotment or the touchline, with his name on it in permanent marker.

Made by the kids

• A voucher book: one car wash, one uninterrupted match, one lie-in, one dog walk. Redeemable, and they must be honoured.
• A handprint or footprint picture for a first Father's Day, done in two minutes and kept for thirty years.
• A 'reasons I love you' jar with a strip of paper per year of his age. Slowly read over weeks.
• A photo printed at the supermarket machine, in a frame from a charity shop. Total cost about three pounds.
• A decorated tin for the shed, holding screws, fuses and the things he can never find.
• A comic strip of a famous family story, drawn by the child.

For grandad specifically

• A recent photo of the grandchildren, printed. Grandparents want the picture far more than the gadget.
• A recorded interview - twenty minutes of him answering questions about his childhood, saved somewhere safe.
• A garden gift: a pot planted up by the grandchildren, labelled in their handwriting.
• A playlist of the music he was nineteen for, which is the age most of us keep our music from.
• The promise of a visit with a date already in the diary. This is the gift, every time.

What to write in the card

• Thanks for every lift, every late pick-up and every time you didn't mention the petrol.
• You taught me how to fix things, and mostly how to stay calm when they break.
• Happy Father's Day from the ones who ate all your biscuits.
• For grandad - the children talk about you all week, not just today.
• Sorry this is homemade. You're getting a proper brew out of it though.
• You're the reason I know how to make tea correctly. Happy Father's Day.

Shop Father's Day cards

How to write it so it lands

• Make it the weekend before. Paint and glue both need longer than you think.
• Give the card separately from the gift so both get a moment.
• If he says he wants nothing, do the visit and bring the tea. That's the gift.

Where to shop next

• DIY teacher gifts kids can make
• Rainy day craft kits for kids
• Crafty hen do ideas at home
• DIY gifts for grandparents
• Pottery painting at home
• Cheap date night ideas
• Date night at home ideas
• Date nights that keep the spark going
• Date night ideas for parents
• Date night ideas in the UK
• Rainy day activities for kids
• Teacher thank you gifts
• Hen party at home
• Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• Birthday cards for kids
• Funny Father's Day cards
• Good luck cards
• Thank you cards
• Pin badges
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

What are good homemade Father's Day gifts?

A hand-painted mug, a builder's brew kit with his teabags and biscuits, a voucher book of jobs and lie-ins, a printed photo in a cheap frame, and a decorated tin for the shed. Personal and usable beats bought and generic.

What can kids make for Father's Day?

Paint-your-own mugs, handprint pictures, a voucher book, a 'reasons I love you' jar and a hand-drawn comic of a family story. All are doable in an afternoon with an adult nearby.

What's a good Father's Day gift for grandad?

A recent printed photo of the grandchildren, a painted mug made by them, a recorded conversation about his own childhood, or a planted pot with a label in their handwriting - plus a visit already in the diary.

What do you write in a Father's Day card?

One specific memory rather than a general thank you. Name the lifts, the repairs, the match he took you to. Specifics are what get read twice.

Do you sell craft kits or mugs?

No. We design and print greetings cards, enamel pin badges, prints and party decorations, all posted from the UK. Any craft kit or mug kit mentioned here is an outside recommendation, not something we stock.