Starting school

From five years and upwards, your child will dramatically improve the co-ordination and fluency of their movement.

at five, they'll have better control of their speed and be able to make more complex movements. Their tendency to bear their weight on the insides of their feet - called pronation - should have corrected itself naturally. Their heel striking during walking will be more obvious. At this stage, their weight will transfer down the foot's outer border, the front of the foot will touch down, and finally, and finally the weight will move to the inside of the foot and the toes will push off towards the next step.

As their feet become stable, your child will also become more active at school. There'll be playtime with friends, energetic PE lessons and all sorts of exciting new sports to put them through their paces. Not surprisingly, all this activity may cause your child's feet to sweat more.

At this age, many children prefer to wear trainers. It's vitally important for healthy development of their feet and toes that these are properly fitted, just like any other pair of shoes. They also need to be robust enough to protect your child's feet while they're practising to be the next sporting superstar! Let their movement develop naturally, but sturdy enough to protect them as they become more active.

Foot development

The secondary bone centres that developed at around four years of age are now fusing, the amount of 'puppy fat' will have reduced, and the arch of the foot will be more visible and functional. The growth rate should begin to slow to around one whole size (8mm) a year, as the feet carry on developing, until your child is in their mid to late teens.

Choosing shoes

What to look for:

  • Heel shape - critical for good fit
  • Highly flexible fore-parts to aid movement
  • Firm back-parts for support and stability
  • Permeable linings - essential to move moisture away from skin
  • Uppers made from leather and other natural and breathable materials
  • Robust and durable materials to withstand active play
  • Fully-adjustable fastenings
  • Whole and half sizes and a choice of widths
  • Carefully fitted by trained shoe fitters