The long school summer holiday is almost upon us... and what is your child going to be doing to keep themselves occupied over the coming weeks?
Parenting on Female First
New research has revealed that anxiety levels of modern parents are on the up, with the worry of how to keep kids occupied both mentally and physically ever more present.
The study by Sphero, leaders in connected play, reveals that nearly two thirds (64%) of parents are worried about what to do with the kids in the holidays, and nearly a fifth (19%) admit that they are more stressed out than during term time.
The good news is that parents revealed that when the weather is sunny, the majority of British children (55%) are spending between 1 and 4 hours outside! General play (67%) and sports (48%) topped the list of planned outdoor activities with the family over the holidays. However 71% are unlikely to go out for more than an hour when the traditional summer rain arrives, and just under a third (32%) of children spend no time outside at all.
The study found that almost two thirds of parents (64%) feel that technology, such as iPads, if used in the appropriate way and for the right amount of time, are a good way of entertaining kids at home.
Matt Carter, Managing Director EMEA from Sphero said: "Keeping kids occupied in the school holidays is a perennial parent problem. And how to get the right balance is a challenge. It is interesting to see that parents agree a good mix of exercise and mental stimulation can be supplemented by the right use of technology, even when the 'Great British' weather does its worst!"
Perhaps unsurprisingly, over a third (44%) of parents also admit it is hard to engage children in educational play during the holidays, but feel like a better parent if their children learn during the break.
Given the government changes in the school curriculum last year to incorporate coding, over half (52%) of parents would like to improve their children's problem solving - with more Dads than Mums being keen to develop their children's coding skills.
Matt continued: "With technology today education can be really entertaining, kids don't need to be nagged into doing something that actually helps them learn new skills such as coding. So parent anxiety over this should reduce in years to come!"
Tagged in Parenting