Kids love outings, but parents are often too busy (or tired) to organize anything. The idea is to organize outings that allow the kids to have fun and the parents to rest. Let’s see how to set this up.
- Here's the program
- What is it all about?
- How to find children?
- Conclusion
- EcoTips
- Pros and Cons
- Information recap
Here is an idea that I discovered a few months ago on a TV channel, which I never found again, but which seems to me excellent. This report was about an American couple in their thirties, who once or twice a month organized an outing with their two children and 4 other children from the neighborhood.
What is it all about?
Between the housework, the errands, the work file we brought home, and Grandpa who has to be accompanied to the hospital for his colonoscopy, the life of parents, especially those who are separated, is sometimes quite busy. As a result, children are sometimes left to their own during weekends and school vacations. And as many of them are not lucky enough to have a garden, and as playing in the street is sometimes too dangerous, they will often spend most of their free time on the PlayStation or the tablet.
The idea is this: You organize grouped and accompanied outings, but with small groups of kids. It’s a bit like the Boy Scouts, but with fewer kids, and without having to go to church before going on a trip (as I did and it was a pain).
So, you start by planning various activities for some weekends of the following months as well as for holidays, publish all this in a calendar available online, and parents will then decide whether or not to register their child(ren), depending on their schedule, but also on the children’s desire to participate or not.
These outings can be varied:
- A day at an amusement park or zoo
- A day at the sea or in the mountains
- A movie and then an ice cream at the mall
- A sports activity (soccer, tennis, etc.)
- A cultural activity (museum, exhibition, etc.)
- Go for a walk in the local park or in the forest
- Organizing a treasure hunt
- Etc.
In short, anything that might interest the children and get them out of the house. And during the summer vacations, you could even propose excursions of several days while camping (to the sea, the mountains, the forest, a national park…) and plan various activities for the whole stay.
Be careful. What I am proposing here is not really a lucrative activity because the goal (in my mind) is above all solidarity and consists in helping both the parents and their children. The fees that you will ask to the parents should cover all the costs of this day, plus a small bonus for the time you spent on it, but this one should remain symbolic (except if the parents are “rich”, of course 😋). So, if you’re looking for an idea to make a good living, it’s probably not this one, and I advise you to find another one here.
How to find children?
Yes, when you put it that way, it sounds like a strange question. The question is more like: “How do you find parents who might be interested in your project?”, but that’s too long. Many parents would be happy to entrust their children for a day, but for them to accept, two conditions must be met:
1Trust
No (responsible) parent would entrust their children to strangers. It is therefore best to start by offering this type of service to friends, family and colleagues. Then, try to set up a way for parents to express their satisfaction. For this, you can create a Facebook page or a website, where everyone can leave a comment and a rating from 1 to 5 stars. This will allow you to gain credibility and to find other parents.
Be mindful. The goal here is not to have a maximum of children for each outing, but especially to find those who need it the most (don’t hesitate to be selective, if necessary).
Another point that can increase the parents’ level of confidence is that it is better to have a woman in the group of accompanying adults because it will reassure the parents to see that it is not just a single man, for example, who will take care of the children. This “mother figure” should be very mature and, like you, have a strong sense of responsibility.
By the way, another piece of advice I give you is to never organize an outing with only one adult in the group, but to always be at least two, especially if there are more than two or three children on the outing.
Finally, you should also consider taking out specific insurance with your insurance company. It should cover any problems that may arise during the excursions (lost or broken equipment, theft, accident…).
Think about the safety of your children
No matter what type of activity you plan, the first thing to consider is the safety of the children. Parents will be entrusting you with their most precious part of their world, so it is your responsibility to ensure that their children return safely at the end of each excursion. And if any of the activities you are planning present a particular risk, be sure to discuss it with the parents beforehand and give them the choice of whether or not to accept.
