Parents on average spend £4800 entertaining their kids each year!

 Parents on average spend….

A Forestry Commission study has revealed that in the average family, parents spend nearly £4,800[1] (£4,762.66) each year on keeping their children entertained.

 Nearly half (48%) admitted they dread the cost of occupying their children each summer, when the costs of entertaining them rises by nearly £60 (£59.96) each week compared to during term time.

Parents on average spend

If the cost of family holidays is factored in, when the average British family takes two holidays per year, this rises to an average of nearly £630 (£626.50) per month or a total of £7,500 (£7,517.84)a year.

Flipping heck!

The Forestry Commission is urging parents to look to their local forests as a one stop shop for all kinds of exciting activities rather than spending so much money on ‘stuff’ to entertain their kids.

Are you thinking you don’t live anywhere near a forest?

Half of the population of England live just six miles from the nearest forest and the Forestry Commission wants more people to enjoy them

Josephine Lavelle from the Forestry Commission said: ‘A forest is one place that combines all the fun of an adventure park, wildlife attraction, science centre and art gallery where admission for all is free* – your local forest. 

“It is concerning to see that so many parents dread the prospect of financing their children’s entertainment through the summer holidays and it doesn’t have to be this way.

 

“A day out to one of the Forestry Commission sites makes the most of the summer holiday without breaking the bank as forests can be visited again and again and enjoyed in a variety of ways such as playing outdoors, climbing trees, enjoying bike rides, exploring nature and using their imagination.”

 

The survey also revealed that 78% of parents felt guilty for not having as much time as they would like with their children and 45% said they would find it difficult thinking of ways to keep their child entertained.

The Forestry Commission’s Discovery Pass, which offers generous discounts on parking, shopping and activities, along with a seasonal e-newsletter packed with forest news and events

* Forestry Commission sites are free to visit but parking charges may apply at different locations.

 


[1] From Forestry Commission Cost of Entertaining Survey 2013. Calculated by adding the amount spent by parents on activities each month to the 29% per week additional spend over the six week break plus two visits per year to attractions, where the average cost for a family of four is £142.56

Follow:
Share:

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.