Free Printable Father's Day Cards (Some You Can Color!)

Free Printable Father’s Day Cards. 3 different designs…some you can color!
Color and give a personalized card he can’t get anywhere else.

Everyone knows that handmade and homemade gifts mean a little bit more than those purchased in stores. With that in mind, I created free printable father’s day cards. 2 of the designs you can color! Who doesn’t love coloring? And it makes the card personal in a way no store-bought card ever could be.

These are great for:
Teachers: to print out and let their classrooms decorate for fathers.
Mothers: want to occupy your kid for a little bit? Have them make a card for Dad!
Babysitters/Child care workers: same as the teachers, wouldn’t this be nice to occupy “your” children for a little while?

If you’re interested, I also have a “Father’s Day Coloring Worksheets” post.

Also, if you’re looking for gift ideas, I have the best post ever! 200+ Gift Ideas for Men

Featured image for 200+ gift ideas for men. Red present with blue ribbon and text.

History of Father’s Day

Mother’s Day was around before Father’s Day- and is the inspiration for the holiday. The first Mother’s Day was celebrated in 1908. (If you want to read more about Mother’s Day, check out my post Free Printable Mother’s Day Coloring Pages…there is a section on the history.)

The next year, in Washington state, a woman named Sonora Smart Dodd started to establish a similar holiday for fathers. She was raised by her father, a Civil War veteran, after her mother died. She spread the idea and on June 19, 1910, the state of Washington celebrated a statewide Father’s Day. It wasn’t until 1972 that it became a nationwide holiday.

History.com has an article that details a bit of the controversy surrounding the holiday. “As one historian writes, they ‘scoffed at the holiday’s sentimental attempts to domesticate manliness with flowers and gift-giving, or they derided the proliferation of such holidays as a commercial gimmick to sell more products–often paid for by the father himself.’” Ouch!

At least these free printable Father’s Day cards are free!

Father’s Day Facts

Father’s Day in the United States is the third Sunday in June.
In many other countries, especially Europe and Latin America, St. Joseph’s Day (March 19th) is instead used to honor fathers.
President Lyndon Johnson signed an executive order celebrating the holiday.
It was President Nixon who signed legislation- passed by Congress- making the third Sunday in June Father’s Day. He did this in 1972.
Some observe the custom of wearing a rose to honor their father- red for a living father, white if he’s deceased.
There are 1.5 billion fathers worldwide.
The necktie is the most popular Father’s Day gift (no surprise there!)

Instructions

Print options: regular paper works, but I suggest card stock or glossy photo paper.
All of the files are in pdf below. Just hit the “download” button (or pink word “download,” depending upon browser).

If you have a double-sided printer, just print, making sure the double-sided box is checked.
If you have a single-sided printer, print page one. Then put printed page back in the feed tray, then print side 2. Remember how the feed works depends on the printer, so you may have to flip it around to get it to print correctly!

~~~When you download the pdf, you’ll note the second page is upside down when you view it. This is so it prints correctly. I’ve tested it on my printer, both double-sided and single-sided printing. However, if you printer feeds differently, it may not work. In that case, just print the cover and write whatever you want on the inside of the card.