Got Nothing Planned for Your Kids This Summer? You're Not Alone!
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"Daddy, I'm bored."
"Mommy, I want to DO something."
"Daddy, when can we GO somewhere."
It was only the second day of the long Memorial Day weekend and my 10-year-old was already feeling antsy. And it's not like he was just sitting around cooped up in the house, mind you—at the time he uttered all three of these statements, he was actually sitting on the beach with his feet in the sand!
But for a kid who's used to a daily schedule that involves leaving for school at 8:30 a.m. and not returning home until after his last after-school activity sometime around 7:00 at night, I get why he may suddenly be feeling a little restless.
Turns out, he's probably not the only one. Because according to a survey of 1,000 parents by Groupon, the majority of us parents have no activities planned for our kids once they're out of school this year. In fact, while 99 percent of the parents surveyed said they wanted to do something fun and exciting with their kids over the summer, a whopping 57 percent of them said they had absolutely nothing planned yet at all.
Uh-oh.
They do, however, have a pretty clear idea of what they'd like their summer vacay with their kids to look like: According to the survey, it would include six barbecue dinners or dinner out, five movie or beach outings, and two overseas trips (the Bahamas and Australia were the top two dream destinations).
Courtesy Groupon
Hold up. Two overseas trips? That kind of entertainment doesn't come cheap. In fact, the parents questioned put the estimated combined total price tag at somewhere around $43,154.87. Yikes!
And that, of course, is where group buying sites like Groupon that offer daily deals come in.
"Many parents aren't aware of the number of affordable local activities they can do with their children over the summer months," said Groupon's Greg Rudin. "By taking full advantage of the amazing things to do around their neighborhood, building long-lasting family memories can be done on just about any budget."
To that end, the company found that less-expensive-but-still-popular activities include a day at the beach—which was considered the top family activity—followed by visiting an amusement/water park and having a classic backyard cookout.
The survey also found that parents said their kids were 18 times more likely to benefit from an experience throughout their entire lifetime than a toy.
"Research has shown that people increasingly value experiences over material things, especially with friends and family," Rudin explained. "Now is the perfect time to get out there and create those memories by trying something new that you've always wanted to do together."
Then again, you could always do what we do and send your kids off to sleepaway camp for the summer!
Hollee Actman Becker is a freelance writer, blogger, and a mom. Check out her website holleeactmanbecker.com for more, and then follow her on twitter at @holleewoodworld.
