Parents are spending an average of £975 entertaining their kids over the summer holidays , new research has shown.
Cadbury Mini Bites surveyed 2,000 parents via an online poll in August 2019, and produced some fascinating findings.
The research showed that 68 per cent of parents feel guilty about not spending enough time with their children during the school holidays, while a third struggle to think of ways to entertain the kids - factors which see them splashing out on expensive activities.
Social media also seems to play a part in the large price tag attached to summer holidays, as a fifth of parents feel pressured to keep up with others they see online, the research suggests.
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In the North West, the cinema was found to be the most popular school holiday activity, with parents spending an average of £942 entertaining their kids - £33 less than the national average.
If you divide that total cost by six weeks, it works out at an average of £157 per week.
But despite the large costs involved, the research found that kids can often prefer the more simple things in life when it comes to the school break - so it doesn't need to cost the earth.
33% of respondents said that their children would most prefer a picnic, while 29% preferred a kickabout in the park.
Speaking about the findings, Katie Saxon, a spokesperson for Cadbury said: "The summer holidays can be a long and demanding period for many parents, with many feeling the pressures to balance work and family and come up with creative ways to entertain the kids.
"However, our research has shown that 52% of children are happy simply spending time at home with the family and that spreading joy can be super simple.
"In fact, it can be as easy as picking up their favourite snacks from the supermarket and enjoying a family night in or picnic, as over a fifth of respondents admitted their kids enjoy this activity."
