Over-anxious parents make their children ‘work’ for more than 54 hours a week by pushing them into too many activities, researchers warn. The figure, which is seven hours more than the average adult spends in the office, has been attributed to ambitious 'tiger parents' who fill their offspring's diaries with extracurricular activities and extensive educational play. Most children spend 32.5 hours a week at school from Monday to Friday, as well as seven hours and 28 minutes of homework each week. Exhausting: Extracurricular activities and 'learning through play' mean children 'work' 54 hours a week . But on top of this, the typical child is enrolled into at least two activities a week, such as swimming, football, dance classes or music lessons. This adds a further two hours and 26 minutes to an already gruelling timetable of events, the study by Haliborange Kid’s Vitamins found. In addition, most parents say they actively read with their children for at least 43 minutes a day - or five hours and one minute a week. And to make absolutely sure their child has the very best chance of getting ahead, the average parents also spends one hour a day, or seven hours a week, teaching their children through play. Dr Claire Halsey, parenting expert and clinical psychologist and spokeswoman for the Haliborange Kids Vitamins study of 2,000 parents said: 'This study indicates just how much parents want to do the best for their children. 'Parenthood is filled with decisions and responsibilities, and sometimes it can be hard to get it right all the time. Tutoring: Additional classes also help rack up the hours for children born to ambitious tiger parents . Controversial: Amy Chua (right) caused outrage with her tough 'traditional Chinese' parenting style . 'It might look like many mums and dads are over-timetabling their little ones, but behind this decision is the desire to support children to achieve their very best in life. 'All any parent wants is for their child to be happy and reach their full potential. While it’s great for kids to have hobbies and explore new activities, the best thing for their mental and physical development is to spend time playing and having fun, letting them shine naturally.' The study suggests that more parents than ever before are open to educating their children away from school with extra tuition. Indeed, one in three people polled admitted their child also attends at least one extra class a week studying either English, maths or science. As a result, a third of the nation’s children are actually working for over 55 hours a week. The poll reveals that four out of five parents feel it is right to try and educate their children as much as possible when they are not in the school environment. And it seems some parents are competitive too, with 41 per cent admitting they have always been concerned about their child’s development and worry whether they know as much as other children in their age group. At least half of parents asked have spent hours trying to teach their children how to recite their alphabet, numbers, days of the week, cities and months of the year. Catching a ball, swimming, learning how to dress and undress, understanding about healthy eating and being able to cook a little, and knowing about the solar system are among things parents think children should know by the time they go to school. However, 28 per cent of those polled admit they worry their child does too much, and 43 per cent have considered that their child should spend more time having fun. Concerned: The workload has left some parents worried that their child doesn't get to play enough . When Amy Chua's The Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother was published in 2011, it became immediately notorious. Based on Chua's experiences of giving her two daughters a 'traditional' strict Chinese upbringing, it spoke of calling one 'garbage' for failing to adequately complete a task and included a controversial 'white elephant' anectdote. The offending passage read: 'I hauled Lulu’s dollhouse to the car and told her I’d donate it to the Salvation Army piece by piece if she didn’t have The Little White Donkey’ perfect by the next day. When Lulu said, "I thought you were going to the Salvation Army, why are you still here?" I threatened her with no lunch, no dinner, no Christmas or Hanukkah presents, no birthday parties for two, three, four years. When she still kept playing it wrong, I told her she was purposely working herself into a frenzy because she was secretly afraid she couldn’t do it. I told her to stop being lazy, cowardly, self-indulgent and pathetic.' Although many commentators were horrified, many more applauded Chua's efforts, while a Wall Street Journal poll found two thirds of parents were in favour of Chua's methods. What's more, 27 per cent of parents revealed that they have taken their child out of classes such as music, dance or languages, with 54 per cent of these claiming it was because their child looked exhausted from all the activities they were doing. A further 45 per cent were worried about the cost of the additional clubs their children were participating in, while a fifth said they weren’t spending enough time together as a family. The study also shows a quarter of parents are worried their children are not getting the adequate nutrition they need because they are so busy. On at least three nights a week families don’t sit down together to eat, so four in 10 parents support their child’s diet with vitamins to boost their health. Nutritionist Dr Frankie Phillips comments: 'It can be hard to fit in three nutritious meals a day when the children are being ferried between school, clubs and extra tutoring. 'But time to eat together as a family is very important. We know from research studies that families who eat together regularly tend to be better off nutritionally speaking; they eat a healthier diet. 'Children need good nutrition to grow and develop, and providing adequate nutrients, vitamins and minerals is an essential part of this, both immediately to get through the busy school day, and long-term for their future well-being. 'Vitamin and mineral deficiencies, as well as dehydration, can lead to fatigue and poor health; tiredness resulting from poor nutrition can compromise concentration and consequently performance in school. 'Children are leading increasingly hectic lives, but it’s important that their diets don’t suffer. Parents can boost low nutritional levels with great tasting vitamins. 'Omega-3 may help support concentration and the right amount of iron can combat fatigue whilst B vitamins are important to help release energy.'
In addition to school, children also have extra tutoring and homework .
Pushy parents also enroll their offspring in art and music classes .
The influence of ambitious 'tiger parents' has been blamed for the workload .
Tiger Mom Amy Chua's tough parenting style has caused controversy .
