Skip to main content

5 Reasons To Let Your Kids Go Barefoot

I'm always surprised by how many concerned comments we get from well meaning strangers when my kids are barefoot in public. I know most of these people mean well, and are genuinely concerned, but their concern is misplaced. Going barefoot has many benefits and wearing shoes too often can actually be damaging. In this post I will share 5 ways going barefoot is beneficial for children (and adults too). 




Proper Foot And Leg Development:

Wearing shoes affects the way a person steps. It requires using different sets of muscles and using muscles differently than walking barefoot does. This can hinder proper development of the muscles of the legs and feet.

Modern shoes are constricting. Over time they can actually change the shape of a person's feet. Shoes squish the bones of the feet together, affecting toe spread and arch. Flat feet are rare in places where shoes are seldom worn. Toe spread is also much wider in people who frequently go barefoot than in their shoe wearing counterparts. Essentially, wearing shoes too often, especially while the feet are still growing, can literally deform a person's feet.


Enhance Proprioception:

Proprioception is the sense of where your body and its individual components are in respect to each other and the world around them.

There are important feedback loops between the muscles of the feet, the muscles of the lower legs, and the brain. These interactions result in important behaviors like adjusting stride length and foot placement as you walk or run.  Shoes can interfere with these feedback loops since they absorb shock and dull sensation. 

Going barefoot increases body awareness, increasing agility, posture, and balance.


Improve The Senses:

There are over 200,000 nerve endings in the soles of our feet, one of the highest concentrations in the body. This is for good reason, increased sensory input allows us to move more carefully and better adapt to the terrain under our feet.

#thebarefootmom

Boost The Immune System:

Contrary to popular belief, going barefoot does not usually increase your exposure to dangerous bacteria and fungi. Shoes provide the perfect breeding ground for these types of microorganisms. Going barefoot gives your feet plenty of exposure to fresh air which helps inhibit bacterial and fungal growth. 

In fact, going barefoot may actually boost the immune system. According to a report published in The Journal of Environmental and Public Health, walking barefoot decreases white blood cell count while increasing red blood cell count, indicating a positive immune response. 

Connect With Nature and Boost Wellbeing:

Actually touching and feeling the soil and grass beneath our feet helps develop a connection with our planet and a love for nature.

When we walk barefoot our bodies absorb the Earth's free electrons. Free electrons are a well established antioxidant that help neutralize damaging free radicals, thus reducing inflammation. 

When we walk barefoot we literally absorb the Earth's energy. It can help stabilize circadian rhythms, reduce stress, and increase energy. It's really pretty amazing! 

Sources:

 -Barefoot vs common footwear:  a systematic review of kinematic, kinetic, and muscle activity differences while walking: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0966636215004993

-Earthing: health implications of reconnecting the human body to the Earth's surface elections: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3265077/




Labels:

Comments

  1. Anne Mackie MorelliJune 11, 2018 at 7:37 AM

    Interesting article! I always enjoy walking in bare feet especially in the summer on the cool grass. My grandson love it too! So good to know that it does not only feel good, but is so beneficial!

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnnaJune 11, 2018 at 8:07 AM

    My girls and I often go barefoot. Mountain Goat (17 mths) especially loves having her feet free. Aside from your last point, all if the benefits you mention are backed by science, and anecdotally, I'd have to agree!

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousJune 11, 2018 at 8:26 AM

    We are a barefoot family! My kids prefer to be barefoot outside in the car, everywhere lol

    ReplyDelete
  4. UnknownJune 11, 2018 at 9:41 AM

    Barefoot is the best! Looks love this ❤️

    ReplyDelete
  5. Namesste MommaJune 11, 2018 at 10:14 AM

    Great post! We LOVE going barefoot as well. Nothing better than feeling grass under our feet :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. UnknownJune 11, 2018 at 10:30 AM

    Great post! My littles are barefoot from April to November lol

    ReplyDelete
  7. UnknownJune 11, 2018 at 12:33 PM

    Love this! Except in stores my kids are always barefoot. I hear all the time that my kids should have shoes on but clearly I don't listen!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brandy NicoleJune 11, 2018 at 6:38 PM

      Seems like one of those thing people feel like they just have to comment on lol.

      Delete
  8. BethJune 11, 2018 at 1:30 PM

    These are all great reasons! I remember as a child crying because the babysitter wouldn't let me be barefoot (even in the house.) My kids and I are often barefoot in the summer, but our winters are too cold!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brandy NicoleJune 11, 2018 at 6:37 PM

      We don't do much barefoot time outdoors in winter either, too cold, but we spend a good deal of the rest of the year barefoot.

      Delete
  9. MarieJune 11, 2018 at 3:37 PM

    We're a barefoot family, except for my husband. He used to fuss at us all to put our shoes on -- but he's given up. Ha, ha! I'll have to let him read this article and show him that science backs me up on this one.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brandy NicoleJune 11, 2018 at 6:34 PM

      My husband isn't much of a barefooter either, but I have got him going barefoot more often than he used to.

