We know at The Little Gym Leeds how important it is for children to be barefoot, aiding strong and healthy foot development.
Did you know a child’s foot actually contains no bones at all but consists of cartilage?? This mass of cartilage ossifies (strengthens) to become all 26 bones of our adult feet. This process is only complete in their late teens.
You may have also noticed that babies are born with a pad of fat in the arches of their feet, which makes them look flat footed. The leg and foot muscles are not yet strong enough to properly support their arches when they begin to stand. By the ages of 2 to 3 the arch has usually begun to develop.
How can movement and bare footing help?
From their first step to their cartwheels, our feet take responsibility of carrying all of life’s adventures. The more movement they can do barefoot, the more we can strengthen the muscles and help to build our bone density through weight bearing activities.
We know as soon as the shoes and socks are put on they come straight back off! We may think it's a cry for attention or rebelling from being told what to do but children love the freedom and the comfort of being barefoot. This also allows the child to observe their toes and see the movement their feet can do which also develops their body awareness.
Movement is highly beneficial for the growth of strong and healthy feet. Bare-footing allows the children to have a better grasp on the floor as they feel the floor temperature, materials and all different kinds of textures beneath their feet during motion. It provides stability and spatial awareness to manipulate their body around obstacles to avoid tripping or falling.
Movement is also vital in helping the arch develop therefore it can function properly. The arch of the foot is designed to bare all weight from the human body as well as absorbing all the stresses that are placed on us from day to day. Without the arch this can cause negative effects on the bio-mechanics of our bodies.
At The Little Gym Leeds we encourage all of our children to be bare foot in the gym not only to prevent slipping on the equipment but also so that they can benefit from all of these amazing stimuli!