The 30 Best Gifts For Dads (2021 Buying Guide)

Head down the aisles of your local shops a few days before Father’s Day, Birthday's and Christmas, and you will be greeted by shelf after shelf of “World’s Best Dad” messages adorning socks, pyjamas, mugs and beer glasses.

But research shows that dads’ hopes for gifts are a lot higher. So what makes a great gift for a father? In 2020, the best gifts are personal, and filled with meaning. The perfect gift for dad isn’t just about him, it is also about his children. So, with that in mind, here are our best gifts for dads, arranged by how old the children are.

What makes a great dad gift?

The best gifts for dads

We have reviewed this list in accordance with the age of the child 'buying' the gift for dad.

From newborn to pre-schoolers (aged 0-5)

Perfect for a first Father’s Day or first birthday as a dad, a personalised book is wonderfully sentimental gift from their new baby. There are plenty of options from various retailers, but this one in particular is charmingly illustrated and allows names, character traits and all the ways he saves the day, making it a genuinely heart-warming gift to keep forever.

This woven leather engraved bracelet is the perfect balance of a style and sentiment with a sleek design and polish steel clasp, and a personalised message hidden from sight on the inside. For a bit more, customers can even use their own handwriting for the engraving adding that extra special touch.

This brilliantly thought out journal is filled with more than 200 fun and inspiring questions designed to inspire a father to tell the story of his life. It gives a dad the chance to tell his children about his life; his interests growing up, what his own parents were like, where they used to go on holiday, where he met mum/partner, and his memories and feelings of becoming a dad. 

This handmade leather keyring is a fantastic gift for a dad on any occasion - Birthdays, Christmas' and Father's Day. Featuring a special personal photo placed directly onto a sturdy steel plate, it also has a personalised message engraved on the back. The high-quality leather casing can also be personalised, adding that extra touch.

What dad doesn’t want to wear something matching his little one? These matching winter hats make a great alternative to the usual t-shirt or jumpers. Made from 100% soft-spun acrylic, including a shearling thermal banding, the colours and design make them a super stylish option for those lovely family winter walks.

This lovely watercolour bear family illustrations are a brilliant addition to the home of a new family. Fully customisable with the number of parents, babies, older children, teens or adult bears, there’s a bear for the whole family. 

Hand carved and painted by artist Susan Lordi, Willow Tree sculptures capture some of the most emotional moments in our lives. Whether it is dad having fun with his son or daughter, cradling his newborn with mum, embracing his pregnant partner, or the older child cuddling their baby sibling, the range is incredible.

These fun matching moon t-shirts depict an almost full pizza for dad, and a little slice  for the newcomer. The t-shirt is made from 100% cotton while the pizza's are screen printed with a great finish.

Whether it’s free or paid for, online or in person, dad will love learning a new skill and knowing he can capture all of those special moments and make them look stunning. There are tonnes of courses to choose from, from local experts to national brands and retailers right across the country. This book from by DK is one of the best, going into fantastic detail about capturing the best shots.

This personalised gift is a charming mix of tongue-in-cheek  and genuinely useful products. The kit contains 7 outside pockets, and a small zip pocket on the inside. The sidebags are particularly useful as rubbish containers too!

From first-schoolers (aged 5 - 10)

Anyone who loves to cook, loves to experiment, and come up with their own recipes. And for any parent who loves to cook wants to pass on that passion to their children. This recipe book features a beautiful linen hard cover with embossed title and spine and thick, quality paper.

Perfect for the more adventurous dad, this experience gives the opportunity to view the stars in some of the most stunning detail. With no prior experience required, readers are shown how to set up and use the telescope correctly and photograph some of the most magnificent sights in the night sky.

For any dad who loves cars, a supercar experience is just about the ultimate gift. There are tonnes of options to choose from meaning you can find the right cars to suit dad. Experiences always include a high-speed lap driven by an instructor and several laps the chance to get behind the wheel of one or more supercars, offering the ultimate thrill.

