Why we LOVE Barefoot play (and why these holidays are the perfect time for it!)

Last term 4, I shared a piece about The Athletic Skills Model article I read, and it sent me down a mini-rabbit hole about barefoot play and wow, the research is incredibly clear.

Shoes aren’t great for kids’ feet.

In summary, Children have 26 bones and over 100 muscles, tendons and ligaments in each foot. When they’re wrapped in shoes all day, those foot muscles don’t get the chance to actually work. One paper in the American Academy of Pediatrics found that kids who spend more time barefoot develop:

• Stronger foot and arch muscles
• Better balance and mobility
• Healthier toe spread (which improves stability and speed)

The best analogy?
Putting a strong, healthy foot in a stiff shoe is like putting a strong arm in a cast.
The muscles don't have to work, so they get weak. But when kids play barefoot, those deep arch and toe muscles fire the way nature intended, and the foot becomes a spring-loaded platform for sprinting, running, jumping, cutting and balancing! 

And this directly boosts their speed, agility, coordination, balance and movement confidence… everything we teach!

With school shoes on all day, most kids simply don’t get the chance.

So here’s our holiday challenge for you: Let the kids go barefoot as much as possible this summer holidays.

Inside, outside, on grass, sand, carpet — anywhere safe.

It’s one of the simplest, healthiest things you can do for their movement development.

And when they do need to wear shoes, buy Barefoot (wide toe box) shoes where possible. We foundthe school ones are expensive, but trainers are a lot more affordable and the benefits are huge! Ask us about where we source them if you want to know more. 

We’ll be doing plenty of barefoot training at our Holiday Clinics too — safely and purposefully — because strong feet = better athletes and happier, more confident movers.
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Barefoot is nature’s training program. Let’s use it!