10 Awesome Things You Can Do This Father's Day In Lock Down
June 02, 2020
This year Father’s day might feel a little different. With the world still in a global lockdown mode differing from country to country - spending time with dad on 21st June this year isn’t going to be doable for some. But as with everything in life, we like to look at the brighter, more positive side of things. Here at Ellie Ellie we love to celebrate, it’s what we do best and we feel bringing people closer together is what makes the world go round. Here’s how to celebrate Father's Day in lockdown, if you’re living with your dad during this time or living apart - there’s still ways to connect for Father’s Day 2020.
1. Make him a DIY kit
For some people dad may only be a short car journey or bike ride away. If this sounds like you, have you thought about creating a DIY kit to drop off at dad’s doorstep? For a green-fingered garden lover, how about a DIY window sill vegetable garden kit. They are easy to make and a unique gift that you can tailor to your dad’s preferences. Start with an empty hamper or even a cardboard box - decorate as you wish and fill with goodies. For a DIY windowsill vegetable garden kit you will need:
- A small tray to fit on the windowsill
- Small plant pots or empty jars
- A packet of soil
- A mini watering can
- Seeds of your choice (tomatoes, chillies, strawberries or even green onions are a great option)
- An instruction manual (-if you’re feeling particularly creative that is!)
Not so much an outdoorsy type - how about a gin tasting kit? Complete with his favourite brands, mixers and sprigs of thyme to infuse each tasty concoction. For a DIY gin tasting kit as Father’s Day gift you will need:
- 3-5 mini bottles of gin
- 2-3 bottles of mixer (tonic, lemonade etc)
- Some fancy straws
- 1-2 gin glasses
- An ice cube tray
- 1 fresh lime
- Decorative pieces - sprigs of thyme, dried fruit or berries for example.
2. Give him a 'post-pandemic' gift voucher
If you don’t live with dad and unfortunately can’t be together for Father’s Day, it’s not all doom and gloom. We’ve specially designed a free digital downloadable Dad Token to fill with whatever you enjoy doing together most. Simply download, print out and add your own text. Whether you are thinking of taking him on a weekend away, a dinner at his favourite restaurant, a trip to the theatre or a whisky tasting evening - the personalisation is up to you. We've even designed a wallet keepsake version too, so you can share and remember life's happy moments forever. Personalise with a message from you and send in the post - then video call to watch dad’s face light up!
3. Make him a handmade card
The last couple of months have been exceptionally tough on younger children, although the virus doesn’t pose an immediate threat to their health, the confusion of not being allowed to see friends and family and being home schooled is enough to turn life on it’s head. Nevertheless, there is a light at the end of the tunnel and for the time being we can encourage our children to use their imaginations as a welcome distraction. Our free activity Father’s Day card is perfect for Dad and fun for the kids too. Simply download, print out and get creative colouring in and drawing dad as an awesome superhero.
4. Create an activity jar
Whether or not your children are living in the same house as their dad or not this Father’s Day, you can always create an activity jar - a creative idea, and something different this year. The idea is, you download and print off our free specially designed artworks, the kids then fill with all the fun things they want to do with dad after lockdown is over. You then fold them up and put them into a jar, you can decorate the jar however you like and then give to dad on Father’s Day. When we are all allowed to see each other again, you pick an activity out of the jar and do that for the day!
5. Send him a gift in the post
If your kids are in their teens, that means many father’s day’s have been and gone and it’s getting a little tricky to come up with present ideas that are thoughtful and that dad will actually like. How about creating a gift box this year of ‘dad memories’! Find all your favourite pictures together, old tickets to football games, theme parks, ice skating - you name it - if you did it with dad it’s a dad memory! Fill the box with all your fun times together to remind him that lockdown isn’t forever, and there will come a time you can do fun things together again. A personalised gift is always a great option from older kids, get them to write a special message on a personalised fridge magnet, tie clip or silver key ring. At Ellie Ellie we have a great selection of Father’s Day gifts from older children.
6. Have a virtual Netflix party
If you would usually be together for Father’s Day, having a chilled day at home with comfy clothes, movies and lots of snacks then this new app is definitely something you would love! Netflix party allows you to pair your screen with other users on your laptops or desktop computers to play the same movie at the same time, pausing in real time for everyone and with a fun group chat feature too. Now all you have to do is decide which of dad’s favourite films you want to sit through again!
7. Play games together on the House Party app
Does a trip to the arcade or quiz night sound like a Father’s Day dream right about now? Then you need to try House Party. This app is available on your phone or computer, similar to Skype or Zoom but so much fun! There are loads of games you can play while staying connected via video chat, count up your scores and compete to win. Three of our favourites are:
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Heads Up: Animals Gone Wild - Like the original Heads Up game, one player isn't able to see the card they're assigned, but this time, the person who's up is encouraged to use only noises and act like the animal on their card, which makes for hilarious fun.
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Trivia: Finish the Song Lyric - There are 18 free trivia games on Houseparty, but the "Finish the song lyric" card deck has the added bonus of hearing dad sing out loud. You'll definitely get some musical gems stuck in your head for the rest of the day.
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Quick Draw - Like a mini-pictionary game, Quick Draw has you sketch out a word or idea that comes onto your screen. The other person has to guess what it is. Once they do, you move on to the next one.
8. Create a ‘wish we were with you’ family video to send to Dad
If you have a big family, lots siblings, close-knit cousins, or step brothers and sisters, a lovely way to show you are all thinking of dad on Father’s Day this year is to create a family video. Each record your own personal messages for your dad, it could be as simple as ‘we wish we were with you today’ or ‘we can’t wait to see you soon’. Then collect everyone’s videos and edit together to create one big family video with messages of love and support through a lockdown without being together. Creative and fun things like this can be sent out of the blue to spark a moment of joy and add a smile to dad’s face - we are sure he’ll appreciate it! (There are plenty of free apps you can download to edit the video quickly and easily on your phone too!)
9. Host an online murder mystery party
If you would normally play murder mystery games board games with dad or he's a fan of murder mystery parties and dinners then you definitely need to try this new revelation in the virtual world! There's loads online to choose from but our favourite is this virtual murder mystery party. It's super easy to set up and the instructions are all there for you. Choose your game and download it, then email your party guests with their invite and character booklets. Then host and have fun!
10. Challenge Dad to an online escape room
A fun day out for Father's Day doing an escape room doesn't have to be just an idea for after lockdown. Similarily to virtual murder mystery quizzes, you can now do virtual escape rooms too! All the fun of the usual experience, riddles and clues - but from the comfort of your own room. You can choose from underwater shipwrecks to pizza parlour pallavas, this website has live episodes you can even choose a custom time for your party. Every virtual escape room is played via Zoom so it's easy to set up and you get an invite link when you confirm your game. Will you be able to beat Dad this time?
