PARENTS spend an average of £166 keeping children entertained over the half-term holidays, a survey has found.

Sixty-three per cent of families in the UK will fork out the money for extra food, while 26 per cent will feel pressured to pay for their children to take part in expensive activities such as holiday camps or childcare.

Around 46 per cent spend extra money on transport while 59 per cent of parents will be taking their children to theme parks and 42 per cent will pay for cinema tickets, the study by The Brave Bones Club found.

A number of cheap or free activities recommended during half-term including going to the park, playing ball, looking for wildlife on nature trails, building a den and preparing a vegetable patch.