The most successful Father’s Day gifts I have ever given my husband (or assisted my children in giving my husband, rather) have been practical items or ways we can spend time together as a family. If you too have a similarly practical family man on the other side of the bed, this gift guide is for you.

FAMILY FUN GIFTS

Plan a day o’fun with Dad as the star. His gift is the chance to sit back and be surprised by a day all about him. Choose something he particularly loves, pack a picnic with his favorite foods, or research a restaurant that serves his top eats. Have the kids make a card that serves as his guidebook of the day.

As a local blogger at A Parent in Silver Spring in the DC area, I am partial to scanning the local activity, parenting and resource blogs for weekend outing ideas. Some of our past Father’s Day Sunday hits have been:

• Baseball game (major and/or minor league)
• Amusement park
• Water park (with toddler and preschool areas)
• Tall ships expo in the local harbor
• Outdoor family-friendly music festival
• History museum
• Crab feast

GADGETS & PRACTICAL GIFTS

For those Father’s Days when an outing seems like too much work and you would all rather lounge around the backyard and grill, a good gift in mallard duck printed wrapping paper is the way to go. My husband is a big fan of gadgets and items he can use in his everyday life.

Electric Razor: Last year Chris specifically requested an electric razor for easy weekend and end-of-day shaves and so we got him the Panasonic Men’s 3-Blade Wet/Dry Rechargeable Electric Shaver $77 and a six pack of his favorite shaving gel, Gillette Fusion Hydra Gel Ultra Sensitive $25 for six. This gift was all very old school and Mad Men, somehow.

Electric Toothbrush: We have been going through battery-operated toothbrushes at an alarming rate. An upgrade to the brand new Oral-B Professional Care 3D White 1000 $39.99 is a great practical gift.You can save up to $25 on Oral-B rechargeable electric toothbrushes if you buy them at Target in-store and online at Target.com.

Electric Ear and Nose Hair Trimmer: A surprising hit for the grandfathers in our family has been the gift of electric nose and ear hair trimmers. Everyone looks younger and feels more suave without an unsightly thatch sprouting from an unexpected place. The Panasonic Vacuum Nose/Facial Hair Trimmer $17 is a great buy and I like that the contraption vacuums up the little hairs.

Casual Shirts: I am a big fan of the prepster cool and last-forever quality of the Faconnable Men’s Blue Label Polos $65 and the men’s tees and crumple-casual button downs for men at J.Crew Factory $19-37.

Updated Golf Shoes: If he’s a dad, chances are he is no longer golfing as often as he used to pre-kids. The look of golf shoes has changed a lot in recent years, and the new designs helps improve performance. The PUMA Men’s Jigg Golf Shoe and the Callaway Footwear Men’s Xtreme Golf Shoe are two in the $100 range that both have good reviews and the important updated look.

New Leather Belt: Belts get beat up and show their age faster than a Vegas showgirl. Take an assessment of his belts while he’s in the shower and to see if he needs a new one for work or play, black or brown, and get one of these quality, affordable belts from Amazon $25-50 shipped to your house in two days.

Kindle or Beach Read: If the kids always have his iPad, get him the basic Kindle $69 for relaxing reads this summer (while the kids play DragonVale). If he’s a hard copy book purist, grab a luxurious hard cover early release in his favorite genre on Amazon or at CostCo. New beach read releases he might like: Inferno by Dan Brown, Joyland by Stephen King, George Washington: The Crossing by Jack E. Levin, A Song of Fire and Ice boxed set (the Game of Thrones series) by George R. R. Martin.

Happy Father’s Day!

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own. Affiliate links are used in some cases.