In a recent study by the Federal Institute for Population Research, parents whose partner holds a university degree spend an additional 37 minutes a day with their children until the age of five compared with parents whose partner lacks such a qualification.
This daily difference adds up to about 1,125 extra hours over the first five years of a child’s life. When compared with the time preschoolers spend in formal early‑education settings, the extra parent‑child time represents a boost of more than ten percent in family‑based support.
The study analyzed data from the German Federal Statistical Office’s 2022 time‑use survey, looking specifically at income and parents’ educational levels.
Over the years, the amount of time parents devote to their children gradually declines. At kindergarten age, parents spend roughly eight hours a day with their children, which falls to seven hours during elementary school and then to just two hours a day once the child enters secondary education.
Until a child turns ten, parents and children share about three‑quarters of the time spent together. While the first three years focus mainly on meeting basic needs, later stages see a growing emphasis on shared activities.
Notably, parents with higher educational attainment spend on average 20 minutes more per day reading, telling stories, and conversing with their children than parents from less educated households.