Parents are skint and kids are whinging as summer holidays try family patience and pockets.
With August Bank Holiday ahead of us, yet nearly two weeks of the school holidays remaining, UK parents have already spent an additional £1.5* billion trying to entertain their kids – and now funds are running low. According to new research, Friday 24th August is officially “Fed Up Friday!” when over three quarters** (seventy eight per cent) of parents have spent all of their summer budget on entertaining, and they will have heard each of their children complaining of boredom an average of 2.5 times a day: that’s 17,000 complaints of boredom across the UK every minute or a massive 25 million kiddie whinges a day!
The research launched today by Morrisons also found that whilst many parents enjoy additional time with their children, they are feeling the pressure as the end of the month and the bank holiday draw near, with most having to wait another week until payday:
- Seventy four per cent admitted they are now ready for their kids to return to school
- Forty two per cent of parents are fed up of tidying after their offspring
- Twenty nine per cent are still worrying about finding activities for them to do
- Twenty two per cent are still worrying about the additional expense of the summer holidays
The survey also revealed that parents think it is easier to entertain the children if they have lots of money (thirty five per cent), with thirty six per cent finding it difficult to find free or low cost activities.
Previous research shows that parents expect to spend an additional £31.59 per child per week over the course of the summer holidays on food, entertainment, childcare and days
out, meaning that by today UK parents will have already paid out an additional £1.5billion keeping their kids quiet, which will rise to a massive £1.8billion by the end of the holidays.
Morrisons is continuing to tour the UK with the ‘M Savers Summer ‘Pop-Up’ Play Park' in partnership with Play England, the leading charity that promotes the importance of play, to help parents keep the kids entertained throughout the holidays. Calling in Preston this week, with additional events planned for Leeds, Birmingham and Huddersfield, the park is touring the country with free play ideas and creative activities.
Sonia Whiteley-Guest, Director of Brand Development at Morrisons, comments: “With two weeks of the summer holidays to go, purses are feeling the strain more than ever. We know that over three quarters of parents will have spent their school holiday budget by now but that shouldn’t mean the fun has to stop. We are passionate about delivering low-cost and fun solutions to families, and our Summer Play Parks are the perfect way to keep the kids entertained for free.”
Catherine Prisk, Director of Play England, said: “Parents can feel pressure to entertain their children, and to spend money on doing this. They often feel they are doing something wrong if their child says they are bored. There are plenty of ways children can entertain themselves for little or no cash, and without needing parents hovering over them all the time. So save yourself time and money and give children the gift of freedom to use their imagination, to do what they want to do and to make new friends and try out new skills.’
Visit www.morrisons.co.uk/msavers/summer to find a host of helpful information for parents to help continue to keep summer costs down. This includes a play map to find free play areas, step-by-step play guides of free and low cost games as well as easy to cook, low cost, nutritious M Savers summer-themed recipes from as little as 16p per head.
Source:
* Research conducted amongst 1,000 parents of school aged children (5-16) by OnePoll 27.07.12 – 30.07.12
** Parents are spending an average of £31.59 more per week per child on food, entertainment, child care and days out. Research conducted in conjunction with Morrisons amongst 1,662 users of Netmums, 02.07.12 – 15.07.12