Fun Ideas For An Awesome Father’s Day This Year

 

Father’s day is the day we all get to celebrate our own fathers, and as women we celebrate our spouses as fathers of our children. I am sharing some fun ideas for an awesome Father’s Day this year including fun activity ideas, treats, and gifts dad’s will love. I love how we get to a day to celebrate dads with our families. It’s great for kids to make special memories with their dads on Father’s Day. My husband and I have three boys and we always try to do something fun as a family to honor the day.

This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through the link, I receive a commision at no added cost to you, this helps me run my website. Thank you:) Please see my disclaimer in the top menu bar for more details.

Family activities that work for each individual family will depend on the age of the kids in the family. My ideas are for a family with kids in elementary school and tweens in middle school, however pre-K kids and teens may also love some of these ideas. The point is to get the family having fun together on Father’s Day to make awesome memories for the whole family.

I hope I inspire you with some fun ideas for Father’s Day and for a fun gift idea.

Have a Water Balloon Fight

This is a fun summer activity the whole family can enjoy on Father’s Day, especially in the summer sun. We have a water balloon fight in our Father’s Day plans this year because last year my husband and my boys had a blast in a water balloon fight. They had so much fun that this tradition is going to stick for years to come.

My husband and three sons each stood the same distance away from a laundry basket filled with water balloons in the shape of a square, so each person was at a corner. At the same time, at the shout of GO!, they all ran for the water balloons and began pelting them at each other. They had so much fun! I was the videographer and photographer, and I was fortunate to get some great shots with big smiles on their faces.

I love the BunchoBalloons invention so we can easily fill a laundry basket up with water balloons and have enough for a fight. We can quickly fill up a whole basket of balloons in mere minutes with very little effort. As a bonus, they balloons are biodegradable so they don’t need to be picked up. Pure genius!

Zuru Bunch O Balloons (Colors Vary)

Have More Water Fun! Save the Water Balloon Filling Cap to Reuse it!

Save the cap with the straws after filling up the BunchoBalloons® because it fits perfectly over a two liter bottle and makes a fun sprayer. Fill the bottle with water to make a shower spray spout. Just something fun for the kids to play with and make a shower. Stand it upright and squeeze it with straws facing up to make a water fountain effect. Since the cap fits on the hose nozzle, keep  the cap with straws to make a fun shower at the end of the hose. The kids can have fun sprinkling the grass, flowers, or each other (or dad), or attach it to something high to make a shower to walk under.

 

 

 

 

Make a Root Beer Float Bar

Make a root beer float bar with or without a snow cone machine. A few years ago my son wanted to have a snow cone machine at our house for his birthday party.  I looked into renting one but found that I could buy one for cheaper than the cost of renting one. This way we would have the snow cone machine for years to come and we use it not only for future parties, but for every day use as well.

To make a root beer float snow cone with a snow cone machine, shave the ice and add the root beer over the top of the shaved ice. Buy the straws with a little spoon scoop at one end so the root beer snow cone can be eaten in scoops, or simply use a spoon. Without a machine, just use crushed ice.

Yummy ideas to top the root beer snow cone with include:

• maraschino cherries
• whipped cream
• butterscotch syrup
• strawberry syrup
• chcolate syrup
• half and half
• vanilla coffee creamer
• ice cream (small scoops)
• sprinkles
• marshmellows

 

 

 

This is the snow cone maker we have and I love it! Affiliate link.

Waring Pro Snow Cone Maker

Hold a Backyard Lawn Game Tournament

Gather up all the lawn games from the garage and hold a tournament in the backyard. Grab a large poster board and write down who won each game, just for fun. Examples of games include rounds of bocce ball, croquet, frisbee toss, football toss through a strung up hula hoop, sand bag games, baseball pitching station, lawn darts, golf, soccer shooting into a goal, running races, obstacle courses, or a jumping over the sprinkler competition. Other ideas include minute-to-win-it games or watermelon baseball.

Play Watermelon Baseball

Did I just say watermelon baseball?

Yes, I did! This is messy, but my boys love it.  Both the bat and the participants may need to run through the sprinkler to rinse off after this one. I suggest a swim suit too.

I have three boys, this kind of thing doesn’t phase me at all;)

Grab a bat and some slices of watermelon. One person pitches with a watermelon slice and another person tries to hit the watermelon slice with a bat as if it were a baseball. My boys LOVE this, in fact they are the ones who made this up. The watermelon slice splatters and flies into pieces when the batter hits the slice. Messy family fun no doubt! Even though it’s messy, lots of laughter and great bonding time and memories result. Sometimes I’ve even caught my kids eating the smashed watermelon pieces off the ground (something I’ve gotten used to as a boy mom, ya know the subjective 3-second rule;).

