Telegraph | News | Parents 'are stunting children's creativity' with culture classes:
Parents who enrol their young children in a host of activities as soon as they can walk could be stunting their development, according to researchers.
Children who learn to speak French, play the violin or handle a tennis racquet at the age of two or three are victims of middle-class angst, said a study published yesterday by a team from London University.
[...] Dulwich College Preparatory School in south London does not formally test children but invites them to spend one or two hours in groups of three with teachers at the school. 'We are not trying to find out whether the child already knows differential calculus at the age of seven or is grade six on the violin but that he enjoys maths and music,' says George Marsh, the head teacher.
Some children are prepared by tutors but Mr Marsh says it does not help. 'We want to meet the child, not see what he has learnt. Has he got the ability to stay on task, to reason, to ask simple questions and follow instructions?
'We look at the way they talk to you and look around and ask questions,' he said. 'I try to get parents to see that it would be better if their child did nothing but play for at least two nights a week. They need to spend time with Mum and Dad, which is an issue when both parents have to work to pay school fees.' [...]
