A week packed with after school activities is leaving Aussie kids craving more free time with family, according to a new report released by IKEA.
The Time to Live Report shows families are losing the art of being spontaneous -with 43% of Aussie teens and parents saying, they haven’t done anything spontaneous with their spare time in the last month.
However, the research also showed that more than half of teens and parents surveyed admitted they feel anxious when presented with free time.
Rebecca Darley, IKEA Australia Country Marketing Manager says: “In this busy day and age where opportunities for families are rife, routines are necessary and expected, so I’m not surprised to see that the findings are telling us that we need to be more spontaneous.
“The good news for Aussie parents is that their children are not after big ticket activities to keep them entertained, with over a third of teens revealing they would ditch shopping, going to a concert or playing video or computer games, to hang out with their family doing something they’ve never done before,” said Darley.
Findings from the research also show 90% of children want more family time and will happily do household chores in order to spend more time with their parents.
52% of teens would cook dinner with their parents as an excuse to have a chat, 48% would go grocery shopping, and one in four would empty the bins if it meant a little extra time with their folks.
Similarly, two thirds of 6-11 year olds would help tidy up their room and put their toys away. Almost one in four would also take out the rubbish for more family time.
Children are also concerned about the impact their family schedule has on their parents.
Half of all 6-11 year olds want their mum and dad to have more fun together, without having to worry about the next activity in the schedule.
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