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The Benefits of Going Barefoot

September 8, 2020

Connecting with the world through our feet

The foot is the foundation of our body. It is a complex structure of 26 bones and 35 joints, with ligaments and muscles crisscrossing to support and hold it together.

This little piggy went to market, this little piggy went barefoot!

Young boy in a green shirt, black shorts and barefoot, sits on the floor playing with chalk

Behind their tough exterior, feet are extremely sensitive and naturally wired to our brain. By giving children lots of opportunities to play and explore with bare feet, on a variety of ground covers – soft, hard, squishy, uneven, bumpy – as they run, jump, walk, crawl, skip or balance, they all work to connect your child with the ground.

Your baby’s foot, padded with fat, is highly flexible, usually flat-footed and may turn inwards. As your baby learns to walk their foot muscles, ligaments and bones start to develop and strengthen. 

Walking barefoot is what will help these important systems in the body develop to their fullest. Being able to tune into your body and connect with your mind, being aware of the position and movement of your body simultaneously helps your little one move properly from the inside to the outside of their body.

The sensory feast of going barefoot

Even the simple act of playing in the backyard with bare feet can be a sensory feast for your child. The feeling of cool prickly grass in the shade, the warm soft grass in the sun, the gritty concrete path, the stones that prick their toes, expanding and bending their toes to grip to run faster.

All this sensory information about the body and their environment would be missed with shoes. 

Close up of baby feet going barefoot in the grass

In the words of Maggie Dent, Australia’s favourite parenting author, educator and our “queen of common sense”:

There is so much going on in our babies’ and toddlers’ feet that actually help them develop physically, emotionally and even psychologically.

Let’s look at how simply losing the shoes during your child’s day can play a significant role in their development, and how it teaches them so much about themselves and their environment.

The benefits of going barefoot

Barefoot for physical development 

As your child learns to walk in bare feet, their brain also learns the normal pattern of movement. How the muscles shorten and lengthen, how the joints adjust and move. All these movements work to strengthen the foot muscles and ligaments, while ensuring the complete function and development of the feet and body.

Uninhibited by shoes, they continue to develop the complete range of movement in the foot and ankle joints. Strong feet and legs will aid their stability (preventing falls) and will further support their hips and back, improving their posture and body growth.

A young child in orange pants going barefoot up a climbing wall

Barefoot for motor development

When your child has more control of their feet, their movement during play and running boosts their balance system. A good sense of balance enables your child to climb and pivot on different surfaces, trying to adjust to changing environments below their feet. Each movement becomes more stable, so skipping, running, climbing and jumping are safer.

When balancing on stepping stones with bare feet, your child will learn exactly where to place their foot and toes on each stone, to not only balance on the stone safely, but also so it does not hurt their feet.

A well-formed balance system is great for your child’s posture. It also improves their supporting centres for spatial awareness, eye movements, and even their executive sense of time.

Barefoot for emotional development

As your child’s feet feel, move and balance on the surface they are exploring, the brain registers this tactile and sensory input. Being aware of their environment, the ground and their spatial awareness allows your child to move freely throughout it. Stimulating and building healthy brains working at optimal levels.

Going barefoot provides a quantity of information for your child to process, utilising the many dimensions of attention and further improving their concentration.

Mum and son going barefoot during playtime on a wheely cart

For example, as your child climbs a tree barefoot, they focus their attention on adjusting their feet and curling their toes around the trunk, giving them the support they need to hoist their body. Walking along a sandy beach with bare feet, allows your child to balance on the soft, uneven sand. Your child’s attention is also drawn towards the feel the sand – hard or soft, hot or cold, wet or dry – between their toes.

Going barefoot provides the foundation for brain development responsible for emotional control, social skills, language development, and confidence. The better the foundations laid in their early years, the stronger their brain will develop.

Going barefoot and the Reggio Emilia approach

The Reggio Emilia Approach is an early childhood education approach and one that Grace Village subscribes to. It is based on valuing your child as a strong, capable, and resilient person, rich with wonder and knowledge. This philosophy emphasises a hands-on discovery learning that allows your child to use all their senses to learn.

We believe playing in bare feet enriches your child’s opportunity to immerse themselves in activities as they connect more closely with the environment.

At Grace Village, we also subscribe to a barefoot play policy to enhance your children’s discovery and exploration of our world!

Child Care Centres blog post image for Grace Village ELC, Blacktown

Learn more about Play-Based Learning at Grace Village

Discover the Reggio Emilia Approach

Grace Village’s barefoot policy

To support our Reggio Emilia Approach, Grace Village has implemented a ‘no shoes’ policy in all our indoor spaces.

We believe there is a place for shoes in your child’s everyday life, but if you intentionally ensure they spend time without shoes, you are creating ample opportunities to expand and enhance their development.

No shoes are worn into the Tiny Humans rooms so that your child can explore and play on the floor. For peace of mind, knowing that it is a clean, safe place to crawl and move around, everyone must remove their shoes before entering.

Children are given the opportunity to play inside and outside barefoot with both play spaces fitted with the highest quality synthetic grass to provide a cushiony place to land for those we are still unsteady on their feet, and a safe place to play for those of us who are just learning to crawl and walk!

