Children taking part in more than 17 hours of extracurricular activities like piano lessons could see their academic performance suffer.

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A study has found that children who take part in more than 17 hours of extracurricular activities a week could be harming their educational prospects, the Daily Mail reports.

Parents hoping to raise rounded offspring by enrolling children in ballet classes or piano lessons may be exposing them to increased stress.

Instead of filling their children's free time with extracurricular pursuits, families have been urged to encourage an equal amount of "free play" as well.

Jennifer Fredricks, associate director of human development at Connecticut College, found that the positive effects of one to 13 hours of weekly extracurricular activities were clear in children's exam performance. But for students taking part in more than 17 hours of lessons, clubs and classes outside school, their grades and overall well-being notably dropped. （点击《每日邮报》查看原文）

课外学习过多影响学业

        据英国《每日邮报》报道，研究表明，每周参加课外活动超过17小时，会给孩子的学业带来负面影响。

       父母们不停地督促子女去上芭蕾课、钢琴课，希望培养他们成为兴趣广泛、有能力的人，这或许会给孩子们增加负担。

       研究呼吁，孩子在空闲时间除了进行课外学习以外，家长也应该让孩子自由玩耍。

       美国康涅狄格大学人类发展学院院长珍妮弗·弗雷德里克斯表示，孩子们每周参加13小时的课外活动对孩子们的学习是有益的，学习成绩会明显提高；而每周参加17小时的课外学习，则会影响他们的学习，成绩和整体幸福感会明显下降。