During her pregnancy, Ms Wan researched in depth how a baby grows and develops, to the point that she enrolled in an early childhood development programme at Chinese University of Hong Kong.

She says exposing her young child to extensive knowledge, including foreign languages, will help the development of her sensory and motor skills. 'I don't expect her to learn Spanish because she doesn't even speak her mother tongue yet,' Ms Wan says.

She says her daughter is focused, proactive and calm for her age although she does not know if this is because of the classes she has attended or because it is her personality.

Ms Wan says she hopes the skills her daughter has picked up through these activities will help when the time comes to apply to schools.

But she stresses that this is not her motivation for enrolling her daughter in extra-curricular classes. 'The most important thing is that she won't be frightened when she sees strangers, so perhaps it will help her when she has to attend interviews for schools.'

Miranda Wong is mother of a 17-month-old boy who has never participated in special schools or activities. Ms Wong says she is wary of putting her toddler in such classes because, 'all of the advances in education and strides to make children smarter and better have intruded on the sacredness of just being a baby.

'I believe that if the parents are healthy, outgoing people who have friendships with other healthy outgoing people, and that their children or babies have good interaction and friendships that occur naturally, there is really no need to put them in any extra-curricular activities.'

She says a child should only take up an activity when it has shown an interest. 'My son has started to display a real interest in dancing and music, so I would consider putting him in a fun once-a-week class to give exposure to this. But it would be for fun only.

'In the future, if he wants to try a sport, hobby or instrument, if it is in my means to give him a chance to try, I am all for it. However, I commit to never putting my child in any activity that he does not first initiate in some way.'

Striking a balance between activities is enough to stimulate a child, and overstimulating or over-tiring a child can be a problem for some parents.

Grace Leung, the director at educational centre Paragon, which offers a personalised curriculum in English and maths using skill-based computer-assisted learning, says that she has come across parents in Hong Kong who thought that enrolling their child in as many activities as possible would be a sure fire way for success. 'And I'm afraid I can't agree with that.'

She says that while there is no formula for parents to follow, if a child is constantly tired, 'and not from playing too much computer games', from the range of activities, then it's probably too much.

'Parents should spend a bit more time to align needs, interests and offerings,' she says, adding that a child's school environment, the home and the types of exposure to extra-curricular activities will also play different roles.

'At best, it should complement what can't be offered in a traditional school environment while allowing the child to be the best they can be, be it academically or personally.'

Ms Leung explains that the personalised curriculum offered at Paragon recognises the uniqueness of each child's needs and, given the right environment, they can give it their personal best.

'If a child loves to learn, he will. When a child is given materials that cater to his strengths and weaknesses, he will feel he [is progressing] and will truly enjoy the process.'

Deborah Graham, the school development adviser (primary) at the English Schools Foundation, explains that the biggest issue for parents is ensuring children want to be involved in the activity, and that they persist with it for a reasonable amount of time, rather than trying something for a few weeks before moving on to the next thing.

She says each child will respond to after-school activities differently, and some primary students are very tired by the end of the day while others are energised and ready to do more.

'Parents should also consider that children, as adults, require some 'down time'.

'It is of benefit for children to appreciate and know how to use time to relax on their own,' she says.