How to Help Your Child Choose a Father's Day Gift

Most kids are natural-born givers. Like any talent, though, creative gift giving needs to be nurtured - and that's where you come in. With just a little time and effort, you can help even the youngest child give Dad a memorable present.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Art And Craft Supplies
• Portable Tape Recorders
• Acid-free Scrapbooks
• Colored Crayons
• Craft Paints
• Glues
• Baking Supplies
• Arts And Crafts Magazines
• Children's Scissors
• Camcorders
• Cameras
• Film
• Cameras

1. Suggest that the child make a Father's Day gift. With only a little help from you, even a toddler can create something that Dad or Grandpa wouldn't trade for any store-bought treasure in the world.

2. Encourage a budding musician to sing Daddy's favorite song or play it on the piano, and capture the performance on tape - video, audio or both.

3. Buy a scrapbook and some photo corners. Then gather some family photos and "scrapbooking" materials - magazines and clip art; crayons, paints and markers; childproof scissors - and set the young archivist to work commemorating "Life With Father."

4. Remind older children that some of those same craft materials could be used to make books of coupons redeemable for their leaf-raking, garden-digging or car-washing services.

5. Help the child give Dad or Grandpa a gift of time. Send the two of them off on a great adventure - a week at a guest ranch, a weekend at the lake or an afternoon at the zoo.

6. Give in if a child really wants to buy a present rather than make one, but insist that the money come out of the child's allowance, or that the child earn it by doing household chores. (Even a toddler can carry plastic bottles to the recycling bin.) Likewise, let the ideas come from the child, not from you.

Tips & Warnings

• Be sure to take plenty of photographs of the young artist at work - still photos as well as videos. Tape deteriorates over time and becomes worthless; photographs simply mellow and get better.
• For more thoughts on gifts from kids to parents, see "Help a Child Choose a Mother's Day Gift" (under Related eHows).