By Grant Bailey
Parents beware – the average child will utter their first ‘I’m bored …’ just TEN DAYS into the summer holidays.
Researchers who carried out a detailed study found while the majority of the nation’s school children are longing for the six-week break to begin, they will soon ‘run out of things to do’.
Even more worryingly is the fact that once the kids hit the boredom breaking point, parents can expect to hear the dreaded moan up to FOUR times every day.
It also emerged more than half of parents reckon their children will start to look forward to going back to start a new school year around halfway through their time off.
Furthermore the study also revealed the most popular replies for long-suffering mums and dads, with: “But you’ve got loads of toys’ coming top.
“If you’re so bored you can always help with the chores”, “Go and amuse yourself”, and “When I was your age I had a lot less, and I managed”, are also favourites.
Overall seven in ten parents said they find it difficult to keep their kids entertained through the school summer break.
The research was carried out by Nick Jr. to highlight the channel’s summer ‘Make It and Bake It’ campaign, which encourages kids to bake cakes and treats, the best of which will be shown on the channel’s most popular shows.
Virginia Monaghan, VP Creative, Marketing and Communications, Nickelodeon UK & Ireland, who commissioned the study for Nick Jr., said: “The school summer holidays can seem endless and full of possibilities when you are younger.
“In reality, staying entertained for such a stretch of time can be a challenge and parents will need to get their thinking caps on for activities if they are to keep their kids busy through the seven-week break.”
The national survey, by OnePoll.com, also uncovered the top 50 ways to keep your kids entertained in the summer months.
Family days out came out as the number one distraction for restless youngsters, followed by watching TV as a family, and a visit to the cinema together.
Forty eight per cent of parents occupy their kids with a bit of messy home baking, while one in two play video games as a family.
Just over a third sit down to play board games together.
To break up the summer, 71 per cent of parents make sure they go away on holiday with their kids for an average of ten days across the break.
When their child tells them they are stuck for things to do, 37 per cent of parents suggest that they do their chores to occupy their time, and a quarter will tell them to tidy their room.
As kids near a loose end, two thirds are likely to moan to mum and dad about their situation, and 17 per cent have thrown tantrums in frustration.
Virginia Monaghan added: “We know shared family time is important to both kids and parents, regardless of the season.
‘’As kids look for more to do in the summer to keep them occupied, a fun family-based activity can keep kids entertained while providing a valuable shared experience.”
“Baking is fun, creative and just messy enough to be enjoyable for almost every kid.
‘’Or why not get crafty with the PVA glue and glitter and start a project together, whether it’s creating something new or building a character from a favourite TV show?”
* Nick Jr.’s Make It and Bake It runs on Nick Jr. and NickJr.co.uk until 30th July. Featuring crafts and bakes inspired by Nick Jr.’s biggest shows such as PAW Patrol, Blaze and the Monster Machines, Rusty Rivets and Nella the Princess Knight, Make It and Bake It provides a resource for families looking for fun activities to take on across the summer holidays.
* Nick Jr. are also looking for the UK’s best makers and bakers from across the country. Families can win a Nick Jr. goody bag and have their culinary or crafty creation shown on Nick Jr. To find out more about Nick Jr.’s Make It and Bake It activities and the competition families should visit http://www.nickjr.co.uk/make/.
MOST POPULAR THINGS PARENTS SAY TO BORED KIDS:
‘But you’ve got loads of toys’
‘If you’re so bored you can always help with the chores!’
‘Go and amuse yourself’
‘When I was your age I had a lot less and I managed’
‘Tidy your room’
‘You don’t know how lucky you are’
‘Can’t you go and see your friends?’
‘We’ll go and see your grandparents, then?’
TOP 50 ACTIVITIES TO KEEP KIDS ENTERTAINED THIS SUMMER:
1. Take them on family days out
2. Watching TV/movies
3. Cinema
4. The beach
5. Swimming
6. The park/Play park
7. Computer games
8. Cooking/baking together
9. Outdoor walks
10. Playing with them in the garden
11. Play time with their toys
12. A play date with their friends
13. Board games
14. Read a book
15. Bike ride
16. Arts and craft at home
17. Take them to a theme park
18. Museums/Galleries
19. Go sightseeing
20. Take photos
21. The library
22. Gardening
23. Visit a fair
24. Jigsaw puzzle
25. Bowling
26. Camping
27. Fruit picking
28. Build a den
29. Go to the arcade
30. Sports clubs
31. Play dress-up
32. Fly a kite
33. Play group
34. The theatre
35. Bug hunting
36. DIY
37. Draw pavement art
38. Youth club
39. Roller-skating
40. Bird watching
41. Writing stories/poetry
42. Organise a treasure hunt
43. Take them to a music festival
44. Stargazing
45. Plant a tree
46. Play parlour games
47. Sailing/Kayaking
48. Flower pressing
49. Teach them a magic trick
50. Watch a Punch and Judy show
ENDS
jQuery(document).ready(function($) {
// We only want these styles applied when javascript is enabled
$(‘.gal_content’).css(‘display’, ‘block’);
// Initialize Advanced Galleriffic Gallery
var gallery = $(‘#thumbs_21738_1’).galleriffic({
delay: 3500,
numThumbs: 12,
preloadAhead: 12,
enableTopPager: false,
enableBottomPager: false,
imageContainerSel: ‘#slideshow_21738_1’,
controlsContainerSel: ‘#controls_21738_1’,
captionContainerSel: ‘#caption_21738_1’,
loadingContainerSel: ‘#loading_21738_1’,
renderSSControls: true,
renderNavControls: false,
playLinkText: ‘Play Slideshow’,
pauseLinkText: ‘Pause Slideshow’,
enableHistory: 0,
autoStart: 0,
enableKeyboardNavigation: true,
syncTransitions: false,
defaultTransitionDuration: 300,
onTransitionOut: function(slide, caption, isSync, callback) {
slide.fadeTo(this.getDefaultTransitionDuration(isSync), 0.0, callback);
caption.fadeTo(this.getDefaultTransitionDuration(isSync), 0.0);
},
onTransitionIn: function(slide, caption, isSync) {
var duration = this.getDefaultTransitionDuration(isSync);
slide.fadeTo(duration, 1.0);
// Position the caption at the bottom of the image and set its opacity
var slideImage = slide.find(‘img’);
caption.fadeTo(duration, 1.0);
},
onPageTransitionOut: function(callback) {
//this.hide();
setTimeout(callback, 100); // wait a bit
},
onPageTransitionIn: function() {
var prevPageLink = this.find(‘a.prev’).css({‘opacity’: ‘0.3’ , ‘display’ : ‘inline-block’, ‘cursor’ : ‘default’});
var nextPageLink = this.find(‘a.next’).css({‘opacity’: ‘0.3’ , ‘display’ : ‘inline-block’, ‘cursor’ : ‘default’});
// Show appropriate next / prev page links
if (this.displayedPage > 0)
prevPageLink.css({‘opacity’ : ‘1’ , ‘display’ : ‘inline-block’, ‘cursor’ : ‘pointer’});
var lastPage = this.getNumPages() – 1;
if (this.displayedPage < lastPage)
nextPageLink.css({'opacity' : '1' , 'display' : 'inline-block', 'cursor' : 'pointer'});
this.fadeTo('fast', 1.0);
}
});
/**************** Event handlers for custom next / prev page links **********************/
gallery.find('a.prev').click(function(e) {
gallery.previousPage();
e.preventDefault();
});
gallery.find('a.next').click(function(e) {
gallery.nextPage();
e.preventDefault();
});
});
