A poll of 1,000 parents of children aged four to eight found 68% feel pressured to take their kids to see amazing sights during the six-week summer holidays – but three quarters say free walks in the woods bring just as much wonder
Parents splash out an average of £400 per child on action-packed excursions during the summer holidays – to keep their kids entertained. A survey of 1,000 mums and dads with children aged four to eight discovered 68% feel under pressure to take their youngsters to witness spectacular sights during their six weeks away from school.
Eight in ten parents are anticipating having to forgo treats for themselves in their mission to keep their children entertained, with top luxuries they’ll sacrifice including dining out, new clothing or accessories, and mini-breaks or weekend getaways.
However, the cash spent frequently goes to waste, as 75% have felt regret after splurging on an expensive sightseeing excursion or museum day when their kids weren’t genuinely interested in what they experienced.
In total, this has led to the average parent spending £232 on outings that left their children feeling indifferent.
Three quarters revealed their youngsters have felt as much amazement during a free woodland stroll as on a costly trip or activity.
Specsavers, which commissioned the research, has teamed up with TV adventurer, 11-year-old Aneeshwar Kunchala, to encourage families to go ‘Tightseeing’ – taking kids to see free mundane sights they find just as magical.
They have also curated a crowdsourced map on Tightseeing.com from parents of the top free sights around the UK, where they won’t need to exit through an expensive gift shop, featuring a “Quite Tall Pointy Rock” in Bristol, “A Very Mossy Wall” in Yorkshire, and “Five Big Ole Logs” in North London.
Aneeshwar Kunchala said: “Nature, it’s my favourite mundane sight. If it’s a tree that looks like a stick man or a stump that looks like a drum set – as I like to call it, a stump-set – or anything in between, children can find wonder in everyday things.”
A third of parents confirmed there is no correlation between the amount they spend and how much their child enjoys the activity. Children are most likely to be interested in anything involving nature (35%), animals (32%), or water (25%).
Parents also outlined specific everyday ‘wonders’ their child finds joy in while appearing completely mundane to them. Notable examples included the Greenwich foot tunnel under the river Thames, a local post box treated as a tiny adventure spot, and anywhere they can collect leaves and sticks as if they are treasures.
Others described their children being entranced by hardware stores, garden centres, water fountains, automated car washes, or tiny streams near footpaths.
This fascination children have for things their parents wouldn’t look twice at may be why 69% agreed if their child stopped pointing out everyday wonders, they would question if they were having issues with their eyesight. For 20%, this would also be reason enough for them to book them in for an eye test.
Data from the Royal College of Ophthalmologists 2021 report states around one in five children under 10 have a sight condition that could affect their vision.
Statistics from the Royal College of Ophthalmologists 2021 report indicate approximately one in five children under 10 have a sight condition that could impact their vision.
Jill Campbell, optometrist at Specsavers, said: “We know parents are feeling financially stretched so we want to remind them that children’s eye tests and glasses are free.
“You’ll be doing the best thing for their vision and eye health by helping them better spot everyday wonders around them, while also saving hundreds of pounds on often expensive sightseeing days out.
“It’s not always easy to spot vision problems in children – a lack of interest in the everyday things they usually find fascinating can be a good clue.
“That’s why we recommend an eye test for children every two years, even if nothing seems wrong.”