Gumboots are used outside and depending on the play experience and if it is safe, each child has the choice to remove their gumboots or are encouraged by the educator.

Come see for yourself, how fun it is to play in bare feet at Grace Village!

The simple practice of allowing your children to play in bare feet can be so beneficial for them. So, lose the shoes and let the thousands of nerves in our feet provide an amazing sensory experience for everyone, not just our children!


Learn more about our barefoot policy on your own personal tour

Join our Centre Director for a 30 minute guided tour of Grace Village Early Learning

Book now

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What Parents Say

Grace Village Early Learning Centre
5.0
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One of the best experience of our life and best decision to have our kid in Grace Village. Best teachers and whole staff. Bundle of thanks to the whole team.Highly recommended.
Zeeshan A.
Zeeshan A.
If I could give more stars, I would! Grace Village is an exceptional centre! Chantel and Ray go out of their way to provide the best quality care from the moment you walk in the door. Both of my... children have attended the centre for the past three years. Both the boys have loved every moment at the centre and have huge smiles when we pick them up. The staff provide interesting and varied activities and are truly dedicated to making every day an enjoyable experience for the children. Sadly we are having to relocate but it is has been very hard to find a centre that compares. We will miss GV!!read more
Sarah S.
Sarah S.
GV has fantastic facilities including a third space for parents, an art atelier, lovely free-play outdoor spaces, and an epic undercover play area that allows children to be feel as though they are... playing outdoors when the weather doesn’t allow for true outside play. No other centre we have toured has offered play areas like this.We chose GV for our children because of their play-based (Reggio Emilia) philosophy and approach. We love that our little people have been able to be barefoot most of the time, supporting sensory feedback and encouraging their physical and mental development.Everyone at GV shows love for our children as they would their own. GV has been our home away from home, our family and greatest support through some very hard times.Thank you to all the nurturing educators, carers and all of the GV tribe for guiding our young man and little lady through their special formative and most impressionable years.read more
Bee V
Bee V
Grace Village is a fantastic family run early learning centre. We’ve been sending our kids there for almost 4 years and we feel safe knowing that our kids are in great care.
Attila J.
Attila J.
Best preschool I could ask for to send my children too. I am a childcare educator myself & I can’t fault grace village. They really do go above and beyond for the children & ensure they are cared &... educated at an exceptional level.read more
Tara A.
Tara A.
Grace Village Huntingwood is an amazing early learning centre that continuously goes above and beyond to provide exceptional care for all the children and support families with the challenges of... working life. Unfortunately we moved away from this area, but I continued to drive 45 minutes each way to send my daughter here before she started kindergarten. I would highly recommend this centre to anyone looking for above and beyond care for their child/ren. The staff really care about the children and it is an extension of your family life. Thanks to the team for all the amazing care for our children!read more
Belinda H.
Belinda H.
My child has attended this lovely village for almost 4 years. Awesome learning center as there is always a little bit of extra effort in every single thing that they do. They have amazing and... friendly staff, great facilities and all round activities to ensure that a child develops physically,socially,emotionally and mentally well balanced. In each special occasion they have given us special memories whether in the app, physical souvenirs and lots of memories we’ll look back on when they grow older. My son is now in kindy but he still misses the staff and his friends there. Amazing and highly recommended team !read more
Maria De V.
Maria De V.
My two children have been with Grace Village from 8months old. Just over 3years later, we are relocating, and finding it hard to find a learning centre that is up to the standard of GV. The entire... team at Grace Village has always given our two children such high quality education, care, and emotional support. Communication was always open and clear. It’s really is a village environment, we are blessed to have been a part of & will miss everyone who made a beautiful impact on our children’s first years of life. Thank you Grace Village!read more
stacey K.
stacey K.
We really enjoyed the 4 year experience at Grace Village.Our kids were in the door from when Grace Village first opened and they managed to create a real community feel at this centre.The kids... loved the different play spaces and they always managed to give the children great learning experiences.We really really miss this centre is was a part of our daily routine.We will definitely miss the awesome staff too (and the odd morning coffee and breakfast treat! :-)2022 will feel so strange without Grace Village!read more
Stu E.
Stu E.
Grace Village is the best trustworthy, professional and reliable ELC you can take your child too. Kind , caring and loving educators who gives loads of love and attention to your child. My child n I... have had the best experience at Grace Village ELC, we will dearly miss you guys 😊. Thank you for everythingread more
Elina Q.
Elina Q.
Phenomenal. I’m so lucky to have found Grace Village.What a team of amazing professionals who care for your child as their own. I’m so sad my sons time has come to an end and moving up to Kindy. You... will always be in our hearts and have taught my son SO much!! I cannot ever Thankyou all enough.read more
Casey O.
Casey O.
Thank you for the last 2 years, my little one enjoyed her time ar Grace Village. The centre is clean, new and has an amazing play based philosophy. I would recommend Grace Village to family and... friends. Chantel is very professional and approachable, the educators are so lovely! My little one built friendships with her peers and has been supported by her educators. I had 2 previous experiences with other daycares that were awful, Grace Village has definitely met my expectations and I plan to enrol my other little one in the future!read more
Hiba F.
Hiba F.
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