What kids really want - pools, movies and animal visits make the perfect day out

A survey of 1,000 children aged between six and thirteen revealed that swimming, watching a film at the cinema, and visiting animals are key elements for an ideal day out.

The top ten components that make a day out special also included having a picnic (42%), enjoying fairground rides (40%), and visiting a playground (39%).

Children also expressed enthusiasm for playing sports with their friends, with football (38%) and cricket (17%) being the most popular choices.

However, some children had more unique preferences, such as sightseeing in London, including a visit to 10 Downing Street (24%), or even taking a day trip to the moon.

Kristin Sonfield, director at Compare the Market, which commissioned the research to celebrate its partnership with The Hundred, commented: "There are so many fun elements to what makes the perfect day out. The opportunities are endless - from building sandcastles to watching cricket, there's fun for everyone."

The research found that the perfect day out involved four separate activities, with the favourite one lasting 94 minutes in total.

Interestingly, parents topped the list (64%) of who children wanted to spend the day with, ahead of friends (45%) and siblings (43%).

Parents will be relieved to know that 10am is the most popular activity start time for 23% of kids. However, an unfortunate 11% of children are determined to start their activities at 8am.

When quizzed about their ideal mode of transport for a perfect day out, over one in ten (13%) expressed a desire to travel by helicopter, while 5% fancied arriving in style in a limousine.

The survey revealed that the beach (57%) is the top choice for a day out, narrowly beating water parks (53%) and zoos (48%). Sports stadiums also proved popular with 24% of respondents, with over half (51%) expressing an interest in watching a live cricket match.

Kristin Sonfield commented: "There's so many elements which makeup the perfect day. Food, transport, travel - not to mention the fun activities planned."

"Getting to try something new and exciting is always fun - you might find something else which you didn't know you liked, and that could form part of your perfect days moving forward."