Parents who have at least one university‑educated partner spend about 37 minutes more each day with their children up until the age of five. A study by the Federal Institute for Population Research (BiB), reported by the FAZ, shows that this translates to roughly 1,125 extra hours over the first five years. When compared with the hours children spend in pre‑school settings, the difference represents a boost of more than ten percent in additional support. The analysis drew on the German Federal Statistical Office’s 2022 time‑use survey, cross‑referencing income and parental education levels.
Over time, the amount of time parents dedicate to their children gradually shrinks. In kindergarten, parents spend about eight hours a day with their kids; this falls to seven hours in primary school and then to only two hours per day after that. Three‑quarters of the total parent‑child interaction happens before the child turns ten. In the first three years, care primarily involves meeting basic needs, but as children grow, shared activities become increasingly central. The study also found that, on average, higher‑educated parents spend 20 minutes more per day on reading, reading aloud, and chatting with their children compared to parents from less‑educated households.
