Run out of ideas for Father's Day gifts? These 5 simple, home made gift ideas are sure to make an impression on dad. Perfect for making in the classroom with students or at home.

1. Calendar Blocks

For a simple but effective gift idea, consider making calendar blocks. If you don’t have scrap wood off-cuts, why not raid the kids toy box? Most of us have a set of wooden blocks in there somewhere! To make this awesome gift, you will need:

• 2 Cubes of wood
• One long/oblong block of wood (that the two cubes will fit on top of)
• Velcro strips, magnetic tape or flat Lego blocks
• Decorating materials – paper/card/paint etc.

To make this lovely gift, start by decorating your blocks (or leave them rustic for a more natural feel). Then add numbers/fixings to each block as follows:

Block 1 (cube) – put numbers on each face of the cube – 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Block 2 (cube) – put these numbers of each face of the cube – 0, 1, 2, 6, 7, 8

Block 3 (oblong) – fix your Velcro/flat Lego block to one face – your months will attach to this.

Using good quality card, or laminated paper, create 12 strips of the appropriate size and put each month of the year on them. On the reverse of these strips, put the “matching” Velcro/Lego so that they will fix to your oblong block. Voila! You have a set of calendar blocks which can be used year after year. You can add another set of blocks for days of the week if you wish, or you can leave this part off – it’s up to you!

2. Make a Mug

You can pick up a plain white mug from most supermarkets for about a pound, and you can get ceramic pens/paints from most good craft stores, or online. Along with a bit of inspiration, that’s all you’ll need to create a lovely personalised mug for your dad this Father’s Day. You’ll need to bake your mug at 170C for about 40 mins to fix the design and prevent it from washing off. Who doesn’t love a new mug? Ideal for use at home or work, your Dad is sure to appreciate this lovely personal gift.

3. Lolly Pop Plant Pot

If you have a nice decorative plant pot, this is an ideal starting point. Alternatively you could use a plain white ceramic pot and decorate it in much the same way you can decorate a mug, then use it for this project.

Into the pot, place some florists oasis foam, or cut up some old polystyrene packaging to fit inside. Add to this a range of colourful lolly pops, and perhaps a cute home-made sign and voila! You have a lovely personal gift for dad!

4. Tin Can Desk Tidy

Cheap tins of tomatoes (without the pull tops) work well for this, because the old-school way of opening tins tends to leave you with a nice smooth top (no cut fingers from jagged tins, please!) and the acid from the tomatoes leaves the inside of the tin stain-free and easy to rinse out and use. Although any tin works, this is what I’ve personally found to be best for this type of project. Simple spray the can with undercoat to give a nice finish to work on, then decorate away for a personalised pen pot. You could even order some personalised pens/pencils to go inside as an added touch.

5. Dad Rocks! Paperweight

Next time you’re in the garden, keep an eye out for a nice big, round stone to use for this project. Again, spraying with undercoat first will give you a smoother surface to start working with. From there, you can decorate your paperweight using paint, sequins – anything really! Ideal for use as a paperweight but this could also be used to make a BBQ napkin weight or door stop – ideal for breezy summer days!

Any More Ideas?

Do you have any simple Father’s Day craft ideas to add to our list? Or perhaps you’ve made one of these and would like to share your efforts – either way, we’d love to hear from you!

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