Looking for free Father’s Day gifts dad (grampa, uncle, husband, boyfriend)? Think do-for, not buy-for. Most dads I know have more projects than time to do them. Everyone who lives at home should participate in household tasks. But some just naturally falls to dad. Or, if he’s an over-achiever, git-er-done guy, like my husband, he takes it all upon himself. Here are gifts of time and for Father’s Day.
* Automotive. Is dad Chief Maintenance Exec in charge of family vehicles? Offer to assist. If you have automotive repair experience, even better. If you don’t, you can fetch and carry. Or pay a local repair shop so he doesn’t always have to DIY.
* Yard work. Sometimes dads don’t want help because “helpers” don’t do it right, are careless or leave tools laying around. And let’s be honest, that works great for lazy family members–more play time while dad works. So mow the yard, trim hedges, plant flowers, water landscaping, clean lawn furniture and accessories, 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.
* Home maintenance. Help him knock out repair tasks on his to-do list. Follow his lead and don’t question (after all, he probably has been doing this longer than you have). You’ll learn valuable self-reliance life skills (my article explains how this works in our family) for when you’re out on your own. Our oldest son barters repair services for free rent–thanks to lessons learned from the master mechanic (dad).
* Hobby projects. Maybe dad’s restoring a vintage car or motorcycle (ours has a work-in-progress BSA). Is he a model train enthusiast? Boater? Techie? Hiker? Re-enactor? Sports fanboy? Gamer? Microbrewer (like ours)? Get involved. Clean his man cave, shed, workshop, study or corner of the basement. Tidy hobby equipment. (Don’t reorganize where he can’t find things though).
* 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.
* 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. Here’s a gift coupon tutorial I wrote.
As much as possible, do these tasks with dad. It’s great for year-round bonding.
