Father's Day Gift Idea - Make Your Dad a Gift Coupon Book

Show off your thoughtful side for Dad this Father's Day by making him a coupon book of gifts that you can't buy in any store! This is great for the cash-strapped and the creative types out there...

My kids always have a great time creating and decorating these unique gift coupon books. To make them, all you need is paper and craft pens, or stickers, plus a stapler, and a kid full of ideas!

First sit down with your child and decide how many gift coupons you want to make for Dad, and then brainstorm some ideas. A 'Hug Certificate' is a classic, as are any 'take over Dad's chores' type coupons. Consider Dad's personality and interests, and you'll be able to tailor some gift coupons especially for him.

Does the Dad in your life golf? How about a volunteer caddy from your teen? (Bonus: extra together time with Dad!) Promise Dad a partner to watch the next full moon. Give him dibs on the last serving of a favorite desert. Entertain him by offering to stand on your hand every time he asks for a whole day. Aim for a nice variety of useful, sentimental, and quirky.

Now, depending on the ages of your kids, you may need to print or type the coupon's words out neatly for them. Older children can do this part themselves. Most home computer printers will accept construction paper, so you could even print them onto colored paper with a fun font. If you do that though, wait to cut them apart (you can fit 6-8 on a page) until after you print, as some printers don't deal with small pieces of paper very well.

After the words are printed and the coupons cut to size, let the kids add decorations. Use paint or craft pens to let them add their own personal style to Dad's gift. If you have younger kids and want to avoid too much mess, let them decorate with stickers, or peel and stick foamies, instead.

Once the decorations are dry, stack the coupons neatly, and staple down one edge to turn them into a booklet. You can even decorate an envelope to act as an easy 'wrapping paper', since the booklet will be fairly flat.

A Father's Day Gift Coupon book makes a super gift, because Dad can cash them in a few at a time, and enjoy his gift all year.

Happy Father's Day!