Parents fork out an average of £400 per child on action-packed excursions throughout the summer holidays. A survey of 1,000 mums and dads of youngsters aged four to eight discovered 68% feel under pressure to take their little ones to see spectacular sights during their six weeks away from school.
Parents sacrifice treats for costly outings
Eight in ten parents are anticipating having to sacrifice treats for themselves in their mission to keep their children amused, with top luxuries they'll forgo including dining out, new clothing or accessories, and short breaks or weekend getaways.
However, the money spent frequently goes to waste, as 75% have regretted splashing the cash on an expensive sightseeing excursion or day at museums as their youngsters weren't genuinely interested in what they encountered. In total, this has led to the typical parent spending £232 on outings that their children were uninterested in.
Kids find wonder in free, mundane sights
Three quarters revealed their kids have experienced just as much amazement on a free ramble in the countryside as on a costly trip or activity. This fascination youngsters possess for things their parents wouldn't glance at twice may explain why 69% agreed if their child stopped highlighting everyday marvels, they would wonder if they were experiencing problems with their eyesight. For 20%, this would also be reason enough for them to book them in for an eye test.
Specsavers, which commissioned the research, has teamed up with TV adventurer, 11-year-old Aneeshwar Kunchala, to encourage families to go ‘Tightseeing’ – taking kids to see free mundane sights they find just as magical. They have also curated a crowdsourced map on Tightseeing.com from parents of the top free sights around the UK, where they won’t need to exit through an expensive gift shop, featuring a “Quite Tall Pointy Rock” in Bristol, “A Very Mossy Wall” in Yorkshire, and “Five Big Ole Logs” in North London.
Aneeshwar Kunchala said: "Nature, it's my favourite mundane sight. If it's a tree that looks like a stick man or a stump that looks like a drum set – as I like to call it, a stump-set – or anything in between, children can find wonder in everyday things."
Nature and animals top children's interests
A third of parents confirmed there is no correlation between the amount they spend and how much their child enjoys the activity. Kids are most captivated by anything featuring nature (35%), animals (32%), or water (25%). Parents also highlighted particular everyday 'marvels' their offspring delight in while appearing entirely ordinary to adults. Notable examples included the Greenwich foot tunnel under the river Thames, a local post box treated as a tiny adventure spot, and anywhere they can collect leaves and sticks as if they are treasures. Others described their children being entranced by hardware stores, garden centres, water fountains, automated car washes, or tiny streams near footpaths.
Jill Campbell, optometrist at Specsavers, said: "We know parents are feeling financially stretched so we want to remind them that children’s eye tests and glasses are free. You’ll be doing the best thing for their vision and eye health by helping them better spot everyday wonders around them, while also saving hundreds of pounds on often expensive sightseeing days out. It's not always easy to spot vision problems in children - a lack of interest in the everyday things they usually find fascinating can be a good clue. That’s why we recommend an eye test for children every two years, even if nothing seems wrong."
