Father’s Day Gift Ideas from Sons & Daughters (ALLOWANCE-FRIENDLY)

Looking for some Father’s Day gifts from kids? The kinds they can actually afford? Good news, you’re in the right place. 

No shade to those other lists out there, but most kids can’t swing a custom-engraved grill master set or a wireless photo printer. 

That doesn’t change the fact that every kid who loves their dad wants to give him a great gift of their very own for Father’s Day.

Of course, with their limited means, they will often be dependent on their mom (or grandma, or big sister, or uncle, or a friend, etc.) to help them come up with the best ideas.

Here at All Gifts Considered, this is the sort of thing we love to think about! Below we’ve detailed our favorite allowance-friendly Father’s Day gift ideas from kids to their dads.

These ideas include:

• Crafts & homemade Father’s Day gifts
• DIY cards
• DIY gift baskets
• “Dollar Store” gift ideas
• Cheap gifts (but not, you know, cheap)
• Thrift store finds
• Nice gifts (that kids can chip in with mom)

We hope this list of the best Father’s Day gifts for kids inspires some great gift-giving this Dad’s Day!

Our website is supported by our users. We sometimes earn a commission when you click through the affiliate links on our website. See our privacy policy & disclosures for more information.

100+ Father’s Day Gift Ideas from Kids to Dad

A lot of these great dad gift ideas are actually fun for the whole family, which is another reason we love them. 

Take the crew to the craft store for cheap paints and glue, or set them loose in Goodwill to see what treasures and unique gifts they can find. It’s so much fun to watch their creativity blossom with a little love and elbow grease.

Father’s Day Craft Gift Ideas

Here are a few of our favorite (and oh-so-simple!) Father’s Day crafts for kids that will make the perfect handmade gift for dad.

There are easy craft ideas here for every skill level and every type of dad.

• My dad rocks! Easy painted rocks craft for all ages. You only need rocks and paint. And love. A perfect present for the sentimental route. You better believe he’ll keep that rock for a long time.
• Tiny handprint keychains A cute way for kids to show dad their love. All you need is shrink film, keychain or key rings, and acrylic paint or something to draw with.
• Superman tube  If dad is a “superhero” to the kids, this is a fun way to show it. It just takes a toilet paper tube, construction or contact paper, and glue.
• Super Dad wrapped candy bar Give Dad a candy bar and wrap it up to look like a caped crusader. You’ll need a candy bar, of course, along with construction paper, glue/tape, and markers/crayons.
• Personalized photo bookmarks This is a fun idea. Take a picture of your kid(s) with their hands raised. Print and cut it out, add a tassel, and viola – a silly bookmark for dad on Father’s Day with each kid.
• Father’s Day goodie bags Take a paper bag, craft a paper tie, glue it on, and fill the bag with dad’s favorite treats.
• I love you Thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis much card cut out two paper handprints and connect them with a long strip of paper. Write “I love you” on the front and “thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis much” on the strip in between.
• Mini toolboxes made from mint tins You need two small Altoid mint-type tins, red spray paint, and something to make a tiny handle on top (metal and two tiny screws). Perfect for dad to use to hold all his little screws, fuses, adapters, guitar picks, or office supplies!
• Father’s Day Coupon Book Make little coupons for things that dad likes or appreciates (and that the kids can actually do). Free car wash, breakfast in bed, one hour uninterrupted nap time, one cold beverage delivered to dad, one free drawing of your choice, etc.

DIY Father’s Day Card Ideas from Sons

The homemade card is the quintessential allowance-friendly Father’s Day gift from the kids. This works even if your kids don’t get an allowance! Some construction paper and a heartfelt message are all it takes for this perfect gift Dad will love.

Here are a few easy and fun DIY Father’s Day card ideas from sons.

