Kids are itching to get their adrenaline pumping with activities like horse riding, skateboarding, rock climbing and kayaking topping their adventure wish list.
The thrill of getting behind the wheel is a top pick for youngsters, as a poll of 900 children aged eight to 16 revealed that driving a car revved up 23% of them, eager to take the driver’s seat. Meanwhile, nearly one in 10 (8%) are keen to pick up life-saving survival skills, and 11% are bold enough to want to leap into skydiving.
The buzz of experiencing something fresh (45%), the chance to boast to mates (25%), and watching celebs or influencers tackle these challenges (16%) are fuelling kids’ desires to dive into these adventures.
However, a third (33%) reckon they’re missing out on chances to challenge themselves due to a lack of nearby facilities, and 26% admit their nerves hold them back.
Commissioned by PGL, the research also highlighted that 22% of nippers haven’t yet had a sleepover away from their folks, but a whopping 68% are up for it.
Charlotte Haines, speaking for the adventure holiday camps which whipped up an online quiz to measure how daring parents and their offspring are, enthused: “It’s great being a kid – there’s so much more opportunity to try new things for the first time and get that rush of excitement from it.”
“It’s clear from the results children want to be thrilled, with driving a car, quad biking and sailing a boat coming out as top activities they’d like to try, alongside other fun things like skiing and surfing. There is also an appetite for raft building and hiking, too.”
According to the research, street dancing, abseiling and fencing are among the activities children want to try out. Around three-quarters expressed a desire to try new activities, with 84% believing it’s essential to learn new things or explore different hobbies.
Having fun is a vital aspect of this experience, counting for 37%, getting active (11%), acquiring a new skill (13%) and spending time with friends and family (12%).
The study, conducted via OnePoll, also revealed that 29% of young people prefer outdoor activities to those indoors, though half stated they have no preference.
The study showed that 65% of youngsters participate in outdoor challenges each week, with the ‘perfect day’ constituting three hours and 22 minutes of adventurous tasks.
As summer holidays approach, over half (54%) would like to spend more time outdoors than usual, while 74% admit to getting bored during the six-week break.
Instead, nearly half (49%) resort to spending more time on electronic devices due to their parents working (36%) or lack of other activities (30%).
Charlotte Haines, representing PGL, commented: “It can be such a challenge during the summer holidays to keep kids entertained while you try to work, and it’s never ideal using all your annual leave at this time. It’s important to keep kids active over this time so finding new and fun things to do is a great way to help with this.”
Here are the top 30 activities that kids would love to try:
- Driving a car.
- Quad biking.
- Sailing a boat.
- Scuba diving.
- Skiing.
- Snowboarding.
- Horse riding.
- Skydiving.
- Inflatable aqua assault course.
- Surfing.
- Snorkelling.
- Archery.
- Treasure hunt.
- Zip-lining.
- Wind surfing.
- Rock climbing.
- Stand up paddle boarding.
- Kayaking.
- Street dance.
- Abseiling.
- Learn life-survival skills.
- Body boarding.
- Raft Building.
- Hiking.
- High ropes course.
- Fencing.
- Fishing.
- Skateboarding.
- Bushcraft.
- Bouldering (climbing without ropes).