Rounding up a list of the best father’s day gift ideas (that don’t suck!). If you’re looking for less kiddish gifts, these father’s day gift ideas from wife or partner are going to be a great option for you!
With Father’s Day just around the corner, I’m rounding up some gift ideas for him that don’t suck. We’re skipping the gag gift and the classic tie (for the most part) and hot sauce sampler set or barbecue sauce and getting right to the best father’s day gifts that you can get for your husband or partner or father figure to your kiddos.
This list is ideal for parents of young kids who just aren’t old enough to choose a thoughtful gift for themselves.
Honestly… Even as our kids get older and can definitely pick out gifts themselves, I like to make a few suggestions and then they take some time thinking about the best gift from them. This list is some of the things we’ve talked about or that my husband or other men in our life have enjoyed being gifted over the years!
While I know sometimes a gift card is just the best option, these ones are all a bit more creative. Take what you like and leave the rest, hopefully it will give you a little inspiration to get the ideal gift for your man! If you are gifting a gift card, maybe he’s saving up for something out of budget, this is a really fun way to wrap a gift card for him!
We’re partial to practical gifts with a bit of fun… and a personal touch. We also love to gift on a budget since we plan our splurges ahead of time so we can get excited about them ;) I did add some gifts for all budgets though! Let’s dig in!
This post was originally published in 2014 and updated in 2024, affiliate links are used in this post to both Amazon and Etsy at no cost to you. Read all of my policies here.
1. This last year, my sister has been all about ‘theme’ gifts… you wouldn’t just get a board game for Christmas, you’d get a board game night complete with snacks and drinks. You wouldn’t just get a set of golf balls for the sports enthusiast but also a golf magazine and tees and maybe a new golf shirt. You get the idea.
Are those two ideas already and they’re not even on the list? Yes, I just can’t help myself.
So this first gift idea is all about the beer. Pair some local craft beer (we like this one) or his go-to brew with a vintage looking wall opener (my guy has been wanting one for the back yard since it’s the season for outdoor living!). This pack gets here in a hurry and you get two pieces for less than $5 making it the perfect add-on gift.
If you want to take it one step further, choose a few types of beer and a cooler backpack for those day trips and adventures!
Other pairings? A craft beer book (this one would look great on a coffee table!) or this book about craft brewery branding is so fun. Some beer themed socks would be so fun too- our kids love picking out funny socks for their dad and uncles and these ones are fun because they come in a beer can.
2. If you really want to do the classic tie thing, put down the Garfield tie and get him something stylish like this bold floral tie. I hit the google to see what trends were in for mens style and this is a big one coming up! So much so that there’s articles naming 2024 the year of the tie. Who knew? ;) That listing has lots of color and pattern options for $20-$25 (the blue gingham is cute too!).
If you want to go a bit more cheesy, this custom tie is so fun, I’d love to see it with his pet’s face all over it! Also for pet lovers… this DIY PJ set is bomb!
You could pair this gift option with a personalized tie clip if you wanted to buff it up a little bit or run with the perfect gentleman theme and restock his fave cologne.
If you want to run with cheesy gifts instead, maybe try this DIY man candle.
3. If your husband is a musician (or would love to be!), you probably know how ugly most guitar stands are. I made these DIY guitar wall mounts a few years ago that you could make out of so many different wood types to suit your home style.
If you don’t have a lot of time to DIY, you can totally buy! I love these plywood wall mounts and the soft silicone cover where the mount meets the guitar. Especially with little ones under foot, you can’t go wrong with getting the guitar out of reach!
Looking to theme it? Add some guitar picks (these ones are cute!) or a tuner if his has seen better days. This is a fun little punch that he can use to make old gift cards into picks too!
Wanting to go custom or personalized? These personalized guitar pick boxes are beautiful and you can get an engraved capo as well!
If he has a must-play favorite song that you find him dancing in the kitchen with the kids to… a custom record-shaped wall art print might be the perfect present to wish him happy father’s day! I love this minimalist song lyric record print, but this square one is also fantastic.
Another type of wall art that would be great is this guitar basics art print or this pretty minimalist guitar chords print. The last thing in that little collage there is those fun guitar socks!
4. Years ago a blog I loved featured these star maps and I knew they would be a perfect gift for my husband. He loves the stars so we had one printed up shortly after and it hung in our media room for years. You can get a generic one and they look cool- but if you’re looking for a more personalized gift, you can actually get them personalized for a totally unique father’s day gift.
Think – the view of the night sky on a certain day, your kiddo’s birth sign constellation/ zodiac print like this one (I’ve been thinking of the getting a Gemini print for the twins) or the night sky from a specific spot (and a specific day or special occasion!) like the day he became a dad, for example!
Wanting to theme it up and add some other pieces? This is a star book we love to use as a family, you could bundle it up with some blankets and plan an outing with the whole family.
If you want something that’s more grown or more suited for new dads of babies who won’t love sitting out in the dark, here’s an alternate book option and it would pair so great with these constellation whisky glasses. Whiskey optional ;)
5. This is probably my favourite idea although for so many years it would have been out of the budget for us. Pack up a classy weekender bag with a gift certificate for a night out of town.