• Super Dad! + A drawing of Dad as a favorite superhero
• Papa Bear + A drawing of a daddy bear and bear cub(s)
• Dad, thanks for always being a fungi. + A drawing of a mushroom
• You’re the best, Pop! + A drawing of pop tarts in a toaster

DIY Father’s Day Card Ideas from Daughters

Likewise, these card ideas that emphasize the special bond between a father and his little girl are so wonderful. Fill them with a sweet, personalized message for a perfect Father’s Day gift.

• My Knight in Shining Armor + A drawing of Dad as a knight
• Best Tea Party Guest + A drawing of a tea party or tea set
• Dad’s Fix-It Shop + A drawing of tools and toys
• Father and Daughter, Friends of the Heart + A drawing of two hearts
• My First Hero + A drawing of Dad in a cape

Need ideas for that special message that goes inside? Try these:

• Dad, I love you more than YouTube. (And that’s a lot.) – or Fortnite, or Minecraft, or slime, or whatever.
• Daddy, I know you’ve loved me since I was born but I’ve loved you my whole life.
• If dads were noses, I’d pick you!
• If there was a daddy shop, I would buy you!
• Only a father as wonderful as you could have a child so wonderful as me!
• Thanks, Dad — I turned out awesome!
• World’s Greatest Farter (whoops, I meant Father)
• If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Happy Father’s Day! Love, your second-born
• Like father, like daughter (inside:) Oh, no.
• 5 Things I Love About My Dad (kids list what they love most about dad)
• Spell “FATHER” by lining up letters in the words of dad’s character traits. Ex. “Dad, you’re 
  Funny
  Amazing
  Talented
  Heroic
  Easy going
  Rare

DIY Father’s Day Gift Baskets

DIY gift baskets are a great idea for kids to create something to give to their dad. They can come up with a theme, or just mix and match random stuff their dad loves.

Their Father’s Day gift basket can include food, new gift items, dollar store items (see more on that below), thrift store finds, favorite photos, and fun crafts that they create.

Using their imaginations, the possibilities are endless, even within their price point! Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Movie night gift basket. Microwave popcorn, some popcorn bowls or tubs, Dad’s favorite movie snacks, and the kids can color in their own movie ticket stubs and movie poster to represent a favorite family movie that you own on DVD or can access via streaming
• Reader’s delight gift basket. A couple of books from thrift stores, cozy socks, a mug, and dad’s preferred beverage (coffee, tea, cocoa, etc)
• Tool man gift basket. Find tools, hooks, nails, screws, pipe fittings, and more at the flea market and fill up a gift basket — or tool tote! The best gift for the handyman.
• Chores-B-Gone gift basket. Scrounge up items from around the house to represent chores that the kids will do for Dad. For instance, a sponge to represent washing the truck, or an empty garbage bag to indicate that the child will empty all the waste baskets in the house for a week. A thoughtful gift that is and equally practical gift.
• Dad’s favorite gift basket.  What are Dad’s hobbies? Give him a day devoted to his favorite things. You can use new gifts or stuff from around the house to fill the gift basket and represent a day of fishing at the lake, an evening at the bowling alley, or whatever else he might enjoy.

Dollar Store Father’s Day Gift Ideas

These gift ideas are the sorts of things you can find at the local dollar store, or perhaps in the budget aisle at Target or here and there in other department stores.

While these aren’t the greatest quality items, these are good ones for when kids are just arriving at that age where they want to buy dad a Father’s Day gift with their own money. This is how they learn, it’s the thought that counts.

And, speaking as a dad, we get that 🙂

• Baseball card packs (or football, soccer, etc.)
• Dad’s favorite type of candy
• Those little screwdriver sets that come in handy for replacing batteries on small toys
• Silly tabletop games
• Tic-tac-toe
• That triangle peg game
• Accessories, tools, or office supplies that dad likes to keep on hand (which the kids inevitably “borrow”)

Cheap Father’s Day Gift Ideas from Kids

By “cheap,” we mean “inexpensive.” Aside from the dollar store gift ideas from very young kids mentioned above, we generally want to teach kids to avoid gifting cheap and useless junk for a special occasion.

