Celebrate Father’s Day With 15 Fantastic Activity and Gift Ideas

Celebrating Father’s Day with aging parents requires a thoughtful blend of creativity, safety, and heart, as traditional gatherings may not be possible. Finding meaningful ways to honor the special fathers, grandfathers, and father figures in our lives creates opportunities to connect in new and memorable ways.

This guide offers 15 fantastic activities and gift ideas designed to keep everyone safe while ensuring the day feels joyful and memorable. Whether you’re celebrating together in person with precautions or connecting from a distance, these suggestions provide a roadmap for creating a Father’s Day filled with love, appreciation, and cherished moments, even in uncertain times.

Adapt Father’s Day Traditions to Celebrate Safely

We’ve all been adapting and finding creative ways to spend quality time together as our parents get older.

That’s why we’re sharing nine unique activity ideas for celebrating the vital man (or men) in your life this Father’s Day.

These activity suggestions allow you to enjoy time together, whether you’re in the same household or at a distance for safety.

We also share 6 thoughtful gift ideas that will let them know how much you care about and appreciate them.

9 Fantastic Father’s Day Activities for Older Parents

1. Share a favorite meal

Even though some restaurants have been offering limited dine-in service, it’s still safer to order takeout or delivery for home.

If you don’t live near the remarkable man in your life, order from their favorite restaurant and have a nice meal delivered. 

If you live with or near them, you could make their favorite dish and deliver it to their doorstep.

Then, for Father’s Day, eat together in person if you’re in the same household or eat together virtually via video call or while you’re on the telephone together.

2. Say hello from a distance in case of flu or viruses

If you live in the same area, a great idea is to make some big Father’s Day signs or giant cards and make a festive, but safely distanced, visit to their house.

Stand on their sidewalk, outside their closed window, or in the yard and display your fun and festive signs. 

While you’re there, call them from your mobile phone to speak with them or speak loudly through the window glass.

3. Enjoy nature together

Getting some fresh air is an exceptionally refreshing activity. Sit together on the porch, in the yard, or in front of an open window and enjoy nature together.

4. Tour a museum, virtually

Science, technology, history, or art lovers might enjoy visiting a museum. This year, you can visit museums around the world and even hop from one museum to another.

For example, military buffs might be interested in touring the National Museum of the United States Air Force. The NMUSAF is the world’s oldest and largest military aviation museum, with more than 360 aircraft and missiles on display. 

You can see Franklin D. Roosevelt’s presidential airplane along with military weapons and aircraft in the virtual tour of the Air Force’s official museum. And don’t miss their YouTube channel, which features dozens of engaging videos and performances.

Another interesting museum is the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s online exhibits. Scroll down the Air and Space Anywhere page to view virtual tours, cockpit panoramas, historical aircraft videos, and interviews with famous astronauts and aviators.

Check out more virtual museum tours listed in our article Coronavirus Virtual Experiences at Home: Animals, Music, Art, World Travel, Museums, Theme Parks

5. Watch their favorite sports together

A sports fan would love to have company while they watch an exciting game. 

A fun way to watch a game from the safety of home is to catch a replay of a game. 

With popular online sites like ESPN.com, signing in with your cable TV account typically gives you access to past games.

Or, use a subscription site like NBC Sports to watch a wide variety of sports. A subscription to a sports streaming service would also be an excellent gift for a sports enthusiast!

6. Attend a virtual concert or show

Another experience you could enjoy together is listening to music or attending a virtual concert.

Many arts organizations, musicians, orchestras, and Broadway musicals are making their shows available online for free.

For a list of available virtual live shows, see our article, “Coronavirus Virtual Experiences at Home: Animals, Music, Art, World Travel, Museums, Theme Parks.”

7. Relax with casual activities

Another relaxing way to spend time together, virtually or in person, is to watch a favorite movie or TV show. 

Many major TV stations, including ABC, NBC, and CBS, offer full episodes of their shows for free on their websites and in their apps.

You could also do a jigsaw puzzle, sudoku, or crossword puzzle together. If you’re not in the same household, it doesn’t have to be the same puzzle. The goal is to enjoy an activity together.

8. Relax with music

Another activity that can be enjoyed in person or via video call or phone is listening to music together.

