Celebrating Father's Day means so much more than just giving dads a routine gift and going through the motions of the day. Believe it or not, a father loves to be thought of fondly by his child, particularly on this special day carved out just for him. Help a preteen make the most of Father's Day by suggesting these homemade gifts to give.
Homemade Hand Print Notepads
This is the perfect project for a dad who is busy and needs to keep track of things.
Materials
- White poster board
- Printed scrapbook paper
- Scissors
- Pencil
- Marker
- Ruler
- Hole punch
- Thin ribbon
Directions
- Trace a hand on a piece of poster board. Do this again using the same hand. Cut the hands out. The two hands will be the front and back of the notepad, so it is important that they match very closely.
- Use one of the hands to trace onto a sheet of scrapbook paper. Cut at least 20 to 30 hand shapes using this pattern. The job can get done quicker by stacking three or four pieces of paper on top of each other, and cutting them out at once.
- Place one of the poster board hand cutouts on a table. Stack the scrapbook sheets on top, and cover with the remaining poster board hand cutout. Punch two holes through the hands towards the bottom of the hands. In other words, do not punch holes in the fingers.
- Use ribbon to tie the notepad together. Push the ends of the ribbon through each hole from the bottom and tie a bow where the ends meet at the top of the notepad.
- Decorate the cover of the notepad any way desired; maybe with a special message to Dad.
Pajamas Pillow
This is a sentimental gift that shows Dad there was a lot of thought put into this project. In fact, this craft can make two pillows, but the directions below are for one pillow.
Materials
- Dad's old pajama bottoms (preferably long pants)
- Poly-Fil or other fiberfill
- Permanent markers
- Velcro adhesive dots
- String
- Scissors
- Ruler
- Scrap felt
Directions
- Cut a leg on the pajamas to about 16 to 18 inches up from the bottom of the pants. Tie a string at one end of the pillow. Make sure it is secure.
- Stuff the pillow with Poly-Fil until it is good and fluffy. Tie off the open end of the pillow with more string. Now cut any excess fabric from the ends of the pillow to make it look even. Just be careful not to get too close to the string, so it stays secure on both ends.
- Cut various shapes from felt scrap. Make the shapes at least 5 to 6 inches in size. If Dad likes sports, cut out a football, race car, or any other emblem from the sport he likes. If he is into fishing, cut out a fish and a fishing pole. These shapes will add details to the pillow, and this is where knowing Dad and his likes really counts.
- Place Velcro dots on the pillow at places where the felt shapes will go. Also place Velcro dots on the backs of the felt shapes, so they will bind together with the Velcro on the pillow.
Father's Day will be extra special with these fun and easy crafts. The best part is that a preteen does not need much help making these projects (if any at all), so she can really take pride in giving something homemade by her alone.
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