Father’s Day is a celebration day of honoring fatherhood. Usually, it’s spent with the family. Here we have listed numerous family-friendly Father’s Day surprises you can do for your dad.

Father’s Day might be a little different now due to the Covid19 pandemic. However, this doesn’t mean you still can’t have fun and spend quality time as a family. We have included activities and surprises you can do at home or outdoors. Some of these ideas are simple and some may need more planning but we hope you’ll find something interesting to make the Father’s Day celebration exciting for him.

30 Father’s Day Surprise Ideas

1. Play Golf or Mini Golf

Golf is always fun for kids and fathers too. Whether the dad is a pro or just likes quick putt-putt rounds, this is a great way to spend the Father’s Day with the family.

2. Ball Game

What dad would not like to be taken out for a ball game? If you can’t go to a pro baseball game, you can always find a local minor league or community softball game to enjoy.

3. Brunch

How about taking the dad for a quick lunch. What a great way to start off Father’s Day! Order a table full of your dad’s favorite food and enjoy it with the whole family. If your dad likes leftovers, order some extra to take home with him too.

4. Wineries

If your dad is a wine lover, plan a trip to a local winery. This could be a fun day trip for all family members and an awesome treat for your dad.

5. DIY

If your dad is a hands-on guy and likes to build stuff, how about doing a fun project as a family.

It can be something artistic like crafts with paint or a little bit more complex like building a birdhouse as long as everyone can participate and have fun. In the end, this could be a great gift your dad can keep too.

6. Picnic on the Beach

Another great way to impress your dad or husband is to take him to the beach and pack up his favorite food and make a fun family picnic on this special day. Just grab a blanket, beach umbrella or a canopy, pack up some sandwiches or something else the dad likes to eat, and head to the beach. Who wouldn’t enjoy the sunshine and spending the day with the people he loves.

7. Fishing Trip

Plan a fishing trip with the family. Casting a line with the kids is easy and inexpensive. Kids’ little fishing poles don’t cost a lot and it’s a great relaxing way to spend with the family.

If you can rent a boat and take your dad out on the water, I’m sure he will appreciate it. It doesn’t have to include fishing, it could just be fun riding the boat or even a jet ski. Something fun on the water that the kids could enjoy too. Just remember to bring sunscreen!

8. Grill his favorite food

Another great way to surprise the father is with a barbecue night with the family. Bring the family together with amazing food and maybe some beer if the dad likes it.

9. Go for a Hike

If your dad is an adventurous type. Take him hiking.  Explore new trails or take him on his favorite ones and enjoy the outdoors with the whole family.

10. Camping

Another fun way to spend Father’s Day is to go camping. You don’t have to get a campsite, you can put a tent up right in your backyard. Roast some marshmallows and spend a night with the family.

11. Outdoor Movie

Many parks or cities do outdoor movies in the summertime. This could be a fun way to spend Father’s Day. Look up what’s playing in your area and plan a movie trip. Don’t forget to make some snacks and popcorn.

You can also set up an outdoor movie night in your backyard.

12. Make His Favorite Dinner

Surprise your dad with a nice dinner. Whether it’s steak or fish, serve him the dinner with his favorite drinks too. Love comes through the stomach!

13. Beer tasting

You can help your dad to cool off with some samples of beer. Beer tasting is always fun and an ultimate treat for Father’s Day. Who knows, he might even find his new favorite.

14. Bowling

Bowling is always a fun family game. If you have smaller kids, make it fun for them too for adding the bumpers up.

15. Backyard Games

You can make it a fun day just playing backyard games. Whether playing catch, ring toss, ladder toss or giant Jenga, these will be entertaining for all ages.

16. Visit a Historic Site

If your father likes history, plan a fun trip to a history museum, battleship, or another historic site. Pack some snacks and drinks for a fun and memorable family outing.

17. Bike Ride

Spending the day with the family and cruising around town or on the beach can be fun for all ages. There are also bicycle scavenger hunts you can try.

18. Virtual Get-Together

Now with the coronavirus pandemic affecting us, it doesn’t mean we have to stay at home and not have fun. You can use Zoom to get a virtual get-together with friends and family to celebrate Father’s Day. This is a great way to surprise your dad with a group video call with all the family. And the best part is that it doesn’t matter how far away anyone lives, you can include them all as long as they have internet or cellphone connection. There’s also a great app called Houseparty you can use for video calling. Houseparty app lets you do calls in groups of up to eight people.

19. Theater at Home

If you have little ones who like to dress up, what better way to spend Father’s Day than surprise your dad with a home theater play.

This can be fun for all members. Let your imagination get wild, dress up, and make up a story. You can have fun by pretending to be actors for a day.

20. Play Board Games

It’s always fun to play board games. This is something enjoyed by all ages. If you have little kids, you can choose simple games like Candy Land, Bingo, Guess Who, Jenga etc. For older kids, you can’t go wrong with a Monopoly game. You can even do a fun family trivia night.

21. Give Him a Day Off

Has your dad been working hard and haven’t had any relaxing time for himself? Perhaps he just needs a day off from his hectic schedule. Let him do whatever he wants. Let him be lazy, watch TV, and not do any chores. You can even surprise him with breakfast in bed.

22. Recreate some Special Memories with Him

If you have an old picture with your dad when you were younger, something that has moved you in some way then try to recreate that image again. For example, try to dress up the same way, have the same pose like on the photograph and if possible, take a new photo at the same place the old one was taken.

23. Gifts

Obviously, this is a no-brainer. You can always surprise your dad with some gifts. How about giving him a gift that is about his hobby. For example, if your dad likes to golf, get him a new golf club or if he likes to paint, get him a new painting kit etc.

24. Surprise Party

Call up his friends and family and make a surprise party for him. Put up some decorations or funny pictures of your dad and share some stories about him. Serve some food and drinks or have a barbecue outside.

25. Bake a Cake or Cupcakes

If your dad has a sweet tooth, you can bake a Father’s Day themed cake or cupcakes just for him. You can write “I love you Dad” on the cake or just add different letters on the cupcakes that will read either “Best Dad” or “I love you”. Or you can just place cute bows on the cupcakes.

26. Scrapbook

Gather all your fun pictures that you’ve done with your dad or tickets to places you’ve gone with him and make a fun scrapbook just for your dad. You can also write poems or quotes for your dad or print out some thoughtful text messages he has sent you.

27. Make a Handmade Card

Handmade and homemade things have a special meaning and gesture, and they are easy to make too. Surprise your dad with a homemade card with a special message. Say something original and not copy it off the internet, make it personal.

28. Hav a Professional Photo Session with Your Dad

What better way to preserve the memories than having a fun photo shoot with your dad. Make some silly photos too to laugh about it later. You can of course include the whole family too.

29. Do What He Loves

Do something that your dad loves. If he loves fishing, plan a fishing trip, if he likes to play video games, play a game with him. If he likes to barbecue, grill something with him. Enjoy an activity that your dad likes to bond together.

30. Simple Photo

Frame a photo for him with the family. This is something he can put on his desk at work or on his bedside table. You can also just frame a picture of a quote he likes or a saying that describes him, or put something in your own words and tell him how much you love him. Additionally, you can frame your childhood pictures with him.

You can even surprise him and hang the framed photo in his bedroom before he wakes up in the morning. If that’s not possible, you can just wrap it or give it to him in a gift bag.