Personalised gifts for dad, for his birthday and the rest of the year
Outside Father's Day, a gift for dad usually means his birthday, Christmas or no reason at all. That's when ideas run dry: he says he doesn't want anything, and he buys what he needs himself. The gifts that work are about him and his kids more than his hobbies. This guide lists seven, with their downsides. One of them is our personalised colouring book: your family photos become colour pages, each followed by the same scene to colour, whether he's a dad of little ones or a dad who's now a grandpa.
A few examples that work for this case
Seven original gift ideas for dad
A good gift for dad passes one simple test: could he have bought it himself? If so, he probably owns something like it already. What's left are ideas that take your time, your photos or your company.
1.One-on-one time with one of his kids
Breakfast at a diner, a bike ride, a movie, an afternoon workshop: dad gets time alone with one child. Nothing to put away afterward, plenty to talk about.
2.A letter from the kids
Written by the older ones, dictated by the little ones: what they love about him, what he taught them. It costs nothing, and some dads keep it in their wallet for years.
3.A personalised everyday item
An engraved wallet, a grilling apron, a phone case with a photo. He'll use it, no question. The emotional punch is lighter than with a memory.
4.The dish he grew up with
Track down the recipe his mum used to make, with help from a grandma or an aunt, and cook it with the kids for his birthday. It takes some planning. People bring it up for years.
5.A class or a first try at something
A cooking class, home brewing, pottery, climbing. Great for a curious dad. Check his calendar first: a voucher that never gets used disappoints everyone.
6.A classic photo book
The safe bet for looking back on a year or a decade. You flip through it, then shelve it. Once it's given, there's not much left for the kids to do with it.
7.A personalised colouring book
Your family photos become colour pages, each followed by the same scene in line art. Dad flips through it like an album, and the kids colour with him. Allow 5 to 7 business days before it ships, plus transit, and use photos sharp enough for faces to stay recognizable.
Birthday gift for dad from kids: making the family book work
A birthday suits a book that travels through time. Mix three eras: dad before kids, dad with babies, dad today. For a milestone like 40, 50 or 60, you can even give each decade a few pages.
Every photo gives two pages. First the scene in colour, already printed, which works as both a keepsake and a guide. Then the same scene as line art, ready to colour. Dad can keep the book untouched as a family album, or hand it to the kids on a rainy Sunday. Every page is checked before printing: no distorted faces, no broken lines.
His first name, or simply Dad, appears in large type on the title page, and a few signed lines open the book on the dedication page. Let the kids write them, spelling mistakes and all.
A gift for dad from his kids, little or grown
With kids aged 3 to 10, the book turns into a joint project. They pick their photos, sometimes colour a page in secret before giving it, and sign in the From field. On the day, they sit next to him to show him "their" pages.
If you're grown kids, you can do it together. Everyone sends photos, one person places the order, and the 24-photo format has room for all of you. Add the grandkids: a dad who's become a grandpa finds two generations in the same book.
If your dad likes quiet activities, our colour-by-number line turns your photos into numbered areas with a colour key. It's more guided than free colouring, which helps an adult who hasn't picked up a pencil in years.
Birthday, Christmas, retirement: when to give dad the book
Father's Day has its own guide, built around a gift the kids prepare. The rest of the year, the book fits a birthday, Christmas, a retirement, or the birth that makes him a grandfather.
On timing, it takes 5 to 7 business days between ordering and shipping, then transit. Ordering three weeks ahead also gives you time to round up the photos. In December, leave more room.
If the date is too close, a gift card can be given the same day: dad picks his photos afterward, which suits dads who like to stay in charge. The printed book costs £19.99 to £51.99 depending on the format, shipping included.
Our tip for dad's book
For a birthday, think timeline. Open the book with a photo of dad when he was young (before the kids, or the day one of them was born), move through the big moments and finish with a recent shot. The book then tells a story instead of lining up nice pictures. For old paper prints, photograph them lying flat near a window, without flash, to avoid glare. Pick scenes where dad is doing something over straight-to-camera portraits: the line art handles gestures and objects well (a bike, a fishing rod, a guitar). And if the kids are little, let them choose at least one photo, even if it looks like a miss to you.
