Give Dad special treatmant this Father’s Day; let him know how much you and your kids love him! Most arts and crafts children come home from school with are geared towards Mom, and we think it’s time to give Pops a home-made memento.

Set up a few projects for your children so they can make one-of-a-kind keepsakes for Dad. Tailor the difficulty and amount of time the projects take to the age and maturity of your child. And if you have more than one child, invite them to make a variety of goodies for Dad.

Cards

Help your child make a Father’s Day card that comes from the heart. Young children can make cards featuring their hand or footprints. Ask your child to draw a picture of himself with his dad and write “Happy Father’s Day” or “I love you, Daddy,” if he’s able. Make an entire memory book with lead-in sentences on each page, such as “My daddy makes the best,” “It’s funny when my daddy” and “My favorite thing about daddy is.” Fill in the blanks for the child if he can’t write it out himself.

Desk Items

Make items that can sit on Dad’s desk (or on his nightstand if he isn’t a “behind the desk” kind of guy). For example, let your little one decorate a rock and write “You rock, Dad” for an adorably punny paperweight. Give her paint, stickers, glitter, craft foam or other embellishments to decorate a plain wood business-card holder. Put a picture of her and dad on the business card holder to present it. Alternatively, let her decorate a picture frame in the same fashion and pick out her favorite photo of her and her dad. She can also build a small treasure box to hold his loose change, keys or other small miscellaneous items. Use foam board and instant glue to fashion a box if you don’t want to purchase a small wooden one.

Keepsakes

Let him make keepsake items that reflect his dad’s personality. If Dad loves his cars, help your little guy make a key chain using silver shrink art to spell out “Dad.” Alternatively, use the same method to make a charm that Dad can hang from his rearview mirror. Decorate a key holder with pictures or craft foam shapes that spell out a message for Dad if he has multiple key rings to keep track of. How about a magnet board that looks like a saw if he’s always fixing or building things? Decorate an apron for dad if he likes to cook or grill. An apron, T-shirt, mug or plate can all be decorated with paints, handprints or footprints–especially if all the kids want to contribute.