Parental Supervision for Child Development and the Value of Visual Art Activities: Rethinking Academic Trade-Offs in Chinese Children's Out-of-School Time

In the Chinese educational landscape, extracurricular engagement in disciplines like visual arts has received relatively limited scholarly attention compared to Western settings, where such activities are well established for cultivating diverse cognitive and socioemotional competencies. Unlike Western models, where arts education is often integrated into school curricula, China's visual art programs predominantly operate through expensive private institutions, creating potential barriers to equal participation. This research explores how parental guidance and encouragement might maximise the developmental advantages of visual art activities while maintaining scholastic standards, applying the threshold framework of balanced time allocation. Analysing data from more than 2400 elementary students in a provincial sample, while controlling for economic disparities, the results contradict several conventional expectations. The findings reveal an evolving pattern of parental engagement that departs from stereotypical depictions of authoritarian Chinese parenting, instead demonstrating more child-centered and interest-responsive approaches. Notably, despite children's authentic enthusiasm and active parental involvement, participation in extracurricular visual arts failed to produce measurable academic improvements. This outcome raises important questions about the presumed academic value of such activities within China's distinctive educational ecosystem. The study provides fresh perspectives on how modern Chinese families navigate and reconcile competing priorities between holistic development and academic excellence.