Just for fun, try other fruits like clementine oranges or bananas. Leave the fruit in the grass for the birds and rabbits to snack on.

Other Fun Ideas for Father’s Day

Other fun ideas for Father’s Day include:

• family movie and order pizza, let the whole family eat pizza in the living room while watching the movie, tv trays come in handy for this type of thing
• go to the beach or a park and bring a picnic (FREE!)
• go fishing
• go to a movie at the theater
• go on a family bike ride (FREE!)
• swim as a family in a lake or pool
• go to an amusement park
• go out to eat at dad’s favorite restaurant
• go have coffee, hot chocolate, and donuts at a local coffee shop
• make a stepping stone, buy a kit from craft store or online like this one Midwest Products Mosaic Leaf Stepping Stone Kit, add the year by carving numbers into concrete with a toothpick, next write everyone’s name in the family and a thumbprint for each person by their name, add in some rocks from the yard or rocks or shells from a recent family trip
• grill out with dad’s favorite foods
• have a water gun fight (FREE!)
• go golfing
• go to a professional sports game
• shoot air soft guns or archery at a target
• go to the zoo
• go to a nature center for a hike, include a scavenger hunt
• go to a museum
• play board games or cards  (FREE! if you already own them)

Free Ideas for Fun on Dad’s Day

There are so many ideas for free fun on Father’s Day too using supplies you already have at home. Have your kids make cards or a bookmark and have them list their favorite things about their dad on it. Play board games or vidoes games you already own. Go on a walk or play tag in the back yard. The kids can make coupons for chores dad wants done or for time to spend together or for a hug. Drawings or paintings done by kids are a fun heartfelt way for kids to express their love for their dad. Have the kids make and bring their dad breakast in bed the morning of Father’s Day.  Nature hikes are a great way to bond as a family as well. Create your own photo booth using props from home and do a photo shoot. Have a game show watching marathon.

Buy an Awesome and Memorable Gift for Dad

Buy a special, awesome, and memorable gift for dads this Father’s Day. I have some fun suggestions for gift ideas.

Make a stepping stone with each of your kids’ names and a thumbprint (see affliate link above for the one we used).

Purchase an awesome travel backpack for the dad in your life. This one below is my favorite and it works for everyday use or as a travel carryon. To read my full review of it, click compact sling travel backpack perfect for dads (or moms or kids:).

Versatile Canvas Sling Bag / Urban Travel Backpack, Grey | Wear Over Shoulder or Crossbody for Men & Women, by NeatPack

Buy the dad in your life an insulated mug. We love the Bubba insulated mugs at our house. Perfect for the backyard in summer, on the beach, out fishing, or boating. We bought these on our trip to Cancun, Mexico and we used them all the time at home, camping, and around our pool.

Bubba Classic Insulated Mug, 52oz., Black

Grilling accessories or meat thermometers are great choices for the grilling loving dad. My husband loves his Green Egg Grill and he also loves ribs, so we bought this rib grill rack and we’ve used it many times. He loves it. Grilling spices or sauces are also great gifts for guys who love to grill.

 

Aura Outdoor Products Dual-Purpose Rib and Roast V-Rack for Large Big Green Egg, Kamado Joe

 

Got a musky fisherman dad? We do! My husband loves to musky fish, walleye fish, ice fish, you name it, he likes all fishing. Musky lures are a great choice for the fisherman dad.

 

Mepps BM HO-BO MuskyKiller-Bucktail, 3/4-Ounce, Hot Orange

 

Another idea is a remote controlled cooking thermometer. My husband loves the one below. The remote feature is awesome!

RediCheck Remote Cooking Thermometer w/Taste Settings

Other gift ideas:

• • Tools are always a great option for DIY dads
  • golfing gift certificates
  • restaurant gift certificates
  • Gander Mountain or Cabela’s gift cards
  • pool float
  • lawn chairs
  • camping supplies
  • grilling spices and sauces like Obie-Cue’s Sweet Rub BBQ Spice for Chicken, Chops & Ribs (12 oz)
  • local craft beer
  • pajamas or clothes or spiritwear clothing from his children’s school so he can cheer them on at their sports games

I hope you have a wonderful day making memories with the dads in your own life. Enjoy!

 

Copyright ©2018 Julie Hoag. All Rights Reserved.

Follow me on Social Media

• 
• 
• 
• 
•