Learning doesn’t just take place in the classroom and not all lessons are taught by teachers. In fact, kids learn a lot (and we mean a lot) from perhaps the most unlikely teachers: Themselves. Kids’ bodies and brains are constantly taking in and making sense of information about the world around them - and the soles of their growing feet are a powerhouse of information processing.

Sensory neurons are found all through the body and transport messages from your body to your brain. Think about when a fly lands on your arm: Once the fly touches your skin, the sensory neurons tell your brain “there’s a fly on our arm!” the brain then tells your arm: “yuck - shake that fly off!” so you shake your arm and the fly leaves. But think about how quickly all that happens: Barely a second will pass between the fly’s touch-down and your arm shaking it off. That’s because your body is lightning fast - Your sensory neurons send messages from your body to your brain at a speed of over 240kmph!

Messages are sent from kids’ feet to their brains just as fast, which is how kids learn to walk, run, play and improve their coordination. In fact, 70% of the brain’s information related to movement comes from feet through over 200,000 nerve endings! Being able to see helps, of course (your feet aren’t gonna tell you if you’re about to walk into a tree) but if kids’ feet can connect with the ground, they can keep their heads up and feel their way along the ground through the soles of their feet.

Feet have a lot to teach the body, so they should always be free to move and grow naturally while keeping kids as connected to the ground as possible. The best way to learn through your feet is to go barefoot as often as possible - but as powerful as they are, little feet can be very delicate. To help kids learn while protecting their feet, opt for shoes that are lightweight, flexible and that are designed in line with foot health best-practice.

Bobux shoes are crafted to be the best for healthy foot development. So even when they can’t go barefoot, kids can continue to learn with every step they take. Shop the range of podiatrist-endorsed Bobux shoes here.