Traditionally, mothers and fathers have been constantly concerned that their children keep shoes on at all times. For many, it has been a huge complication. This is probably due to the fear that the children will get sick. However, numerous studies have proven that bare feet are not a factor that favors the spread of colds or viruses. In fact, bare feet favor an ideal development of this extremity.
Now, studies have gone even deeper and it has been found that children who spend more time barefoot are happier, more self-confident. As if that were not enough, those children who do not wear shoes in the first months of their life are more intelligent.
Why are children who don’t wear shoes more intelligent?
During the first years of life, the brain is constantly absorbing information; especially during the first year of life. Babies’ hands, feet, and mouths are the best sources of information. It is through these body parts that children discover what the outside world is like and understand it.
Before starting to walk, babies’ feet are very sensitive; even more than hands. Therefore, the feet are receivers of information par excellence. Thus, when infants are allowed to be barefoot, they will have the possibility of achieving better cognitive, sensory and psychomotor development.
In the first two years of life, the human is modeling his senses, neurological relationships, motor skills and much more. Thus, preventing little ones from keeping their feet uncovered means preventing them from having access to one of their best possibilities to reach maturity more quickly and efficiently.
How can bare feet contribute to the development of children?
Being that the feet in the first years of life are highly sensitive, through these babies have the possibility to know their environment better and understand it in an ideal way. The advantages of keeping the feet of the little ones uncovered are many:
– The development of the feet is much more suitable, with more strength, more stable, with greater capacity and with an ideal bone structure.
– Promotes awareness of one’s own body and its movements; what is essential to learn to walk, among other essential functions.
– Strengthens motor skills that generate safety in walking, balance, agility, among others.
– Stimulates the perception of position, which greatly helps the development of the central nervous system.
– It is better to learn how to organize the sensory information that is collected, which favors the cognitive development of the child.
Just allowing the little ones to be barefoot until they start to walk, it is possible to achieve a better recognition of their own body, of the things that surround them and an understanding of causality.