The exact date your kids will reach peak boredom this summer holidays – and how to entertain them for FREE

CHILDREN on school summer holidays will reach peak boredom by August 1st, according to research.

A study, of 1,000 parents with school-aged kids, found 55 per cent feel overwhelmed at the prospect of keeping their little ones entertained for six long weeks.

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children will start complaining of their boredom soon[/caption]

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Screen time is expected to rocket in the six week break[/caption]

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Parents are expected to spend hundreds during the six weeks to keep their kids entertained[/caption]

And 63 per cent admitted to struggling to think of educational yet entertaining activities to do as a family.

While kids will complain five times a week about being bored when school is out – a total of 30 times overall across the six-week break.

Ben Drury, from Yoto Mini – audio players kids control without using a screen at home and on the go – which commissioned the research, said: “The holidays are fun but can also be tricky, particularly for parents.

“Children are naturally inquisitive and have a desire for constant engagement, which is fantastic, but for busy parents can make things anything but straightforward.

“And with more trips happening during the break, with longer drives and traffic, it’s a time that will mean kids will be complaining about being bored more.

“So, it’s really important to find a solution to that before it happens to keep everyone happy.”

A third of the parents polled said their child’s desire for screen time was a barrier faced in the holidays.

Meanwhile, 68 per cent admit they’ll be having more of it than in term time.

An average day during a school week would amount to 88 minutes on a screen, but this rises to 127 minutes – more than two hours – in the holidays.

Activities parents rely on most during the summer break to keep children occupied included outdoor walks and trips, watching films on the telly and reading books.

While 44 per cent would head to the cinema, and 43 per cent allow their children to play computer games.

But parents reckon they’ll spend an average of £312 this summer keeping their kids entertained, visiting five different attractions.

It also emerged long car journeys were most likely to lead to bored children, followed by quiet days and shopping trips.

And despite 61 per cent claiming their child would be engaged listening to their favourite stories in audio form, only 19 per cent do so frequently.

Yoto has an audio catalogue of more than 1,000 titles, including stories, songs, activities and podcasts from Disney/Pixar and Marvel, to The Beatles and Roald Dahl,

The company’s CEO, Ben Drury added: “The summer holidays can be quite costly as it is, and not everyone has the money to pay for endless day trips.

“And with the break feeling a little long at times, the research has shown screen time does rise as a quick way to keep the kids happy.

“With the unpredictability of the British weather, or the long car journeys that are typically associated with trips in school holidays.

“The best way to keep kids from boredom is to unlock their imaginations.

“A great way to do this is to listen to stories and music – this enables them to remain fully entertained without being glued to a screen.”