Gifts for Your Boyfriend's Dad: Safe, Thoughtful Ideas

Buying for your boyfriend's dad is a small test you did not ask to sit. You probably do not know him well, you want to look thoughtful without trying too hard, and the wrong gift — too personal, too expensive, too jokey — is remembered longer than the right one. The answer is a gift that is modest, good quality and easy to share.

First, ask your boyfriend

He knows what his dad already owns, what he does at weekends and what would land badly. Ask three questions: What does he do to relax? Does he have a game he always plays? Is there anything he would never use? Then choose from the ideas below.

The test: could it sit on the coffee table in front of anyone?

A good first gift is one his dad could unwrap in front of the whole family without anyone feeling awkward. That rules out clothing (size and taste are risky), anything very personal, and anything that costs so much it puts him on the spot. It rules in things made to be used and shared.

Gift for boyfriend's dad: first meeting

For a first meeting, keep it small and something everyone can enjoy:

• A good deck of cards. A gold foil deck looks like a gift, plays like a real deck and survives spilled drinks.
• A table game for after dinner. Shut the box is quick to learn and lets four people play at once, so the whole family can join in — the rules are in our shut the box guide.

Gifts for boyfriend's dad: Christmas

At Christmas you have a bit more room, and a game everyone can play on the day is a gift to the whole house:

• Dominoes. A double-six set plays dozens of games, from simple blocking to Mexican train.
• A wooden puzzle. A hexagon puzzle will be passed round the table all afternoon.

Gifts for boyfriend's dad: birthday or Father's Day

By his birthday you may know him a little better. Match the gift to what he does:

• For a card player: a lucky clover card guard for his poker night.
• For the man at a desk: a metal spinning top, small enough to be modest, well-made enough to stay out on the desk.

What to avoid

Sign it from both of you

Give it together and sign the card from you and your boyfriend. It makes the gift less of a performance and more of a family thing — which is the point.

More ideas for the men in his family: gifts for dad who has everything, gifts for father-in-law and game night gifts.