Over-anxious parents make their children ‘work’ for more than 54 hours a week by pushing them into too many activities, researchers warn. The figure, which is seven hours more than the average adult spends in the office, has been attributed to ambitious 'tiger parents' who fill their offspring's diaries with extracurricular activities and extensive educational play. Most children spend 32.5 hours a week at school from Monday to Friday, as well as seven hours and 28 minutes of homework each week. Exhausting: Extracurricular activities and 'learning through play' mean children 'work' 54 hours a week . But on top of this, the typical child is enrolled into at least two activities a week, such as swimming, football, dance classes or music lessons. This adds a further two hours and 26 minutes to an already gruelling timetable of events, the study by Haliborange Kid’s Vitamins found. In addition, most parents say they actively read with their children for at least 43 minutes a day - or five hours and one minute a week. And to make absolutely sure their child has the very best chance of getting ahead, the average parents also spends one hour a day, or seven hours a week, teaching their children through play. Dr Claire Halsey, parenting expert and clinical psychologist and spokeswoman for the Haliborange Kids Vitamins study of 2,000 parents said: 'This study indicates just how much parents want to do the best for their children. 'Parenthood is filled with decisions and responsibilities, and sometimes it can be hard to get it right all the time. Tutoring: Additional classes also help rack up the hours for children born to ambitious tiger parents . Controversial: Amy Chua (right) caused outrage with her tough 'traditional Chinese' parenting style . 'It might look like many mums and dads are over-timetabling their little ones, but behind this decision is the desire to support children to achieve their very best in life. 'All any parent wants is for their child to be happy and reach their full potential. While it’s great for kids to have hobbies and explore new activities, the best thing for their mental and physical development is to spend time playing and having fun, letting them shine naturally.' The study suggests that more parents than ever before are open to educating their children away from school with extra tuition. Indeed, one in three people polled admitted their child also attends at least one extra class a week studying either English, maths or science. As a result, a third of the nation’s children are actually working for over 55 hours a week. The poll reveals that four out of five parents feel it is right to try and educate their children as much as possible when they are not in the school environment. And it seems some parents are competitive too, with 41 per cent admitting they have always been concerned about their child’s development and worry whether they know as much as other children in their age group. At least half of parents asked have spent hours trying to teach their children how to recite their alphabet, numbers, days of the week, cities and months of the year. Catching a ball, swimming, learning how to dress and undress, understanding about healthy eating and being able to cook a little, and knowing about the solar system are among things parents think children should know by the time they go to school. However, 28 per cent of those polled admit they worry their child does too much, and 43 per cent have considered that their child should spend more time having fun. Concerned: The workload has left some parents worried that their child doesn't get to play enough . When Amy Chua's The Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother was published in 2011, it became immediately notorious. Based on Chua's experiences of giving her two daughters a 'traditional' strict Chinese upbringing, it spoke of calling one 'garbage' for failing to adequately complete a task and included a controversial 'white elephant' anectdote. The offending passage read: 'I hauled Lulu’s dollhouse to the car and told her I’d donate it to the Salvation Army piece by piece if she didn’t have The Little White Donkey’ perfect by the next day. When Lulu said, "I thought you were going to the Salvation Army, why are you still here?" I threatened her with no lunch, no dinner, no Christmas or Hanukkah presents, no birthday parties for two, three, four years. When she still kept playing it wrong, I told her she was purposely working herself into a frenzy because she was secretly afraid she couldn’t do it. I told her to stop being lazy, cowardly, self-indulgent and pathetic.' Although many commentators were horrified, many more applauded Chua's efforts, while a Wall Street Journal poll found two thirds of parents were in favour of Chua's methods. What's more, 27 per cent of parents revealed that they have taken their child out of classes such as music, dance or languages, with 54 per cent of these claiming it was because their child looked exhausted from all the activities they were doing. A further 45 per cent were worried about the cost of the additional clubs their children were participating in, while a fifth said they weren’t spending enough time together as a family. The study also shows a quarter of parents are worried their children are not getting the adequate nutrition they need because they are so busy. On at least three nights a week families don’t sit down together to eat, so four in 10 parents support their child’s diet with vitamins to boost their health. Nutritionist Dr Frankie Phillips comments: 'It can be hard to fit in three nutritious meals a day when the children are being ferried between school, clubs and extra tutoring. 'But time to eat together as a family is very important. We know from research studies that families who eat together regularly tend to be better off nutritionally speaking; they eat a healthier diet. 'Children need good nutrition to grow and develop, and providing adequate nutrients, vitamins and minerals is an essential part of this, both immediately to get through the busy school day, and long-term for their future well-being. 'Vitamin and mineral deficiencies, as well as dehydration, can lead to fatigue and poor health; tiredness resulting from poor nutrition can compromise concentration and consequently performance in school. 'Children are leading increasingly hectic lives, but it’s important that their diets don’t suffer. Parents can boost low nutritional levels with great tasting vitamins. 'Omega-3 may help support concentration and the right amount of iron can combat fatigue whilst B vitamins are important to help release energy.'
average adult spends in the office, has been found. In addition, most parents say they classes also help rack up the hours for children born to ambitious tiger parents . Controversial: 'traditional Chinese' parenting style . 'It might they have always been concerned about their doesn't get to play enough . When Amy Chua's The school, clubs and extra tutoring. 'But time to