What should 5 y/o daughter get/make for dad's Christmas gift?

how bout an ornament?

Do kid gifts really have to “floor” the recipient? I think everything you’ve done so far sounds lovely and completely adorable and appropriate coming from a 5 year old.

But since you asked… bookmarks, personalized calendars, ornaments, mugs…

I took three pictures of her holding signs that say “I Love Daddy” and wanted to make them a calendar, but I can’t do it at the 1 hr. photo and it won’t arrive until after Christmas. I thought it was funny b/c she was in her cheerleader costume and he is dreading the possibility that she will want to be a cheerleader in HS.

@Likeradar Kid crafts don’t really floor us, but they’re sweet keepsakes.

How about some pottery at one of those Paint a Piece or Color Me Mine places? But, you have to do it quick, to get it fired in time. She could make him a mug, or a puppy, or a disney character, whatever she chooses.

Oh, or paper mache. That is fun for kids.

have her write a letter to Daddy telling him why she loves him. He will treasure it always.

@marinelife I was thinking of something similar… a hand print with five reasons she loves daddy, one for each finger, but I thought it might be cheesy. She can write now if I spell for her and we have really big paper (her writing is huge!) so the letter may be the way to go.

@Supacase No, I don’t think it would be cheesy at all. I bet it will get creases from being taken in and out of his wallet so often.

The letter is very sweet. I don’t see how anything she makes can be too cheesy or not good enough.

How about a coffee mug or a mouse pad with a photo of your daughter.

Or a book of coupons from your daughter to daddy for things like kisses, back scratches and going to pick up the newspaper or getting his slippers.

A really nice frame with a drawing of the family—mommy, daddy, her and any pets.

@Supacase assuming you and her dad are a couple, and since you already have so many wonderful things from your daughter to her daddy, how about a letter to him from her. The letter would be written by you telling him how important the love of a mommy and daddy are to a child. Tell him, through her eyes how it makes a little girl feel secure and safe and loved to see the love the two of you share and how it was that love that created his daughter. To keep the love alive and as a reminder of that special bond that only a mommy and daddy share, with the letter, present a coupon good for a night out together. Perhaps even a gift certificate to a nice restaurant or hotel.

Have you considered using Animoto to make an awesome picture / video slide show from the past year? It’s easy to use and they have some cool christmas themes. It costs 3.00 for a video. You can insert text and even pick a song. Even better you can make it and have today to download and play on your computer or burn to DVD.

I know! Go with her to find a rock. Have her use her imagination to see an animal in the rock, then use water colors to bring it out! My daughter did that once. She brought a rock to me and said she saw a duck sleeping, with it’s bill nestled on it shoulder. I couldn’t see it….until she painted it with water colors! And there it really, really was. I snatched it right up, sprayed lacquer on it and I have it to this day. It seriously looks like something you’d pay $20 for at a novelty store. I told her to go find some more! She found a rock that she said looked like a cat sitting erect and proud…she painted it, and there it was again! I used it as a door stop for several years…until its head fell off.

Walmart has some instant options in their photo kiosks. Calendars are one, but you can also make magnets from your photos.

Or daddy/daughter animals from Build-a-Bear?

Ooooh, I love build a bear. She could dress the bear with something he is into like Harley Davidson. Or, make the bear look like her. Or, dress it in his profession, like a doctor.

A dresser tray or bowl of some sort to hold all the contents of his pockets when he changes clothes, a “Dad” bowl.

I love the letter idea, and frame it. You can buy a nice matte and decent frame. It might just turn out to be a lovely family heirloom. My favorite gift from my daughter, around that age, is a picture that my parents had professionally framed for me. It’s always hung in a place where it’s well-displayed and I enjoy thinking about the story behind it, every time I look at the drawing.

My husband loves to cook, so my son gets him a kitchen gadget to make the job of cooking more fun.

@cazzie: I love that idea!

Perhaps a simple soda can cozy or a coffee cup wrap.

@Supacase : so what did you do?

Ya! What @jca said!