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. （點擊《每日郵報》查看原文）

課外學習過多影響學業

??????? 據英國《每日郵報》報道，研究表明，每周參加課外活動超過17小時，會給孩子的學業帶來負面影響。

???????父母們不停地督促子女去上芭蕾課、鋼琴課，希望培養他們成為興趣廣泛、有能力的人，這或許會給孩子們增加負擔。

???????研究呼吁，孩子在空閑時間除了進行課外學習以外，家長也應該讓孩子自由玩耍。

???????美國康涅狄格大學人類發展學院院長珍妮弗·弗雷德里克斯表示，孩子們每周參加13小時的課外活動對孩子們的學習是有益的，學習成績會明顯提高；而每周參加17小時的課外學習，則會影響他們的學習，成績和整體幸福感會明顯下降。