The Best Father’s Day Gifts to Keep Dads AND Kids Busy

Not many fathers get a chance to work on cars with their kids anymore — those computer-aided systems are just not built for at-home tinkerers. But they can still get the satisfaction of making some kind of vehicle together, thanks to old-school models like these.

Home videos used to be the domains of proud fathers, until camera phones changed everything. What if kids and their dads could learn how to make higher quality home movies together? Get off TikTok and take this first step.

Dads who want to get their kids into building things with them can start with this kit, which is simple enough for an 8-year-old to build. When it’s done, they can get into birdwatching together too.

As the name indicates, the key selling point of MasterClass is that you’ll learn from the best of the best — magic from Penn & Teller, writing from Judy Blume, cooking from Alice Waters. At the same time, a dad and his kids can watch each course’s easily digested classes without feeling too much pressure to master the featured skills.

A very affordable membership to Skillshare will allow a dad and interested older kids who want to join him take classes in music, art, design, creative writing, web development, film, and more. There are some classes meant for pros, but plenty here is on a hobbiest level. Hey, it may even inspire some father-child business ideas.

We said this was about taking a break from LEGO building, but this is different. With a phone and a special app, this kit guides you through turning those LEGO scenes into a stop-motion movie.

You could see these tees from Black designer Ashley Green as fashion statements. Or they can be the new uniform for your family band, dance troupe, or sports team. The possibilities are endless.

Maybe you guys have done enough “enriching” activities together as a family for the past few months. A dad and his offspring can most certainly get in some quality (and competitive) bonding time in front of a video game.

The nice thing about the lawn games that you can play one-handed (with a beer in the other), is that they’re also fun for kids to play. We like this alternative to horseshoes because it involves fewer pinched fingers and bruised toes.

This is really a three-in-one gift. First, it’s a model a dad and kid can build together. Then it becomes a physics lesson. And when not in use, it’s actually a pretty cool sculpture.

Astronomy is often one of those hobbies people think about starting but never get around to because buying a telescope seems like a big deal. In reality, there are now some pretty decent scopes out there that are easy to use and don’t cost a fortune. It’s time for Dad to show everyone the stars!

Making cheese at home isn’t a cooking project as much as it’s a science experiment and an art. Dad and kids can whip up 10 batches of their own mozzarella, ricotta, mascarpone, and more.

We’ve seen some really young kids pick up the rules and nuances of chess rather quickly, and some adults fail to grasp it entirely. That makes this game the great equalizer between parent and child.

If you’ve been wondering how to get more sports into your life when courts are closed, here’s one solution. It’s adjustable from 7 feet 6 inches to 10 feet, so Dad can coach the younger kids and raise it as they grow.

If you’ve got an avid golfer at home, or an avid putt-putt player, this will help their short game. More important, they can use it to instill in their kids an appreciation for the sport.

Dads can get in their biking and jogging workouts while still bringing the kids along for the ride. Make sure they know it’s so they can have fun together, not so you can stay at home by yourself while they’re gone.