When research of 1,500 parents resulted in a list of the top 20 budget-savvy ways to entertain kids that put camping in the garden at number ten, we thought a camping trip could be a great backdrop to the other activities. After all, pitching up in a caravan or motorhome and playing pooh sticks go hand-in-hand when it comes to lots of people’s childhood memories.
According to Boundless, which commissioned the research, 56 per cent of parents recommend going on picnics, 45 per cent champion playing board games and 42 per cent are in favour of bike rides. It’s already reading like the itinerary for a great camping trip, with looking for shells on the beach, berry picking and climbing trees all also appealing options.
Some of the activities listed, such as swimming in lakes, are not easily accessible to those who live in an urban setting and a trip away offers the perfect opportunity to give them a go. In fact, nature is a great provider of fun ways to keep the children entertained, whether it’s making daisy chains or concocting perfume out of petals.
That’s until it rains, of course, then doing jigsaws and playing cards are the stuff that family caravan trips in Britain are made of. Anyone who camped as a child will have memories of sitting around the table while raindrops made their way down the window panes, being glad to be cosy indoors.
Darren Milton from Boundless said: “The research shows that British parents are having to scale back some of their summer holiday activities this year, embracing old-fashioned pastimes such as berry picking and tree climbing.”
The research also suggested kids complain of being bored an average 21 times a day during the school summer holidays. When combined with 82 per cent of Brits thinking of savvier ways to keep their kids engaged this summer, it’s time to get creative.
Some 56 per cent of parents said they were going to forgo eating in restaurants, while days out at theme parks were being cut by 55 per cent of those surveyed. Trips to the cinema were out of the question for 48 per cent of families and visiting zoos or safari parks were no longer on the agenda for 47 per cent.
Many of these activities can be adapted and reproduced in a fun way on a caravan trip. We’re talking about cooking up a storm on the barbecue and eating al fresco; getting hold of a smartphone projector and a sheet to watch films as a family; and petting animals at a local farm close to a rural campsite.
Photo credit: Pexels/Kampus Production