      Delete
  10. Schooling Thru LifeJune 11, 2018 at 9:19 PM

    We really need to do this more often. I grew up in the country and rarely wore shoes. We are in the city now and my son rarely goes without shoes and he has flat feet...maybe that is why?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brandy NicoleJune 12, 2018 at 8:29 PM

      It can definitely be hard to find safe places to barefoot in the city, maybe start by just being barefoot at home more :-)

      Delete
  11. Niki at Toot's Mom is TiredJune 12, 2018 at 12:32 PM

    I need to let my toddler go barefoot more. I did as a kid all the time but now that I'm a mom, I'm a bit too over protective. lol

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brandy NicoleJune 12, 2018 at 8:31 PM

      I can understand, no one wants to see their toddler get hurt. Maybe just start by going barefoot more at home and in your own yard where you can make it safe :-)

      Delete
  12. AnonymousJune 12, 2018 at 1:46 PM

    We’re definitely a shoeless household. The only time we wear shoes is when we’re absolutely have to leave the house.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Water Relay Races For Kids

I don't know about your kids, but mine absolutely love games involving water and getting wet in the summer time. In  this post I share 5 of our favorite water relay races to play with friends. These are perfect for birthday parties, homeschool get togethers, and other group events. Sponge Relay: For this relay you will need: - 2 teams of several kids each -2 large sponges -4 small buckets or containers of some sort Divide your participants into 2 teams and have each team line up single file at a predetermined starting place.  Hand out a sponge to the first participant in each line. Set a bucket of water by each team. Set an empty bucket about 20 ft away from each team.  The two empty buckets should be the same size and should have a "fill line" marked half way up. On a count of 3 (or ready set go) the first participant in each line should dip their sponge in the bucket of water, run to the empty bucket, squeeze the water from their spo
2 comments
Read more

STEM Art: 21 STEAM Project Ideas

My kids love STEM projects and we're always looking for ways to add more art to our homeschool days, so I decided I am going to try to dedicate one morning a week this year to STEM art activities. In this post I share some of the ideas we're planning to try, plus a few favorites we've done in the past. What is STEM Education? STEM education is a blended and often hands on approach to teaching science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, which are some of today's fastest growing industries. STEM education offers students the opportunity to problem solve and work on real world problems and questions. Sometimes the acronym STEAM is used, to include the arts. Adding art to STEM education encourages creative thinking and problem solving skills. It can also help make the other included subjects more appealing to some students. STEM Art Projects  Penny Spinners-   Learn about centrifugal force and make your own spinning tops with this fun post from Teach Beside Me. Explo
Post a Comment
Read more

Make Your Own Mineral Identification Kit

One of my family's favorite hobbies is rock hounding. We love collecting and trying to identify neat rock and mineral specimens that we come across. You can put together your own simple kit for identifying rocks and minerals with materials you likely already have around your home. In this post I will explain how to put together your own mineral identification kit and how to use it to identify rocks and minerals you find on your adventures. Making a Rock and Mineral ID Kit Grab yourself a printable Rock and Mineral Journal for recording your observations here:  Printable Rock and Mineral Journal ,  and then gather the following supplies: -A pencil -A coin -An iron nail -A piece of glass (an old pocket mirror works well) -A ceramic tile -A small watertight bottle or container -Some vinegar -A magnet  -A magnifying glass -A dropper (optional)  -Rock and mineral guide (optional)  -A small container or bag to keep it all in Fill the small watertight
1 comment
Read more

Learning About Thailand: Activities and Resources

Thailand ended up being a really fun country to study. There are so many amazing Thai recipes to try and lots of neat buildings and monuments to learn about. My family's favorite part of this unit study was learning about Asian elephants, they are such interesting and intelligent animals!  Basic Information  Thailand is a country in southern Asia. It is boarderd by Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and the Andaman Sea. The northern region is mountainous while the southern region is hilly and forested. Capital- Bangkok Population- 69.6 million Size- 198,115 square miles Currency- Baht   Type of Government- Constitutional Monarchy National Anthem-  Phleng Chat Thai National Animal- elephant Flag Famous Places The Grand Palace- The Grand Palace in Bangkok was used as the official royal residence of Thailand from 1782 to 1925. It is still used today for ceremonies and state functions. The palace sits on the banks of the Chao Phraya River. It consists of many buildings and pavilions set around a
Post a Comment
Read more

Learning About The Human Body Part 1: The Skeletal And Muscular Systems

At the end of each school year, I sit down with my daughter to discuss what topics she wants to learn about the next year. One of her science topics she picked to study this year was the human body. Instead of ordering a boxed curriculum set, I decided to put together my own human body unit. In this post I share some of the resources we used for learning about the human skeletal and muscular systems, plus instructions for a couple hands on learning activities. You can find my post about the human respiratory and circulatory systems  here , and my post about the human digestive and nervous systems  here . The Human Skeletal System Our skeletons are the frame of our body. They give us structure, without them our bodies would be limp like noodles. They also provide places for muscles to attach so our bodies can move. Why Does Your Body Need Calcium? Experiment: This is a simple experiment you can do to explore why calcium is important for our bones. You will need: -several clean
5 comments
Read more