The joyous anthem of 'school's out for summer' may be losing its lustre, as new ScotRail research suggests nearly one in ten parents report their children complaining of daily boredom during the holidays.The study of 1,000 parents showed peak boredom typically strikes by the third week of the summer break, as initial novelty fades.Jake Harris, a primary school teacher and Yoto Daily podcast host, explained: "The summer has long days when you’re a kid, and nowadays working parents might not have as much capacity to entertain them all the time."“But I think boredom is good because then it leads to fun things as kids are forced to find something more creative or interesting to do.”If your child is struggling to find inspiration, Harris shares his favourite creative ways to bust summer boredom.1. Give children a purpose or responsibilityFor enrichment and fulfilment, dad-of-three Harris recommends giving children a task such as preparing a family meal appropriate for their age. “My kids used to prepare a menu and get dressed up for it,” he recalls.Giving children a task such as preparing a family meal can stave off boredom. (Alamy/PA)“It was a real way of getting them to think about what they were going to cook, how they were going to do it and then present it to the rest of the family.” In past summers, Harris’ children have made pesto pasta and prawn cocktails. “You can just keep it simple,” he adds. “There are lots of dishes that are mostly just assembly.”2. Set up a snack shop“The other thing kids say during the holidays is not just ‘I’m bored’ but ‘I’m hungry, can I have a snack?’” Harris says. To address this complaint head-on, he recommends setting up your own makeshift snack shop with whatever treats and food you have around the house.“We set up a list for the shop, and the children were allowed X number of items from one part of the inventory and X from another,” he explains. The added bonus is that a snack shop serves as edutainment for children, who learn basic maths while still having fun.3. Go outdoorsGoing outside is one of the best ways to beat children’s boredom, as opportunities for fun and games are endless and mostly free. “It could be anything like heading to the park or riding a bike or playing football,” Harris says. More inventive activities include building a den with sheets and sticks in the garden, setting up obstacle courses, going on treasure hunts, and even looking for insects.Going outside is one of the best ways to beat children’s boredom. (Alamy/PA)4. Swap screens for audioAudio can be overlooked as a quick and easy way to keep children entertained. Free podcasts, such as Yoto Daily, which Harris writes and presents, cover everything from draw-alongs to jokes. “Audio can even inspire children to create their own stuff, like mini podcasts or mini plays,” he explains. “That might sound like a difficult thing to do for some parents, but you can record on almost anything nowadays.”5. Revisit classic gamesSometimes you can’t beat the classics, and that’s especially true of games. Harris also recommends going one step further by adding a creative twist, which helps children express their personal style and keeps them busy longer.Harris explains: “In the past, we’ve designed our own Top Trumps cards with different characters, skills, speed and strengths. Because I used to be a teacher, we had a laminator at home, so we laminated them, and they lasted for years. We still look at them now, and they’re fantastic.”Revisit classic activities like drawing and card games. (Alamy/PA)Harris adds: “Another fun game that you don’t need anything for is Consequences. You take a piece of paper, and the first person draws a head, folds it over, and passes it to the next person, who draws the following body part, and so on. When you unravel it at the end, you’ve got this crazy, mad character you’ve drawn. It’s really fun and very funny.”6. Make public transport an adventureThough some adults may groan at the prospect of public transport, it can be a world of wonder for children. Harris says: “With one of my kids, we used to go and ride the bus or the train just for the sake of it because he loved it. You don’t necessarily need to have a destination because, when children are younger, that’s an experience for them.