It takes this many minutes for the average American kid to get bored

A new survey has found the average parent has to come up with four new activities daily to keep their children entertained.

The poll of 2,000 U.S. parents found four in 10 parents always or often struggle to find ideas to keep their kids entertained.

And while most parents believe their children have active imaginations, the average kid gets bored in just 33 minutes and 47% of children quickly become bored with what they’re doing.

A third (35%) of parents said they feel stressed about finding new ideas for their kids as a result.

Commissioned by Elmer’s and conducted by OnePoll, the study revealed 81% of parents have found their children are always looking for something to do when they come home from school or daycare.

Parents shared that, outside of the classroom, their kids are more likely to watch TV (80%) than to play with toys (67%). Many also said their kids like to play with siblings and friends after class (62%) or play with playsets (35%).

Over half (58%) are concerned about the amount of time their kids spend in front of a screen. The average kid reportedly spends 13 hours in front of a screen per week.

Other kids were found to prefer more hands-on play: 64% of parents said their children like to draw and color after school, alongside doing arts and crafts (46%) or sensory play (36%).

Four in five parents (81%) said their children prefer hands-on activities away from the screen.

Parents reported their kids felt happier when crafting than when having screen time (71%, compared to 55%). They were also found to be more satisfied (57%, compared to 50%) and less bored (6%, compared to 15%).

“Kids are spending a lot of time in front of screens, either for school or for fun after school. But it’s clear that their screen time isn’t filling the boredom that many are experiencing,” said Nikki Lesperance, Brand Marketing Director at Elmer’s. “We are big believers in offering kids a more hands-on approach to creativity, and the findings show the immediate benefits hands-on play and creative activities have for parents and kids alike.”

Results also found 85% of children often or always have the time to explore their creativity, though 89% of parents wish they had even more time with their kids to explore creativity together.

And for the kids that don’t have as much time, parents encourage their kids to explore creativity more often by doing arts and crafts with them (64%), letting them have more time to play outside (62%) and offering them books to read (50%).

Most parents (93%) find it important that their children are involved in productive forms of play that encourage mental and emotional development, even when they’re not in a classroom.

Likewise, 96% believe hands-on or sensory play is an important part of their child’s brain development, along with being an important contributor to their creativity (95%), confidence (94%), social skills (93%) and critical thinking skills (95%).

Nine in 10 (91%) believe it’s important that their children's activities outside of the classroom still encourage learning.

“Of course, it’s not surprising that parents want to spend more time with their children to explore creativity together,” continued Nikki Lesperance. “But it is still incredibly important and reassuring that parents know the contributing benefits creative play has for their children’s development and social skills.”

TOP WAYS PARENTS ENCOURAGE THEIR CHILDREN TO EXPLORE CREATIVITY

• Do arts and crafts with them - 64%
• Let them have more time to play outside - 62%
• Offer them books to read - 50%
• Encourage them to have playdates with friends - 40%

Survey methodology:

This random double-opt-in survey of 2,000 American parents of children aged 3 to 12 was commissioned by Elmer’s Products, Inc. between Mar. 6 and Mar. 12, 2024. It was conducted by market research company OnePoll, whose team members are members of the Market Research Society and have corporate membership to the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) and the European Society for Opinion and Marketing Research (ESOMAR).