4Children: Third of children have never had family day out

One in three children has never experienced a traditional family day out because they are too expensive, according to a 4Children survey published today.

The charity collected the experiences of 300 children via children’s centres, schools and youth clubs, to produce the snapshot of family summer holidays.

The results, published to coincide with its Shout Out 4Children week, suggests typical day-trip venues such as theme parks or the theatre are prohibitively expensive for many families, costing upwards of a £100 for a family of five.

The survey also found that 34% of children had never been abroad, 37% had never been to the theatre and 10% had not been on any kind of family outing in the past 12 months.

4Children chief executive Anne Longfield said: “The difference in school holiday experiences between poor and more affluent families is vast. Leisure resorts and theme parks need to provide more deals and vouchers for families who otherwise would not be able to visit. This would go a long way towards reducing the pressure on parents and helping more children to have summer holidays they can remember fondly later in life.”

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