Welcome to another Wacky Workshops project – a meaningful Father’s Day gift to make.

Do you ever get the feeling Father’s Day is less about celebrating dads and more about rewarding retailers?

In fact, it was retailers who ensured the continued success of the day, which originated in America in 1910.

Like so many of our cherished special days, Father’s Day is a boon for retailers but its original ideal is often lost in the frenzy of what to get for dad.

Instead of a heartfelt gift created to recognise the contribution made by dads, Aussies are set to spend millions for the September 2 (2018) celebration and often the children involved have little or no input into the gift selection and purchase.

If you want to get the kids involved, here is a meaningful Father’s Day gift to make.

MEANINGFUL FATHER’S DAY GIFT TO MAKE – BUT FIRST A LITTLE HISTORY

Father’s Day was founded in 1910 in Spokane, Washington by a woman named Sonora Smart Dodd. Dodd’s father was a civil war veteran and single parent to six after his wife died while giving birth to the youngest. She wanted to celebrate dads just as mothers were celebrated on Mother’s Day which, by that time, was gaining in popularity.

Dodd and the local YMCA established a petition for Father’s Day that was adopted by local churches to honour the contribution made by dads each year on June 16.

However, the day didn’t quite take off like Mother’s Day did. It went by unnoticed in New York in 1921. By 1936 it was estimated only one in six fathers was receiving a gift to mark the day.

That year, a group called the Father’s Day Committee was formed to help promote the day. The group behind the Father’s Day Council was the New York Associated Menswear Retailers.

Soon, the sale of neckties (as well as shirts and hats for men) took off and the group expanded to become the National Council for the Promotion of Father’s Day.

By 1949, Father’s Day sales had climbed to $106 million.

Meanwhile, in Australia, the idea of a special day for dads was also taking hold and several local newspapers mentioned the celebration in articles published in 1936.

The Commonwealth officially designated the first Sunday in September as Father’s Day in 1964.

Why September? There is a wide belief it is for commercial benefit. The early September date places it nearly perfectly between Mother’s Day and Christmas, allowing time for consumers to save for each event.

Last year it was estimated Australians would spend $731.7 million on Father’s Day gifts.

 MEANINGFUL FATHER’S DAY GIFT TO MAKE – THE LOVE BOOK

The beauty of this meaningful Father’s Day gift is it can be made by really young children with a little help from an adult. It comes straight from the heart and promotes creativity and writing skills for those old enough to write. Also, it helps children focus on the contributions made by their dads which promotes gratitude.

MATERIALS NEEDED

• Paper – it can be any size but A4 ensures it is not too small for little kids to decorate.
• Markers, crayons, pencils
• Cardboard for the book cover. It can be from a carton or you can use A4 size.
• Hole punch
• Ribbon
• A heart full of love

METHOD

• Discuss with your child the reasons they love their dad and establish how many pictures they are happy to include in the book.
• Fold the pages in half, short end to short end and place them inside one another to form a book.
• The front page is for the title – something like Why I Love My Dad. If the child can write, have them create the title and decorate the page. If not, use block letters to write the title for them. Then they can decorate each letter with patterns and decorate the page with pictures.
• When you open the pages, have the child draw a picture on the right-hand side depicting one of the things they love about their dad.

• If they are old enough to write, have them use the left-hand side to write about what they have drawn. Otherwise, you can write the explanation for them.
• Once the pages are finished, use the cardboard to create a cover. Cut the cardboard so it is slightly bigger than the book pages. The cover can be decorated with paper, materials or more drawings.
• Use a hole punch to put holes in the cardboard and pages and then the ribbon to tie them together.

Check these fun Father’s Day crafts projects and these gifts you can make in under 15 minutes.

Happy crafting and have a gleeful week, Tamuria.