Fathers Day gifts for dad: Service projects, activities for kids to help dad

DIY FATHERS DAY GIFT IDEAS

Looking for Fathers Day gifts for dad (grampa, uncle, husband, boyfriend) that don"t bankrupt you? Think do-for, not buy-for in Fathers Day gifts for dad. Give gifts for dad that cost time and talent not money. Perform service projects and activities for kids to help dad. Do Fathers Day activities for kids with dad--don"t just spend money on meaningless stuff (how many ties does one man need anyway??). Most dads have more projects than time to do them. Everyone who lives at home should be participating in household tasks. But some work just naturally falls to dad. And if he"s an over-achiever, git-er-done kind of guy, he ends up taking too many service projects on himself. Here are creative Fathers Day gifts for dad, Fathers Day activities for kids to help dad.

* Automotive. Is dad Chief Maintenance Exec in charge of family vehicles? Give gifts of service to assist--if you have automotive repair experience, even better. If you don"t, you can fetch, carry and lend a listening ear. Or you could get dad a gift card to Auto Value, Harbor Freight or a local repair shop so he doesn"t have to do it all himself. These are perfect service projects to help dad.

* Yard work. Sometimes dads don"t want gifts of service because family members don"t do chores his way or they are careless or leave tools laying around. And let"s be honest, that works great for lazy kids--more video game time while dad does it all. Perform gifts of service conscientiously. Mow the yard (neatly), trim hedges (carefully), plant flowers (properly), water landscaping (correctly) clean yard furniture and accessories (thoroughly), tidy the garage the way HE wants it done. Clean and replace tools the way he showed you. Promise help with winter snow removal and follow through. Don"t take shortcuts. And for goodness sakes, clean up after yourselves. Gifts of service shouldn"t make more work for him. Service projects are meant to help dad!

* Home maintenance. One of the best Fathers Day activities for kids is to help dad knock out repair tasks on his to-do list. Follow his lead and don"t question (after all, he has been doing this longer than you have). You"ll learn valuable life skills lessons to use when you"re out on your own. This author"s oldest son barters repair services for free rent at his apartment complex--thanks to lessons learned from the master mechanic (dad).

* Hobby service projects for kids. Maybe dad"s restoring a vintage car or motorcycle (ours has a work-in-progress BSA). Is he a model train enthusiast? Boat aficionado? Tech geek? Bibliophile? Historical re-enactor? Sports fanboy? Movie buff or gamer? Perhaps he"s a microbrewer like ours? Show an interest and devote a few hours to do it with him. Clean his man cave, shed, workshop or corner of the basement. Tidy his game room, study or library. (Don"t reorganize where he can"t find things though). You"ll be glad you gave these Fathers Day gifts when you"re older and away from the house.

* Vehicle cleanup. It"s hard enough to keep up with vehicle maintenance, let alone cleaning. Wash and polish dad"s car/truck (properly). Dung the trash. Vacuum and scrub the upholstery, Clean the windows. Detail the exterior and interior. Fill fluid levels. Do minor repairs as gifts of service. He"ll love you forever for these hands-on Fathers Day gifts for dad.

* Help coupons. Give a gift that keeps on giving--coupons good for free labor. Little children especially, love making these. Mom or older siblings help with writing. Preschoolers draw pictures of what tasks they will help with. Our kids were pretty clever about thinking up daddy-friendly tasks. Include lots of activities for kids to do with dad.

As much as possible, do these tasks with dad. It"s great for year-round bonding.

Source: http://www.examiner.com/article/fathers-day-gifts-for-dad-service-projects-activities-for-kids-to-help-dad