2The price
This second condition is not necessarily a priority for all parents, but especially for those who have very little margin with the salary they earn. It will depend on the area where you offer this service, the “working class” areas being often those where salaries are the lowest, but also where this kind of service can be the most useful.
In this case, try to take into account and optimize each cost for each step of each outing you organize (transportation, entrance fees, meals…) when you plan them. Because even if it’s very tempting, and the kids are excited about it, but the price is too high for their leisure budget, the parents will have no choice but to refuse.
Perhaps there is a way to walk or take public transportation to the field trip instead of driving? Can the kids take a meal with them instead of going to McDonald’s? You could go for a nice walk instead of going to the amusement park? It’s up to you to see what is feasible in each situation.
How to manage travel?
Another question is “how to transport the children from their home to the place of the excursion”? Again, this will depend on the budget, yours and the parents’. The ideal solution would be to buy a van with enough seats, but this represents a significant cost that not everyone can afford.
Otherwise, there are other ways: Perhaps you could rent a vehicle for the day, or ask a friend, neighbor, family member, etc. to lend you a vehicle? Otherwise, there is still public transport (bus, train, streetcar…) or, as I mentioned before, walking (it is free and very good for your health 😉).
Conclusion
So, that’s it for this idea that I have elaborated from the part of the report that I saw on TV some time ago. What makes me think that it can work is that parents are often overwhelmed and that having children is also having little time for oneself. And it can also be good for the children when, for example, the atmosphere at home is not good (parents who often fight, a member of the family seriously ill…) or just that they are bored. In any case, it will allow them not to have their nose constantly in front of a screen.
And you, what do you think of this idea?
EcoTips
Environmental and climate change issues are more than ever at the heart of the concerns of this 21st century, which is why I am proposing a few ideas that will enable you to limit the negative impact that the implementation of this idea could have.
These solutions that I suggest are sometimes largely insufficient to compensate for these negative impacts, such as carbon offsetting. Unfortunately, there is not always an ideal and 100% efficient solution, far from it. And if you have others, please do not hesitate to share them in the comments below.
As explained in the article, the ideal way would be to take public transport or even walk to the place of the excursion. In any case, try to avoid the car as much as you can.
Also, try to go on educational and cultural outings. Instead of always going to the movies or amusement park, go to a museum or an exhibition once in a while. And when you plan a nature walk, take a book with you to learn more about the local flora and fauna, and teach them to be more eco-friendly.
Pros
- You will be doing a great service to both parents and children
- You will have a great time
Cons
- A fairly high level of responsibility
- You may not make a lot of money (but that’s not the main goal here).
Info
- Location: Anywhere in your area
- Investment: Low, unless you plan to buy a vehicle specifically for this.
- Earnings perspective: It will depend on where you live but also on your motivations.
- Required: Good organizational skills and above all responsibility, love children.
- Risk level: Take good care of the children in your care.
- Implementation time: Fairly quick
- Material needed: A transport vehicle, perhaps?
Hi,
Good article! I think organizing a treasure hunt would be amazing! Taking 8-10 kids on the ride of their life, with many clues that they can solve but need to work for it and offering a nice reward at the end. And maybe some rewards along the road so they don’t give and are motivated to continue. Or maybe I should start with simple walks in the park to get things going. I’m sure there’s a lot to consider especially when dealing with kids.
Thanks Manuel! I also think the treasure hunt is a great idea and there are plenty of activities to do with kids.
I’ve been doing this for 6 years now, and I think there should be at least 1 adult for each 2 children. Depending on where you’re going, the kids can easily get lost or overwhelm the adults and it’s best not to have more than 2 kids per adult so they can do a good job. Also insurance is very important! Don’t skip on this as things can happen that are out of your control and you need to cover as many IFs as humanly possible. I’m shocked to see there are still companies/businesses that do this and don’t have proper insurance or no insurance at all! It’s madness!
Thank you Laura for your advice. I think like you so I have nothing to add 😊