If you both play the same song, you can listen or even sing along together.

9. Read a book together

Whether in person or on a call, you can read aloud from a book of their choice.

You can download a variety of books online for free through your local library’s online services, buy e-books on Amazon Kindle, or get free e-books from Project Gutenberg.

6 Thoughtful Father’s Day Gift Ideas

1. Send a heartfelt card or letter

Sending a card or letter with a thoughtful message is always an intelligent way to show how much you care and that they’re on your mind.

2. Gift a device that makes video calling easy

It can be tough for a non-tech-savvy person to make or receive video calls.

To make it easier for your older adult to see you virtually more often, consider gifting them a video calling device and handling the setup ahead of time.

These devices need to be set up to connect to a Wi-Fi network, so if possible, you could ask someone in their household to help with the setup.

Devices that make video calling easier for seniors include:

• ViewClix – A smart picture frame with an auto-answer mode so the older adult doesn’t need to do anything to receive a video call.
• Amazon Echo Show – It’s like an Alexa personal assistant with a video screen. You can also enable a “drop-in” feature between two devices, allowing you to start a video call without your older adult needing to accept it. You’ll appear on the screen and be able to speak with them.
• GrandPad – A simple, secure tablet that’s designed to make it easy to video chat with family and friends.
• Facebook Portal: It has Alexa built in and a “smart” camera that follows the user as they move around the room.

3. Give gift cards for favorite services

To make their life more convenient, you could give them a gift card for a popular restaurant that delivers meals or for an online store. 

Right now, grocery delivery services are invaluable. Or, to make it even easier for them, you could let them know that you’ll be gifting them their next grocery delivery and place the order for them.

Grocery delivery is available from a variety of stores, including:

• Walmart Grocery
• Instacart
• Peapod
• Shipt
• Safeway

4. Send a custom gift basket

A gift “basket” filled with some of their favorite items is an excellent way to show how much you care. 

Everyone would love a basket filled with favorite snacks, beverages, or everyday basics like the soap or socks they prefer.

Whether it’s a mailed package, something dropped off at their door, or a gift you’re able to give in person, your older adult will appreciate your thoughtful effort.

5. Consider other thoughtful gifts

• A few novels or audiobooks by his favorite author or about a favorite topic
• A new deck of large-print playing cards
• History-themed gifts: books, documentaries, or movies
• Music! Check out our picks for every age group from 65 to 90+
• A comfy pair of non-slip house slippers

6. Create a custom photo album, calendar, blanket, or puzzle

With a custom photo album, you can showcase memorable photos or events so your older adult can reminisce anytime.

For people with Alzheimer’s or dementia, you could even create a custom book they’ll love to read by adding simple text to photos or images they enjoy.

• Walmart – from $5
• Walgreens – from $10
• Shutterfly – from $15

Create a custom photo calendar to help your older adult track days, months, and appointments while seeing smiling family faces.

• Walmart – from $14
• Walgreens – from $10
• Shutterfly – from $15

A custom photo blanket will keep your older adult warm and cozy with familiar faces all around. These photo blankets are especially nice for people with Alzheimer’s or dementia.

• Walmart – from $45
• Shutterfly fleece blankets – from $60

A custom photo puzzle uses a family photo or a picture with special meaning to create a fun puzzle your older adult can assemble again and again.

• Shutterfly – from $33, variety of photo layouts
• Portrait Puzzles – from $35, comes in a variety of sizes & number of pieces.

Final Thoughts on Father’s Day Gift Ideas

By embracing these safe and creative ideas, you can transform the challenges of celebrating your aging parents into an opportunity for deeper connection and innovation. The most meaningful Father’s Day gifts are often those that come from the heart, whether it’s a shared virtual experience, a carefully chosen present, or simply the gift of your time and attention.

Prioritizing safety doesn’t mean sacrificing joy; it means finding new ways to express love and gratitude. This Father’s Day, let these ideas inspire you to create a celebration that honors the special men in your life with warmth, thoughtfulness, and an abundance of care, building memories that will be treasured long after the pandemic has passed.

Recommended for you:

• Best Way to Make Video Calls to Seniors with Alzheimer’s or Dementia in Nursing Homes
• 8 Great Gifts for Senior Men
• The Big List of Best Gifts for Seniors

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