by Shelia West

Created on: June 05, 2008

Father's Day should be a day of fun, togetherness, and thoughtfulness. And to top it off, you might want to throw in some time for relaxation. All of these things can be combined together to create the perfect Father's Day.

If your kids are old enough, let them plan what they would like to do for their Dad. Help them with ideas, but leave the major part of the planning to them. You might be surprised, along with Dad, at some of the ideas they can come up with. Of course, if your kids are younger, you might want to make suggestions and guide them through the plans. Either way, let the kids participate or do the majority of the planning and the preparations.

If Dad is a fisherman, then a fishing trip would be an excellent way to spend Father's Day. If you don't own a boat, consider renting one for the day. Plan a picnic lunch and don't forget to let the kids help fix it and, if they have money (from allowances or odd jobs) let them chip in on paying. Get a large card and let all of them write something on it or draw something. Hide it in the bottom of the picnic basket. Some small but thoughtful, gifts for the fisherman dad are things for his tacklebox, or a new fishing hat. If you decide on a hat, let the kids decorate it with personalized items like a laminated photo, write the date on it in permanant marker, as well as fishing stuff, such as lures, etc.

Another fun way to spend the day if Dad is a sports fanatic is to plan a trip to a ball game. Of course, this can be kind of expensive by the time you buy tickets, gas to get there, and food and drinks. So, an alternative and cheaper idea would be to rent several sports movies, or replays of major sporting events and have a sports party. Fix food and drinks, put the remote in his hand, and sit back and enjoy!

If Dad is the outdoors type, plan an overnight camping trip. Book a spot at a local park campground. The kids should have everything packed and ready to go before surprising Dad. Of course, Mom will probably have to supervise to make sure no important items are forgotten or overlooked, like sleeping bags or the tent. The key element is to have everything ready to go when you tell him so he doesn't have to do anything.

These are just three ways that kids can spend the day with Dad doing fun things. There are countless activities that Dads and kids can do together. Things that not only Dad will enjoy, but the kids also. You know your Dad better than anyone. Pick an activity that Dad likes and go from there. It's Father's Day, make it a day he will always remember!

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