10 Great Games to Play on Father's Day

Know Your Dad

Gather all of the kids at your Father’s Day celebration to one room. Send all of the fathers out of the room and ask the kids five general questions about dads. Have each child write down what they think their dad's answers will be. Return the dads into the room and ask them the same questions. All matching answers earn a point. The child who scored the most points wins the game.

Suggested Questions:

• What is Dad’s dream car?
• What is Dad’s favorite snack food?
• Where does Dad most like to spend his downtime?
• What is Dad’s favorite sport?
• What is Dad’s shoe size?
• What is Dad’s favorite TV show?
• What does Dad do at work?

Name That Tool

Let Dad take a seat, blindfold him, a place his open toolbox at his feet. One at a time, have the kids pick out a tool from the box and, without naming the tool, describe it to Dad. Dad must guess the tool according to the descriptions.

Barbecue Relay Race

Who doesn’t love to grill their Father’s day meal? Before Dad can get busy behind the barbecue, however, he must gather all of the barbecue necessities. If you’re playing with a large group, divide the players into two teams of dads and their kids. Create a starting line, and several feet away from the line, set out two sets of items needed for a barbecue. (You will need one item per player on each team.) ​Team members must race, relay-style to collect all of the items. The first team to gather all of their barbecue tools wins the race.​

Item Suggestions:

• Barbecue Fork
• Spatula
• Small bags of charcoal
• Bottles of condiments such as ketchup, mustard, and relish
• Salt and pepper shakers
• Chef’s hat and apron
• Oven mitts

If you are celebrating Father’s Day with a smaller group, hide the items around the house or yard instead. Dad and the kids can go on a scavenger hunt rather than race to collect them.

What's in Dad's Wallet?

Gather the kids and have them write down a list of 10 things they think are in their dads’ wallets. When they’ve completed their lists, have the dads empty their wallets, holding up and naming each item for the kids. Kids will score one point for each match. The child with the most points wins.

Our Hands Are Tied

Divide the guests at your Father’s Day celebration into teams of two, each team consisting of a dad and his child. Tie the fathers’ right hands to the children’s left hands and have them work together to accomplish a task. The first team to complete the task wins.

Task Ideas:

• Make a triple-decker sandwich
• Build a cabin out of log blocks
• Reel in a fish (tie magnets to plastic fish and the ends of the fishing lines, or hook paper fish to the lines ahead of time and just have them work together to reel it in)
• Unwrap their Father's Day gifts

Pin the Tie on Dad

Prior to Father's Day, enlarge and print a picture of Dad to poster size. If you will be playing this game at a large family gathering, use a photo of the family patriarch. Tack the poster of Dad to a wall. Blindfold the kids and hand them a tie, or a tie cut out of paper. The kids must try and tack the tie onto Dad’s collar. The child whose tie is placed the closest to the collar wins.

Father's Day Puzzle Race

Before the Father’s Day party, collect a picture of each dad who will attend. Have the photos enlarged and then cut them into the shapes of jigsaw puzzle pieces. Place each set of puzzle pieces in a box and then challenge the children to put the photos of their dad back together. The puzzles make a nice keepsake gift after the party. 

Blindfolded Obstacle Race

Set up an obstacle course in the backyard. When it is time to play, have Dad stand at one end of the obstacle course and have his kids stand at the other. Blindfold the kids. Ask Dad to call out directions to the kids, guiding them through the course and to him.

Shaving Race

This game works well with a group of dads and their kids. Sit the dads in chairs in the backyard. Set up a collection of kid-friendly shaving supplies a few feet from each dad. Use a shaving bib for the dad to wear, whipped cream instead of shaving cream, and popsicle sticks as razors. Kids will race to gather the items, bring them back to where their dad is seated, foam up his face, and “shave” the dad with the popsicle sticks.

Pie Eating Contest

Have all of the dads sit at a table with some already made pie crusts and a variety of fillings. Ask the kids to fill the pies using whichever ingredients they think their dads will like the most. 

Set a timer and challenge the fathers to see who can eat the most pies in the time allowed. As the dads' race to eat the pies, their kids must race to keep those pies coming.