These sports themed Father’s Day gifts are a major hit with dads, kids, AND teachers…a triple win! Dads love receiving them, kids love making them (especially with the element of choice involved), and teachers love that minimal materials are needed. The easy prep alone makes it a home run!
Gifts for Dad From His Biggest Fan
For this Father’s Day gift, students choose what sport they think their dad might like the most. Then they create a booklet and handmade picture frame for their dad with the theme of the sport that they chose. All of the books have two cover options (one with a boy on the front and the other with a girl).
Each book has a specific sports theme (choice of baseball, soccer, football, and basketball), but they all have the same writing and illustrating prompts. Here are a few of the types of pages that are included on the inside:
These books and matching picture frame templates are available individually (in case you might want to do Father’s Day gifts from your class that are entirely baseball themed, for example) and also in a bundle if you’d rather have the kids choose their dad’s favorite sport. You can click below to find everything in my shop, and they’re also all available in my TPT store.
Father’s Day Gifts Sports Bundle
Baseball Father’s Day Book and Picture Frame Craft
Basketball Father’s Day Book and Picture Frame Craft
Football Father’s Day Book and Picture Frame Craft
Soccer Father’s Day Book and Picture Frame Craft
Inclusive Father’s Day Gifts
I never want any student to feel excluded if they don’t have a dad, so I have versions of this resource that also include books and picture frame templates for a stepdad, grandpa, or uncle. These also come individually and in a bundle:
Inclusive Father’s Day Gifts Sports Bundle
Inclusive Baseball Father’s Day Book and Picture Frame Craft
Inclusive Basketball Father’s Day Book and Picture Frame Craft
Inclusive Football Father’s Day Book and Picture Frame Craft
Inclusive Soccer Father’s Day Book and Picture Frame Craft
I am thinking of possibly adding some more themed booklets and photo frames to these bundles. Maybe golf, tennis, or even bowling…that counts as a sport, right? 😉 If you would like me to add these sports themes or any other ones, please let me know in the comments or shoot me an email at [email protected].
And in case you might be interested in similar gifts for Mother’s Day, make sure to check out these gift ideas for moms too!
Father’s Day Celebration
If you are also wanting to do a class celebration for dads, I have an idea (and freebie!) for you that goes along perfectly with the sports themed Father’s Day gifts. I understand that having parents on campus is not an option this year for most schools due to the pandemic, so this is most likely something to file into your idea bank for the future.
When it comes to Mother’s Day and Father’s Day celebrations in general, “Muffins with Mom” and “Donuts with Dad” often seem to be the go-to. Many moms love getting to visit with their child in the classroom for these types of cozy events, especially when they include sentimental singing performances and lots of picture-taking.
While dads can enjoy this too, I kind of get the feeling that men aren’t quite as into that as moms are. Maybe it’s just me, but it seems like many guys would probably be more in their element if they were outside playing with their kids, rather than sitting awkwardly in tiny classroom chairs. And the kids would probably have a lot more fun doing something active with their dads as well.
For this reason, I came up with a celebration called “P.E. with Pops.” It’s hard to say who enjoys it more, the kids or their dads! Pre-COVID, I would invite all the fathers of my students to come join our class for an afternoon of playing outside for P.E. I figured, why not let dads do what they do best and just play with their kids?
This is the invitation I sent home with students. The editable template is only $1 in my shop and on TPT, or you can click here if you would like me to email it to you for free!
A few important points to mention:
I always sent this home WEEKS in advance. I know that many fathers are working dads, and so I wanted to give them plenty of notice. I also clearly communicated to students and to their families that if dad couldn’t make it (or if dad was not in the picture), another male figure such as a grandpa, uncle, cousin, family friend, etc. was absolutely welcome to attend. You know your own kids and families best, so you could plan accordingly and do what works for your particular students.
The day of the event, I had everyone meet in our classroom. This gave all the dads a little time to just visit with their child for a bit, and for the kids to give them their gifts (the sports themed books and picture frames).
Then, I explained to the dads that we’d be heading out to the playground. I told them that they were welcome to just “do their thing” and use the playground equipment, blacktop, and field to play with their kids.
I also mentioned that they could join our class for a couple of organized games if they wanted to, including the version of dodgeball that my class sometimes played for P.E. (I went over the rules with them ahead of time in the classroom, feeling like a coach as I drew a diagram on the whiteboard, haha). The dads were super into it, and all the kids had a blast!
Since the weather is already often quite warm in June, I also brought out a cooler of popsicles for the kids and their dads to enjoy. POPSicles tie in nicely with the name of the event, but really, who even needs an excuse to eat popsicles? Tip: If you use Otter Pops or any other frozen treat that comes in a plastic tube…don’t be like me the very first year I did this, and forget to freeze them the night before. No one wants warm popsicle juice on a hot day! 😉
If you have any questions about P.E. with Pops or these sports themed Father’s Day gifts (or want to share how they turned out with your class!) feel free to ask/tell me below in the comments. Happy Father’s Day to all the great dads, father figures, and sports fans in your life!
