How often do you take the kids out for fun?

[Dandelionplease]

How often do you take the kids out for fun?

Pretty much every weekend day. If we are not out doing something, it's usually because we have visitors at home.

Last weekend it was a 5th birthday party followed by a bbq with a few other families on Saturday and a trip to the local children's farm with a couple of other children and their parents on Sunday. That's fairly typical. It's generally easier to have our daughter out and busy than at home and bored.

Most weekends this time of year. Less so in the winter.

All the time - every day, but DS’ idea of fun can be sainsburys cafe.

A typical week would be : mon trampolining, tues park/paddling pool, weds out with grandad (always somewhere like a big play centre, legoland (with voucher), interactive museum or something. Kids alternate going each week), Thursday and fri nursery but often stop off at garden centre or park on way home. Sat and sun usually go swimming, forest, park, arboretum etc

All these things (except Wednesday) are over in about an hour and a lot of them are free (try and have a couple of no-spend days each week) so they have loads of time to be bored and I don’t feel too overindulgent.

It will all change in sept when the eldest starts school! 😭

Pre-school - every day

Primary school age - at least 1 day of the weekend (generally both) and maybe a couple of times during the week

Secondary school age - we try to have a family activity out once a month (they take themselves out rather more frequently!)

At least one day at the weekend, but often both weekend days. In the winter we'd go to soft play, indoor climbing, swimming, cinema, zoo, park or farm. In summer there's more tendency to National Trust places as well as the above and perhaps 2 or 3 theme park trips a year. We also love UK holidays which tend to incorporate all the above activities plus beach days. We rarely eat out although we have a few informal cafes and good old McDonald's nearby where we might eat once a fortnight.

I usually take them out one night a week after school too, usually to the park but tjis week we went strawberry picking and for tea.

It's pretty much the best thing about having kids imo - I'm not into making memories or quality time but quantity time pottering about on low key days out is great fun.

My dd’s do spirts/gymnastics etc a couple of times during the week but I’d not class that as ‘fun’.

Their df has them eow and is a lazy sod, he sticks them in front of their kindles all day and only takes them out if it’s something to do with his hobby, so I try and make the weekend I have them, all about them. So I will try and do at least something on each weekend day. Swimming, cinema or we have yearly passes to our local theme park which we use regularly ...

When mine were younger it was parks or a walk on the beach every weekend. There was no time for anything after school once I'd got in from work so they played out in the street with friends on the light nights. During the holidays it would be the cinema once a week and then parks or trips out to countryside, maybe a museum or stately home. The walks continued until they were well into their teens. It was just to get us all out of the house and to kill time. I didn't have much money so we did cheap things most of the time that just cost petrol. They did complain a bit as they got older but I just ignored them

When I was little the Saturday shopping trip was something I loved going along to!

We went to a food festival the other week, does that count? We rarely go anywhere tbh because we have very little money, my eldest struggles at the park and the youngest hates woodland walks! Every few months we go to an English Heritage place or something though but the kids enjoy that less and less!

I mean struggle to get out as dont want to go, but then happy when out.

Every weekend without fail. Not always anything extravagant, sometimes just the local national trust site or a museum. Went to see Toy story 4 yesterday though which was pretty great (I was more excited than them ).

Pink- toy story really upset me st the end lol.

We go out every day.
Most days, it's to the park, or a walk in the woods, or a wander along the beach.
Once a week or so we'll head to a garden centre to see the fish and have a coffee and cake, or soft play, or something cheap ish like that.
More expensive trips (sea life centre, zoo, farm park, etc) is much less often, 2 or 3 times a year or so, normally during holidays.
Last summer, we had financial issues, so spent the entire school holidays out and about doing free stuff. All it cost was diesel and packed lunches. And we were probably out 5 days a week, the other 2 days would be to a local (walking distance) park.

