Overworked and 'under played'? Ending kids' summertime blues

Even before the summer holiday kicked off in July, Shanghai mother Shen had planned her 12-year-old daughter Mengmeng's daily schedule — tutoring, homework, extracurricular classes and physical exercise.

The daily timetable, containing the smallest details, runs from 7 am to 10 pm and includes five-minute breaks to allow the girl to rest her eyes.

Mengmeng attends one-on-one tutoring sessions in math, physics and English for two hours each on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays until dinnertime.

On Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, she revises the previous day's lessons. To ensure her daughter doesn't waste time at home, Shen often takes Mengmeng to the office with her to supervise her homework.

Like many parents, Shen has high hopes for her child's academic performance, aiming for Mengmeng to excel and secure a place in a prestigious high school after taking the entrance exam in three years.

"Physics, which starts in eighth grade, is challenging," said Shen, 39. "My daughter will be in the seventh grade in September, but I feel it is necessary for her to learn in advance. If Mengmeng forgets what she learns this summer, I will send her to learn it once again next summer," she added.