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Parents planning up to 48 activities a day for children during summer - but experts say don't bother

Parents planning up to 48 activities a day for children during summer - but experts say don't bother

Children may get bored during the summer holidays, but an educational psychologist says that’s no bad thing.

High angle view of cheerful siblings spending leisure time while lying down on grass in back yard

Getty/Klaus Vedfelt

MadeForMums

Published: August 19, 2026 at 11:35 AM

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Parents are facing the prospect of keeping their children entertained for up to 630 hours during the six-week summer holidays, according to new research from Smyths Toys Superstores.

And while that might sound like a summer-long activity marathon, there’s reassuring news for parents who are already running out of ideas: children being bored isn’t necessarily a problem.

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Research shared by Smyths suggests children aged three to five may move on from an activity after around 16 minutes on average, meaning parents could potentially find themselves thinking up as many as 48 activities in a single day. For six to eight-year-olds, the figure is around 31 activities, while nine to 11-year-olds may need around 22.

But Dr Jemma Anderson, Chartered Educational Psychologist and founder of Perceptive, says parents don’t need to feel responsible for filling every spare minute.

Why boredom can actually be good for children

Dr Anderson says that children who are accustomed to the structure of school can find long stretches of unplanned time difficult at first, but boredom can give them space to develop important skills.

Dr Anderson said, "Children who are used to the routine of school can find themselves with long stretches of unstructured time during the summer holidays. But boredom isn't something parents need to eliminate. It encourages children to develop creativity, problem-solving skills and independence. Rather than filling every minute, parents should focus on providing opportunities and inspiration so children can direct more of their own play."

The key is not necessarily to leave children with absolutely nothing to do, but to give them opportunities and the freedom to decide what happens next.

Boredom isn't something parents need to eliminate. It encourages children to develop creativity, problem-solving skills and independence.

Dr Jemma Anderson, Chartered Educational Psychologist and founder of Perceptive

The simple PLAY formula for summer

To help families take the pressure off, Smyths has teamed up with Dr Anderson on a framework called the PLAY Formula. It encourages families to build a mixture of active, creative, independent and social play into their holidays.

P - Physical activity: Movement can help children regulate emotions, improve coordination and burn off energy, while creating a natural rhythm to the day.
L - Learning through play: Creative, imaginative and hands-on activities can encourage curiosity, problem-solving and confidence without feeling like formal learning.
A - Autonomous play: Giving children the chance to choose and direct their own play can support independence, resilience and creativity.
Y - Your people: Time with parents, siblings, friends and wider family can help children build relationships, communication skills and happy summer memories.

How to make summer play work at different ages

Ages 3 to 5

Younger children may flit between activities quickly, so there’s little point expecting one game or toy to keep them occupied for hours.

Open-ended play can be particularly useful at this age because children can change the story as their imagination develops. A play kitchen, for example, could become a café one minute and a restaurant the next, while creative activities such as drawing give children another way to invent their own ideas.

Ages 6 to 8

As children become more independent, parents can start giving them choices rather than creating a minute-by-minute schedule.

Creative challenges, building activities and games that involve movement can all offer opportunities for children to decide how they want to play. The aim is to give them enough inspiration to get started, then allow them to take ownership.

Ages 9 to 11

Older children are increasingly capable of entertaining themselves, meaning parents can take a step back from organising every activity.

Self-directed activities can give them the freedom to explore interests, practise new skills and work out what they enjoy. Family games and activities with friends can then provide a change of pace when they’re ready to be sociable.

So, do you really need 48 summer holiday activities?

Thankfully, no. The 48-activity figure is an estimate based on children’s potential play engagement windows, rather than a parenting target to hit.

Smyths calculated the number of possible play moments by converting estimated waking hours over the six-week holiday into minutes and dividing this by typical play engagement windows for different age groups.

In other words, it’s a reminder of just how much unstructured time children can have during the summer, rather than a suggestion that parents should become full-time entertainment directors.

A little boredom could be exactly what gives children the chance to come up with their own ideas. And for parents, that might mean one less thing to feel guilty about when the familiar "I’m bored" inevitably arrives.

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