Recommended format
24-page book, £34.99
Hardback
The 12-photo format has room to tell several years of family life without becoming endless to colour.
Create the book for dadHow we make your book
Printed on demand by our print partner, close to your delivery address. Square 21.6 cm format, 90 gsm uncoated inner paper that holds pencils and water-based markers well, hardback on the 12 and 24-photo formats (saddle-stitched on the 6-photo format).
- 21.6 cmsquare format
- Stays flat when open on the table, the right size for colouring.
- 90 gsmmatte uncoated paper
- A grain that grips coloured pencils and won't bleed with markers.
- Soft or hardcover
- Softcover for the 6 photo format, rigid hardback for the 12 / 24.
- 5 to 7days to ship
- Printed as a single copy by a professional printer, then shipped with tracking.
Frequently asked questions
What is a unique personalised gift for dad?
The gifts that surprise him are the ones he couldn't have bought himself: one-on-one time with a child, a letter, the dish he grew up with, or a book made from family photos. Our personalised colouring book fits that list: each photo gives a colour page and the same scene to colour, to browse on his own or fill in with the kids.
What's a good birthday gift for dad from the kids?
Something where you can see their hand in it: a drawing, a dictated letter, a photo they chose. With the personalised colouring book, the kids pick the photos, colour a page if they want to, and sign in the From field. For a birthday, mix old and recent photos so the book tells the story of dad with them.
What do you get a dad who has everything?
Give him what stores don't sell: time and memories. A day planned by the kids, a rediscovered family recipe or a book of his photos leave more of a mark than another gadget. A personalised colouring book has the advantage of sticking around: it reads like a family album and gets coloured by whoever's visiting.
My dad doesn't colour. Why a colouring book?
Because he doesn't need to colour to enjoy it. Each photo first gives a colour page that's already printed, so the book reads like a keepsake album. The line-art pages come out when the kids or grandkids visit, or the day he feels like trying. Seeing his own photos on the page is often what tempts him to try.
Can I use old paper photos of my dad?
Yes. Photograph or scan the prints lying flat, in daylight, without flash or glare. Crop in on the scene that matters. As long as faces are sharp and not tiny in the frame, the illustration works. Just skip very faded or very dark photos, where the line art has little detail to follow.
How long does it take to get dad's book?
Allow 5 to 7 business days between ordering and shipping: one day to prepare and check every page, then printing. Carrier transit comes on top of that. Order about three weeks before the date. If that's too tight, give a gift card: it's available right away, and dad picks his photos afterward.
Our personalised books made from your photos
Three ways to turn your family photos into an activity book, from free colouring to guided play.
- Personalised colouring bookEach photo becomes a colour keepsake page and the same scene to colour freely.
- Personalised colour by numberYour photos as numbered zones with a colour legend: guided colouring, true to the memory.
- Personalised dot to dotThe drawing of your photo appears as you connect the numbers, then gets coloured in.
Ready to create your book?
Every page is checked before printing.
Create the book for dadRead more
Practical guide
Everfold, My Colorful World, Us in Colors and Memory Pencil: one page per photo, or two?
Everfold, My Colorful World and Us in Colors turn each photo into one black-and-white line-art page. Memory Pencil, which wrote this comparison, makes two: a colour reference page of the memory, then the same scene to colour.
Practical guide
How to choose a dot-to-dot book your child will actually finish
Between a child just discovering numbers and one who can follow a long sequence, the right book is not the same. Real difficulty, readability, number of dots, themes: the guide to choosing well.
Other ideas you may like
Original Father's Day gift from the kids
A personalised colouring book the kids prepare and hand to dad. Made from your photos. A Father's Day gift he'll keep.
Personalised gift for mum
Birthday gift for mum from the kids, Christmas or just because: seven original ideas, including a personalised colouring book made from family photos.
Christmas gift for your parents
Give your parents a colouring book made from their family photos. A Christmas gift that genuinely moves them.