A survey of 1,000 parents with school-aged children revealed that 55% are daunted by the task of keeping their kids entertained during the long six-week summer break.
The study suggests that children are likely to complain about being bored five times a week when school is out, reaching peak boredom by August 1st. Parents admitted that coming up with educational yet entertaining activities to keep their children amused is challenging, with 63% struggling to do so.
On top of this, one-third of parents highlighted that managing their child’s screen time is a hurdle during the holidays, with 68% confessing to permitting more screen time than during term time. During a typical school week, children spend an average of 88 minutes on screens, but this figure jumps to 127 minutes (over two hours) during the holidays.
The survey was commissioned by Yoto Mini, the makers of a screen-free audio player for kids, which features an extensive audio library of over 1,000 titles.
Ben Drury, the CEO of Yoto Mini, commented: “The holidays are fun but can also be tricky, particularly for parents. Children are naturally inquisitive and crave constant engagement, which is fantastic, but for busy parents, it can make things anything but straightforward.”
“With more trips taking place during the break, coupled with longer drives and traffic, it’s a time that will likely result in kids complaining about being bored more often. It’s really important to find a solution to that before it happens to keep everyone happy.”
(Image: SWNS)
The dreaded long car journeys top the list of situations likely to bore kids to tears, closely followed by uneventful days and shopping excursions.
To combat boredom and keep the little ones engaged, parents are turning to tried and tested activities such as outdoor walks, trips, watching films on TV, and encouraging reading. Cinemas will see 44% of families grabbing their popcorn, while 43% give the green light for video games.
However, keeping children entertained over the summer doesn’t come cheap, with parents estimating they’ll fork out an average of £312 on visits to five different attractions.
Interestingly, while 61% of parents believe their children would be captivated by listening to their favourite stories in audio format, only a mere 19% actually utilise this option regularly.
Drury, added: “The summer holidays can be quite costly as it is, and not everyone has the money to pay for endless day trips. And with the break feeling a little long at times, the research has shown screen time does rise as a quick way to keep the kids happy.”
“With the unpredictability of the British weather, or the long car journeys that are typically associated with trips in school holidays – the best way to keep kids from boredom is to unlock their imaginations. A great way to do this is to listen to stories and music – this enables them to remain fully entertained without being glued to a screen.”