Instead, consider the items and options on this list, think about who the dad is as a person and what he enjoys or appreciates, and come up with something thoughtful yet affordable. Once you get down to it, you realize that there is a wide range of gifts out there that would fit this category.

Here are a few ideas for meaningful gifts that are doable on a little budget.

• Accessories (scarves, gloves, hats)
• Movies from the bargain bins
• Eyeglass holder
• Water bottle
• Travel mug/dad mug
• Hot sauce (if he loves spicy things)
• A hand-drawn family portrait
• Pair of socks
• Phone charger 
• His favorite candy bars (for the dad with a sweet tooth)
• Keychain (a personalized keychain can be as little as $3 on Etsy)
• Journal
• Golf balls (for the golf dad)
• Framed photo or photo album (a great sentimental gift)
• “Best Dad Ever” beanie
• Handy gifts (things you can find at hardware stores like measuring tapes, carpentry pencils, levels, etc.)
• An interesting book
• Bedside clock
• NFL team-themed pens (or whatever type of favorite team)
• A puzzle to work on together
• Good book of dad jokes
• Quality time (completely free and the best way to build that father-daughter bond)

This last year for Christmas, both my kids gave me coupons for something cheap that they know I like but rarely “splurge” on — a cup of ice cream from Sam’s Club (aka Costco). Each kid, at different times, went with me on a shopping trip and bought me a fro-yo with their own money. It was, quite literally, very sweet.

Thrift Store Father’s Day Gifts from Kids

With a few bucks in their pockets and Father’s Day approaching, thrift stores are where it’s at. Seriously.

You can find legitimately great products, “gently used,” for a fraction of the full retail price. All you have to do is hunt around a bit.

It’s also not too difficult to find some fun media items, quirky coffee mugs, ties, vintage t-shirts, or random items of interest to your particular dad. And most of it can be had for five bucks or less.

Here are some suggestions for thrift store Father’s Day gifts from kids:

• Books or movies
• Vinyl records & CDs
• Coffee mugs
• Holiday ornaments (probably on sale this time of year)
• Vintage t-shirts
• Vintage pocket handkerchiefs
• Dress shirts (be sure to write down dad’s sizes!)
• Ties & tie clips
• Belts
• Camping Gear (if he loves the great outdoors)
• Scarves
• Photo frames
• Cuff links
• Duffle bag or gym bag
• Board games & puzzles
• Fun sports gear or sports games to play out back with the kids (baseball bats, nerf guns, golf ball(s), hockey sticks for street hockey, etc.)

Father’s Day Gifts to Chip In With Mom

We had the “Dollar Store” and “Cheap Father’s Day Gifts” sections, which focused on $1-2 gifts and $3 to, maybe, $10 gifts, respectively.

Now we’re going to look at some genuinely nice, non-homemade gifts for dad that might require mom or grandma to chip in a bit.

(At least, if your kids get what MY kids get for an allowance. If you give your kids $10 or $20 a week or more, they should be fine with anything in this section. It might require a tiny bit of saving. Which is fine. Saving builds character, says I.)

• Personalized tumbler mug (a personalised gift is always a solid option)
• Custom wall-mounted bottle opener
• Fill in the blank “what I love about Dad” journal (add in a favorite photo and an entry or two for a personal touch)
• Personalized mini Bluetooth speakers
• Personalized leather wallet
• “I couldn’t pick a better dad” stainless steel guitar pick for musician dad
• Custom “We flippin’ love you” spatula for grillmaster dad
• Engraved fishing lure for fisherman dad
• Memory foam slippers for a dad who loves to lounge
• Custom engraved old-fashioned pocket knife for outdoorsy dads

So now you’ve taken care of the Father’s Day gifts from the kids! Congrats and well done.

But how about you, mom? What are you going to get your hubs this year on his special day? You can’t go wrong with any of these 15 Personalized Father’s Day Gifts for an Awesome Dad.