Parenting News: UK Parents Struggle to Keep Kids Entertained During Holidays
Kids love them and parents dread them but now 87 per cent of parents admitted that they find the school holidays extra difficult when it comes to keeping the kids entertained.
Parents ideally would like to take their children on family days out but in reality only 27 per cent of children spend their summer holidays enjoying family days out.
Seven in 10 parents admitted that they would most like their children to play outside and it seems that children have no problem with that.
Over half of UK children spend their summers playing outside, despite the unpredictable British weather.
Sadly, a third of children spend their summers sitting inside and playing video games or watching TV – much more than parents would like.
When it came to what parents wanted to do to entertain their children, outdoor activity was the number one choice.
This was followed by seeing shows, sports and games, and arts and crafts.
Dr Kathleen Hodkinson, Clinical Psychologist, said, “The survey conducted by Bounce Festival supports a lot of recent research which highlights the importance of outdoor activities for children’s physical and mental health.
“Indeed, the Good Childhood Report 2012 (The Children’s Society) lists having an opportunity to take part in positive activities to thrive (including having affordable activities in the local area and having access to outdoor spaces for play) as one of its six policy priorities.
“So having a balance of activities where children are encouraged to spend time outdoors with family and friends is a key aspect of promoting good physical and mental health for our young people."
Laura Capell, MD of Sledge, producers of Bounce Festival, said, “More and more families now spend the entire summer break in the UK, which has led to a need for more affordable and activity led family days out. As experiential marketers and family specialists with 20 years of experience in the sector we identified this need and the outcome is Bounce Festival.
“As our survey has shown many children today spend more time in front of the TV and computers than their parents would like. We love entertainment and TV shows at Bounce Festival, but we also know how there are so many more things that children want to spend their time on when given the choice.
“We have listened to what the children really want and produced a fun, activity led, children focused festival, where art, craft, games, dance, nature and cooking are all equally important and will inspire activities for the rest of the holidays.”