12 Father's Day Cards Guaranteed to Make Him Smile

Father's Day is a holiday meant to celebrate your dad, grandpa, papa, abuelo, husband, uncle, son-in-law, brother, or any influential male figure in your life. After exchanging gifts, spending a day with the family outdoors or via video chat due to COVID, no Father's Day celebration would be complete without a heartfelt card. Sometimes, a simple quote says it all. While finding the right words to tell the father in your life how much you appreciate him and everything he does is one thing we can't exactly help with, finding the perfect card to fill with these sentiments is definitely where we come in. All you'll need are a few paper crafting supplies, a little creativity, and a whole lot of heart.

Does he consider himself a man of style? Buttons, cufflinks, and bow ties all inspire some of our suave designs. Is he the outdoorsy type? Our fish-tastic card comes with whimsical motifs and a Dad-approved pun. We've even included a few kid-friendly cards that are sweet-but-simple—made with family photographs and handwritten promises for a day out with Dad—and sure to put a smile on his face. And if he considers himself a gourmand with gourmet taste, he'll love a card with a grilling motif. No matter where your father's interests lie, we have a card that matches his taste.

Pick an idea, make it easily with our tutorials and templates, and send it off into the mail: Here are a dozen number of ways to express your love and appreciation for Dad on Father's Day.

A shirt and tie are traditional gifts for Dad—a card to match is something new. Choose a patterned paper that suits the man of the hour, and fold it into a shirt (custom-tailored to hold a gift card).

Alternatively, choose a patterned paper that suits the man of the hour, and fold it into a necktie (tuck a handwritten note in the back).

For a long distance greeting, send a whimsical message in the bottle with our printable clip-art. If you have an ink-jet color printer, you can pull off this project—and the kids can help.

Print the postcard design on card stock. Use a bone folder to score along the dotted line; fold. Apply glue to one half; press halves together; let dry. Cut out the image by snipping along the edges with small, sharp scissors. Slide these cards into envelopes, since the post office will process only cards with four corners. Ours are glassine and show off decorations such as the crab's net, the tiny shells, and the bass' glittered scales. Seal with tape, and add a label.

Shop Now: Martha Stewart Detail Scissors, $12.49, homedepot.com.

Create a specially designed card for Dad featuring a jacket lapel complete with a place for—what else?—a pocket square. Choose card stock in a color to coordinate with the accessory, and use our printable template.

Print and cut out the template, and tape it onto the stock. Cut a 1/8-inch-wide slit for the pocket. Cut around the outline. Using bone a folder and ruler, score along dotted line; remove template. Flip the card stock over. Fold down the lapel; secure with double-sided tape. Draw "stitching" along the lapel edges and on pocket with a gel-ink pen. Write a message. Flip jacket over. Place double-sided tape along edges. Flip over again, and Tape the jacket to a piece of white card stock that has been folded in half widthwise. Insert a pocket square.

Shop Now: Staples Pastel Multipurpose Paper, 8 1/2" x 11", in Light Blue, $18.73, staples.com; Uni-Ball White Signo Broad Gel Impact Pen, $3.49, michaels.com; The Tie Bar Classic Gingham Kelly Green Pocket Square, $10, thetiebar.com. 

Fashion a card to look like a dapper shirt cuff, and then use it to present a gift of cuff links (make a set out of shank buttons, or buy new or vintage links). Cut a 3 1/4-by-9- inch rectangle from construction paper; round two corners. Rubber-stamp a greeting on one side. Gently bend paper in half. Cut four slits for cuff links. To make cuff links, hook 24-gauge wire onto a button's shank; secure with needlenose pliers. Cut wire to 1/2 inch; loop through a second button's shank. Repeat.

Shop Now: Stanley Needle Nose Pliers, $10.54, homedepot.com; M&J Trimming Troca Shell Button With Shank, $1.59 each, mjtrim.com; Fire Mountain Gems Sterling Silver 24-Gauge Wire, $5, firemountaingems.com.

Dapper dads will love this bow-tie card made especially for them. Cut a 5-inch square of patterned paper, score every 1/4 inch, and fold it accordion-style into the look of a bow tie. Top off the look with a 1-inch paper-punched circle, adhered with a dot of hot glue at the center.

Shop Now: Recollections Circle Lever Punch, 1", $9.49, michaels.com; Martha Stewart Bone Folder, $6, michaels.com.

If he's a fisherman, he'll love this idea: hook, line, and sinker. Tell Dad that you're "hooked" on him this Father's Day with an easy-to-make fish-themed card.

To make a fish, start by using a jumbo circle punch to punch out one circle; then, take that circle and punch again to create an almond shape for the fish's body. For fins and a tail, punch two hearts with a heart punch; cut one heart down the center to make the two fins;  score the other heart down the center to make the tail. Bend a small piece of wire like a jewelry wire or a paper clip to make the hook and attach some baker's twine for the line.

Shop Now: Marvy Uchida Clever Lever Extra Jumbo Craft Punch, in Circle, $12, uchida.com; Recollections Heart Lever Punch, $12, michaels.com; Cricut Martha Stewart Classic Glitter Gel Pen Set, $10, michaels.com.

Is Dad the king of the grill? This barbecue card is a cinch to make, and might even inspire him to whip up some burgers or steaks. For the grill, cut a 2 1/2-inch circle out of paper with a small circle cutter. Cut in half, with one side slightly larger than the other. Cut strips of paper for the stand and glue down using a glue pen, criss-crossing the strips. Use foam dots to attach pieces. Cut steam out of vellum, and sausage out of craft paper. Use alphabet punch to punch out letters, and glue down using the glue pen.

Shop Now: Fiskars XX Large Lever Punch Circle 2.5", $12.59, joann.com; Recollections Foam Adhesive Circles, $4, michaels.com.

Give Dad something that shakes things up this Father's Day. It's a confetti-filled card that includes his favorite things: neckties, golf balls, and teeny-tiny tees.

Put a personal spin on a Father's Day card: Add a photo that twirls on a string. Kids can pick their favorite snapshots of themselves and glue them back to back, or use only one and cover the other side with colorful paper. Use a ruler to divide a sheet of colorful paper into three equal parts, fold paper at those points, and unfold. Fold the left flap over middle (these panels will be card's front), then fold both in half (use a bone folder, if you like). Draw a half circle over the outer fold; cut out, cutting through all layers, just outside the line. Lay one on the photo; trace. Cut out photo; glue onto cutout. Glue string between the photo and the other cutout (or another photo). Place string in fold of middle flap, positioning photo in hole; glue the left flap to the middle, trapping string inside. Then, all that's left to do is write a special message to Dad.

Shop Now: Recollections The Brights Cardstock Paper Value Pack, 6" x 6 1/2", $10, michaels.com; Recollections Red Twine Spool, $3, michaels.com.

Kids love to be in charge, so let them take Dad on a Father's Day "date" of their choosing. Ask them to consider what Dad would like best: a movie, a museum, or a baseball game? A handmade card tells him they're treating. Kids can buy or draw the "tickets" and Mom can carve a pocket for them in the card.

Shop Now: Ooly Left Right Crayons, $9 for set of 10, crateandbarrel.com.

Of course your kids love him thiiiiisss much! But with this clip-art fill-in-the-blanks Father's Day card, they can get specific in pinpointing Dad's traits, like his favorite foods and what makes him laugh (beyond their artistic interpretation of him drawn in the frame on the card's front, that is).

Shop Now: Marvy Uchida LePen Fine Point Set, $21, michaels.com.