How do your feet feel after a long day in rigid, narrow-capped shoes?
It’s true that while adults can sneak in little breaks for their feet, kids often don’t have that same flexibility in their choices during their school day.
Did you know?
On average, per year, a child spends 200 hours at school.
Over 12 years, that's 15600 hours of school.
Let's give our kid's feet the freedom they need and choose barefoot (foot-shaped) school shoes.
They'll thank us later.
WHY CHOOSE BAREFOOT SHOES FOR GROWING FEET?
1) Optimal balance and stability
Barefoot shoes allow the feet to naturally strengthen and play the important role of providing sensory feedback to the brain helping the body to balance well.
2) Foot Development
Barefoot shoes follow the natural foot shape and aid in the natural development of foot structure, reducing the risk of deformities or injury.
3) Comfort
Quality barefoot shoes ensure comfort throughout the day, which is especially important for active children who spend a lot of time running, jumping, and playing.
4) Protection
Well-constructed shoes protect feet from injuries, harsh surfaces, and environmental elements where needed.
5) Posture and Alignment
Barefoot shoes which are zero-drop (no heel/gradient in the sole) nurtures healthy posture and spinal alignment, which is crucial for growing bodies.
6) Encouragement of Physical Activity
Comfortable shoes that have flexible lightweight soles allow kids to be more active, which is essential for overall health and development.
As an Occupational Therapist and parent of two adventurous, growing boys I've seen the benefit firsthand of encouraging barefoot play in the growing years and how strong their feet are today, as a result. It has been so inspiring for us to witness our boys doing an entire forest walk, barefoot. So it felt like a natural next step for us to develop a school shoe range, now that our kids are in primary school. Common Tread school range with finer cutout detail and T-bar design will launch in 2025 - although many girls are choosing to wear our lace-up option.
When it comes to choosing the right footwear for our kids in the growing years, every step really does count.