Seasons > Father’s Day > Father’s Day Decorations > Blue and Green Father’s Day Decorations
Get your kids to make a poster or banner to celebrate Dad: print out a message on the computer, paint a design on poster board, or buy a banner at a dollar store. For this poster, I cut out the letters from construction paper, and the skinny swirls were left over from cutting out the fat swirls. You can use dad’s favorite colors, or choose colors that coordinate with other decorations you buy. If you want a more permanent banner that you can use every year, spend a little more time to make a cloth banner this year, then every year after that, all you have to do is hang it!
Balloons are an inexpensive decoration that shouts, “Something special is going on here.” Some dollar stores sell helium balloons for a third of the price of party goods stores. If you can’t buy helium balloons, some dollar stores have long plastic sticks and tops that are especially made for decorating with balloons--like a balloon bouquet with balloons on stems. Make them even more festive with curling ribbon tied to the balloons. If you want the balloons to have a father’s day message, use permanent markers to make your own decorations on plain balloons.
Balloons make a really easy and inexpensive centerpiece for the table. Water balloons are small to begin with--just fill them with air instead of water (unless it would be fun for Dad to start a water fight--don’t let the kids know about the water ahead of time, but do let Dad know, and the kids will be shocked that Dad is starting a water fight (outside, of course--a picnic would be perfect!) If you can’t find water balloons, use regular balloons--just don’t blow them up very much. Pile them into a trifle or chips bowl. Add curling ribbon for more festive touches.
Even though it may be easier to do all the decorating by yourself, get the kids involved, because Father’s Day is a great chance to teach your kids gratitude for everything their dad does for them. Get them involved at the planning stage so they feel like they are doing something special for Dad rather than doing one more chore that is keeping them from playing. Kids love secrets, so use that to your advantage to call secret planning meetings, shopping trips, gift wrapping sessions, card making marathons, and cooking rendezvous. Keeping everything on the QT will make it exciting for the kids. Even if their dad doesn’t really care about decorations, it is still worth it. As long as he isn’t against decorations, go ahead and put them up anyway. It will give the kids a fun way to be involved in something special for Dad, and it will set the day apart, because if you don’t do anything, it will just feel like any other Sunday.
Crepe paper streamers are another inexpensive way to decorate. If you have a railing somewhere around your house, here is a different way to decorate with them. Weave two colors of streamers through a railing on a staircase or even outside on a porch railing. It ends up looking sort of like a giant basket. With one hand on either side of the railing, it goes quite quickly--one hand pushes it between posts, and the other hand pushes it back through the next opening. It is quicker than the traditional twisted swag (as shown on the staircase,) and it also uses up less streamer. Streamers are sold at party goods stores, but they are cheaper at dollar stores or Walmart.
Decorating the table is an easy way to make the day seem festive--you have to set the table anyway, so if you have special plates and napkins on hand that match the rest of the decorations, it doesn’t take any extra time. If you can’t buy paper plates and napkins, or if they are expensive, you can use clear plates to make decorations for any occasion. Simply cut circles of patterned paper and put them under the clear plates. If you want it to look more elegant, you can put another plate underneath, with the decorative paper sandwiched between the 2 plates. Some options of what to put under the clear plate--Father’s Day napkins cut into a circle, Father’s day wrapping paper cut into a circle, make a design on the computer, print out one for each place setting and cut it out, have each of the kids draw a round picture, or take photos of each of their faces, print them on the computer, and use them as place cards--you sit where you see your face--after all, the kids are Dad’s most favorite things of all!! You can always cut out bits of paper for confetti to sandwich between the plates, and sprinkle on the table. Check to make sure the paper doesn’t bleed--someone is bound to spill something, and you don’t want the tablecloth to be stained! Test the paper by wetting a small piece of the paper and putting it on a white paper towel--if no color transfers, you are good to go.
Note: If you are worried about taping the streamers because it might pull paint off, party goods stores sell special tape that is supposed to not pull paint off walls.
Some people spend a small fortune on celebrating special occasions, but you can do it really inexpensively! Dad would probably appreciate a low budget even more!
I spent:
$2 on 2 colors of streamers
$2 on plates and napkins
$3 on balloons
$0.50 on the banner (poster board at Walmart)
Clear glass plates may sound expensive, but if you buy paper plates for each birthday, as well as Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, you can see how the costs add up over time. So glass plates allow you to have a different theme for every occasion for minimal cost.
Different homes have different features, so you have to figure out what works in your home. You probably don’t have a spiral staircase or banister railing, but you might be able to tape streamers from a chandelier to the windows. Your kids will have fun figuring out a way to make Dad’s chair look like a throne for the day. You might be able to tape a poster to the glass of a framed picture, or remove the picture and hang the poster from the picture hook. Consider a theme--what are Dad’s favorite colors, foods, and activities? Each year you can have a different theme that revolves around one or more of these favorites. Try to concentrate the decorations where the celebration will take place. If there will be a meal in the dining room that is a good place to put a lot of decorations.
Seasons > Father’s Day > Father’s Day Decorations > Blue and Green Father’s Day Decorations