Shanghai's preschool boys aged 3 to 6 are lagging behind their girl counterparts in their mental and physical development, a report said.

The report, led by the Soong Ching Ling Children's Development Center, polled over 7,000 children between 3 and 6 from the city's 10 districts.

The report found that boys in this age group performed worse than girls in all aspects measured, such as understanding, verbal ability, social ability and sports ability.

Education experts and sociologists urged local authorities to pay attention to the current education and evaluation system of children, in which academic performance is more emphasized, and girls often have an advantage over boys.

Preschool education is the first step for children's growth. It's very important for parents and kindergarten teachers to give them more support, rather than merely focusing on their academic performance, experts said.

The report also found that children raised by their parents often perform better than those raised by their grandparents.