How many dads grew up playing with army toys, dreaming of driving a tank? How many dads still dream of driving a tank? This experience offers the chance to get into the driving seat of a 17-tonne armed and armoured tank. Dad will experience driving hatch-open and through the periscope across a WWII bombing range.

This personalised keepsake book is the perfect gift place to store all the little memories created on dad’s adventures with his family. It features a range of accessories to make those memories extra special. Each book has a great look that is both simple and rustic.

This is fabulous gift for any coffee-loving dad who has a passion for authenticity. Freshly selected, the tree is really easy to grow and will show glossy leaves all year round when left on a window sill to double as a lovely house plant.

Learning to play guitar is something you often hear dads saying they wish they’d done when they were younger. That’s why it makes such a great gift! There are always plenty of online or offline tutors to choose from, making sure dad is rocking out in no time if you need additional support.

When you just don’t know what to do today, a boardgame always helps. But why not take it a level up with this personalised dice cup for dad? It comes in a range of colours and is personalised to their name. One side can be further personalised with a little message as well.

Using song lyrics to create a vinyl record, these personalised prints make a fantastic gift for dad. Whether it’s his favourite song of all-time, or one that has special meaning to him and his children, it’s sure to make a really special gift. Colours, fonts and a message can all be customised, while some sellers also feature the artist’s logo.

These are the perfect gift for a dad who loves to run. These tags fit onto shoe laces and display a personalised message. So when dad is taking on his first or 50^th marathon, he can look down and see the message of encouragement from his children, or see a reminder of why he’s running.

From tweens, teens, and over (aged 11 - 20+)

Perfect for movie-loving dads, this scratch off poster features the 100 highest rated films of all time – films you HAVE to watch. Behind each window is a funky design depicting the film, creating a quirky piece of art to frame and hang up after.

Perhaps best saved for a really special occasion, Masterclass is perfect for a dad looking to broaden his horizons and learn new skills. Masterclass is a video learning platform where skills are taught by some of the world’s biggest names in that field. Learn filmmaking from Martin Scorsese, acting from Helen Mirren or Samuel L Jackson, learn cooking from Gordon Ramsay or writing from James Patterson.

These helicopter sightseeing tours offer a once in a lifetime opportunity to see one of 17 cities in the UK like never before. This particular experience offers a 25 mile flight for two, making it a great gift for mum and dad, or dad and one of the children.

Perfect for a golf-loving dad, this print features 150 of the US’ (with UK also available) best courses to be scratched off once they’ve been played. Each print can be scratched off and can be framed afterwards. Another brilliant way for dad to spend more time with his golf-loving children.

This is a brilliantly unusual gift for a dad who loves to crack open a beer. Whether he decides to fill it with his favourites, travel to the places shown on the map, or have a drink brewed there, it offers another excellent opportunity for dad to spend some quality time with his (strictly over 18 year old) children.

Taking his children to a game is a rite of passage for any father and something he treasures forever. If he takes his children regularly, he’ll love the novelty of them taking him. And if it’s his first time too, it’ll be all the more special.

Much like sport, taking his children to their first concert is such a special moment for a music-obsessed dad. Whether it’s someone he’s always wanted to see or someone he’s seen 100 times and wants his kids to feel the same passion for, concert tickets will lead to a night dad will never forget.

BeerBods is the subscription service from BeerHawk, which sells some of the coolest real craft beers and ales available. The subscription sees 12 brilliantly tasty new beers sent straight to dad’s door every 12 weeks along with the story behind each bottle, because it tastes better when you know where it’s come from!

They say every man should own a pair of cufflinks. So why not make them extra special by personalising them? Whether it’s dad’s initials, something important like his children’s birthdays, the coordinates of where he met mum, or something depicting his favourite hobby or film, there’s a set of cufflinks for everyone.

There are plenty of book subscription boxes on the market, but this one from The Willoughby Book Club offers a bespoke service where books are chosen specifically based on dad’s favourite books and preferences, as well as topic-specific boxes. You can choose 3, 6 or 12 new books and for every purchase, it donates a brand new book to Book Aid International.