Saturday we went to a local country park to feed the ducks and see the squirrels. Yesterday was a walk in the woods, with a picnic on the bench (in the rain...). Today, we've been to the shop, baked some cakes, and after lunch we're going to walk to the local caravan park to have a play in the park (about a mile away).
If we don't get out, the dc start bickering, they make a mess, and eat me out of house and home. We're all much happier once we've been out for a couple of hours.

Once or twice a week is standard but this involves anything from big day out in the city (museums, ice cream...) to just going to our nearby nice park for a couple of hours (we have a garden for everyday after school play). In holiday time we go out more, perhaps 3-4 times a week. Things like the cinema/trampoline park etc are rare, we can’t splurge a lot on leisure activities.

BUT: DS does not have any extra-curriculars, so I feel this once-a-week in school time isn’t enough, really, especially as we hate being cooped up.

DS is 5.
We do something every Saturday that's free/cheap if we're at home.
Sundays we swim together then have lunch out.
DS isn't interested in after school things apart from his swimming lessons, so we try to make sure we're out at the weekend.

DD is 3 so everyday but honestly she thinks going to the tip is fun...

Everyday after school we do something and at the weekends. Can't stand being stuck in the house.

dont want to go, but then happy when out.

DD1 is definitely in this category! We have to twist her arm but she does enjoy it once out.

TBH we have to take ours out every non school day or they start climbing the walls and coming up with daft (dangerous or destructive) stuff to do in the house. Also they have weekend clubs, dance on Saturday, swimming on Sunday so they always get out at least once for those.

We don’t do many “big days out” though, partly due to the clubs, partly as we’ve got jobs to do and the DC need a bit of quiet time after their school week.

3 year old every day, though nothing like the 6 hours a day he should get . The 11 year old has 2 evenings a week out on top of hobbies. The 13 year old is a big worry as often refuses to do much and probably only get out with friends or us 3 times a week. A real failure on our part. . It's something I am most uncomfortable about in our lifestyle, how little time we have out.

We get out most days. Often they don’t want to. I try and warn them in advance and give a choice, so ‘we’ll have lunch and then go out, would you rather go to the woods or the beach?’
If that doesn’t work they get told they are going out.
If that doesn’t work I threaten loss of iPad time.

So, at that age it was park every day after school. Both days most weekends and 5or 6 days per week in the school holidays. But not really expensive stuff all of the time. Lots of meeting up with friends. Some going out as a family exploring/getting muddy/ geocaching/ we live in London now so there's quite a lot of variety.
She is often not enthusiastic about the idea of going out (glued to iPad given the chance) but once out doing the thing she glowed and said 'this is fun, can we go it again?!'

Once a fortnight? Mine are all at school and I am working so they have clubs/swimming etc which aren't really taking them out but keep them busy. They are exhausted on a weekend and want to play with their toys and with each other, watch tv, play on devices (not allowed during the week) and we chuck them out in the garden and take the dog for a walk. By the time we have done that and homework there's not always time for much else and it can actually be too much as they get overtired. And we can't afford meals out and trips out - but I don't feel they are missing out that much as they are so busy all weekend and have friend nearby who they sometimes pop in to see.

Over the spring and summer months most weekends and holidays. I’m a teacher so am off for the holidays and look after my kids. It’s a long holiday if you don’t go out. They have activities during the week and a 1 hour class on a Sunday lunch time. We have English heritage and national trust membership so we can do mostly free days with a picnic. They also have blue Peter badges. We go geocaching and don’t live far from the beach and plenty parks. I find the kids fight if we stay in. One of my children loves to be busy so watching a film means she needs to be doing crafting or building at the same time. The other child will sit and watch TV all day if she was allowed but it makes her grumpy. They don’t play out much as there are no other kids on our street and the park is too far. When they do take a skipping rope or ball out to play they’re usually back in within about 10 minutes. The days we do stay in are very long days. Even in the winter we can find free things to go to indoors.

my son is 8 and we go out every week-end. Could be for an hour or longer but there is no way we are both staying in the flat all day long.

Depends what you class as fun. I take DS to a play gym and story time at the library once a week and we go out each weekend, sometimes just to the park but otter times theme parks, aquariums etc.