Want to get a bit specific to his likes given the budget? Maybe add a gift certificate for a night on the town seeing his favorite band or favorite team for the sports fan! Heck, throw a jersey for his team in there.
This weekender bag is beautiful in the cognac color, it has two different sizes and a sleeve to attach to a suitcase and the best part? Rings in under $50 at the time of writing this!
If you’re overdue for a date night or weekend getaway as a couple, leave your kids with the grandparents ;) I mean… Moms get spa days for a break from the kids for mother’s day, Dad should get a day away too!
Don’t have a free weekend for a trip but still love the idea of theming this gift? Add on a custom luggage tag or custom passport holder like this. I love this leather goods shop (I have a mouse pad from there) and they have great custom luggage tag options! You could also make your own using this DIY leather keychain tutorial.
We also got this travel cord organizer for my husband for his stocking and he couldn’t stop talking about how handy it was on our last family trip.
6. Summer is here and there’s nothing my husband loves more than a backyard barbecue with a beer and some yard games. I actually published a whole book about DIY backyard games so we are well stocked, but Bocce is one of the ones I haven’t made. This set from Fredericks and Mae is beyond gorgeous, but if you’re on a budget like the rest of us a classic set like this is a bit more reasonable or this beautiful wooden set with a carrying case is such a nice option too! Those are both under $35 with quick ship time.
Is your partner a DIY type of dad? My DIY Backyard Games book with a new power tool would be a good gift! Most of the dad’s in my life always have a running wish-list of tools they’d like to add to their collection! Maybe choose one that will help him complete one of those home improvement projects you have on your own list ;)
If they have most everything already, a great pair of work gloves would do the trick! My husband loves these ones. In the collage image, I’ve added this set of spade bits.
7. Years ago I got this stainless steel espresso grinder as a gift for my husband. I hid it in such a good spot I was sure- in the pantry behind some extra stock he would NEVER go near. I was out shopping for a dress for an upcoming wedding and I came home to find him proudly standing next to it exclaiming that he cleaned out and organized the pantry and cleaning closet for us. Ha! So we enjoyed it early.
If you’re gifting for a coffee lover, pair a great coffee grinder with some locally roasted coffee or espresso (this is a local roaster we love!) and maybe a hand made mug. This trees one is really nice, but I also love everything from this local (to me) potter (I have three of her mugs and looove them). This handmade mug can also be personalized– I think it would be cute to say ‘new dad’ with the year on the bottom for a first father’s day gift.
If you’re wanting to go big, skip the grinder and head straight for an espresso machine that does it for you. My dad has had this one for 10+ years and recently upgraded to the newer model, passing his old one on to my sister. We got the same one about 5 years ago and it’s honestly the best. We’ve had no issues with it in that time. You can see both of our coffee setups including this machine right here.
If you do have an espresso machine, some little bonuses we love are our mini knock box (this is the one we have, but this one looks cute too at a lower price point!) and this tamping mat.
I also love the idea of this ember coffee mug to keep his coffee warm, but a mug warmer like this works great as well and is a fraction of the price (I have one of these!). The best part on this one is that you can use it with any coffee mugs.
That’s my list of 7 Father’s Day gift ideas… that don’t suck ;) I hope that you have some different ideas or inspiration for cool gifts or at least this sparked a great gift idea for you to gift for the best dad of your kiddos this year. If not… and all else fails, you can go classic with a book of dad jokes and a tie… right? I’m kidding, I truly hope you have the best father’s day gift for your guy in mind now!
No matter what gift you choose to show a little appreciation to that dad on father’s day, I love to package it all up with a greeting card and a special message to make it even more special.
If it’s the eleventh hour and you’re still looking for the right father’s day card, here is a few printable father’s day cards I have available for free download! Most of them are blank on the inside so you can write your own personalized message.
Free Printable Father’s Day Cards
- Awkward Fathers Day Cards (for your your partner, super for a first father’s day!)
- Classic Modern Father’s Day Cards
- Sweet themed Father’s day cards
- Tools themed SVG files to make your own father’s day cards
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DIY Gift Card Box – Creative Gift Card Ideas for Men
Those are all great ideas! I really like the bocce ball idea, games are always a good gift because they keep on giving! Also – TOTALLY making a note of the guitar wall mounts. I dislike the guitar stand we have very much but had never looked for anything better.
Thanks Sarah! Bocce is one of our favourite things to do in the summer :)
he found his gift in the happiest way possible. what a reward for him to clean out the closets. i’m sure he would clean them more often if he always found something awesome hidden away :) actually, maybe that would be a good way to get kids to clean their room? hide a gift somewhere? but anyway, i’m loving that linen bow tie!
Nice post. I will be on the opposite coast from the father of my boys this Father’s Day but I will be with my Dad. It will be our first Father’s Day together since I moved to Augusta in 1985!
Thanks Gayle- how special that you’ll get to spend the day with your Dad! Enjoy the trip :)