School's out but parent's want the time to fly by
Despite the break from school runs and homework duties, a survey has revealed that 60 per cent of parents are ‘secretly relieved’ when the summer holidays are over and their children go back to school, with almost 80 per cent claiming that they feel under pressure to keep their children "constantly entertained" over the summer break.
When you do decide to have a family day out, try to plan ahead as early as possible and always shop around for bargains and discount vouchers beforehand in order to keep costs down."
A total of 2,000 parents were questioned for the survey, carried out by family deals website LittleBird, which also revealed that one third of parents put themselves under pressure to keep their children constantly entertained, with pester power and pressure from other parents and the media accounting for a further 37 per cent of responses.
Naomi Bloomstein, co-founder of LittleBird and mum-of-two said: “As parents, we can feel that we have to fill each day of the holidays with as many exciting activities as possible.
"It’s understandable that parents want their children to have a memorable summer, but a few well-chosen days out and activities will achieve this. It’s good to balance planned activities with ‘chill-out’ time so that children learn how to make their own entertainment and parents can keep costs down.
"Studies have shown that ‘boredom’ actually helps children to develop their creativity and imagination” she said.
More than three quarters of survey respondents said they also worried about the cost of keeping children entertained over the holidays with over 65 per cent spending up to £150 on an average day out. However, in general, parents are becoming more financially savvy with more than half saying they budgeted for days out and activities in advance and 86 per cent taking advantage of discount offers available for museums, parks and attractions by actively seeking out vouchers before deciding on their day out.
Naomi added: “When you do decide to have a family day out, try to plan ahead as early as possible and always shop around for bargains and discount vouchers beforehand in order to keep costs down. The money parents can potentially save is definitely worth the extra effort involved.”
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