8/27/2014
The Cost of Kids’ Boredom
Ann-Marie Vazzano
Gone are the days of simply sending the kids outside to play, at least for many parents. According to a study from American Express, moms and dads spent an average of $958 this summer keeping kids entertained. That’s an increase of 12% over last year and a whopping 59% increase over 2012.
Day trips were the biggest activity for families—77% of respondents with children under 18 planned a day outing. These excursions were expected to cost $292 on average. Nearly half (48%) of kids participated in sports activities, costing $187 on average, and more than 40% of parents dropped coin on pool/club memberships this summer ($132). Another 37% signed their kids up for arts or education programming.
But summer’s not all fun and games for kids. Nearly all (98%) of parents assigned chores to their kids this summer.
GP