The adventure wish list also includes horse riding, skateboarding, rock climbing and kayaking. Driving a car was the most popular choice among the 900 children, aged eight to 16 who were polled, with 23% expressing a desire to give it a go. While nearly one in 10 (8%) would like to learn life-saving survival skills, and 11% are daring enough to want to try skydiving.
The joy of trying something new (45%), having something to brag to friends about (25%) and seeing celebrities or influencers take on these challenges (16%) are among the reasons kids want to give them a go.
But 33% feel they don’t get the opportunity to push themselves as there’s nowhere close by to do them, and 26% let their nerves get the better of them.
The research, commissioned by PGL, also found 22% are yet to spend a night away from home without their parents, but 68% of the youngsters polled would like to.
Charlotte Haines, for the adventure holiday camps, which also created an online quiz for parents and their children to see just how adventurous they are, said: “It’s great being a kid – there’s so much more opportunity to try new things for the first time and get that rush of excitement from it.
“It’s clear from the results children want to be thrilled, with driving a car, quad biking and sailing a boat coming out as top activities they’d like to try, alongside other fun things like skiing and surfing. There is also an appetite for raft building and hiking, too.”
The study also found street dancing, abseiling and fencing are also among the activities kids would like to have a go at. As many as three quarters would like to try new activities, with 84% believing it’s important to learn new things or explore new hobbies.
And having fun (37%) is essential when doing so, along with getting active (11%), learning a new skill (13%) and spending time with friends or family (12%).
The research, conducted via OnePoll, also found 29% of youngsters prefer outdoor activities to inside ones, although 50% are happy either way.
It also emerged 65% will take part in outside challenges every week, with the perfect day consisting of three hours and 22 minutes of adventurous tasks.
When it comes to the summer holidays, 54% would like to spend more time out in the open than they usually do, with 74% getting bored during the six-week break.
Instead, 49% end up spending more time on electronic devices during this period, because their parents are working (36%) or there’s nothing else to do (30%).
Charlotte Haines, for PGL, added: “It can be such a challenge during the summer holidays to keep kids entertained while you try to work, and it’s never ideal using all your annual leave at this time. It’s important to keep kids active over this time so finding new and fun things to do is a great way to help with this.”
