How a Child’s Foot Type Really Matters — and What You Can Do About It
As someone who’s spent years teaching Pilates and specialising in foot function, I’ve become deeply convinced of one thing: the feet are the foundation of our movement, posture and lifelong health. What we often overlook is that how a child’s feet develop — between ages 5 and 10 especially — can lay the groundwork (or the weak link) for how their body moves, balances and supports itself for decades.
What the study found
The research team studied 196 children (ages 5–10) in Spain, looking at their foot posture (using the Foot Posture Index, or FPI), foot-type (pronated vs neutral vs supinated), joint laxity, muscle strength, motor tests (walking, running) and plantar pressure/gait characteristics.
Here are the key insights:
Foot type mattered: children with a more pronated foot posture (higher FPI) showed stronger plantar-flexion strength and showed compensatory movement patterns during gait (for example longer times in the push-off phase) compared to children with neutral feet.
Children with pronated feet had different gait metrics — for example, changes in the time the forefoot is in contact, altered phases of gait, and slightly less stability in younger age groups.
Interestingly, no strong differences were found in the basic motor tests (walking distance, 10m run) between foot-types. Which suggests children compensate well, but that doesn’t mean there are no hidden functional implications.
The authors raise a concern: even in the older children (8–10 yrs), when the foot arch should be fairly developed, there were still many children with a pronated foot posture. That suggests development isn’t always “just fine.”
Why this matters for your child’s movement & posture
Here’s why I care — and why you should too:
Foundation of movement: When the feet don’t align or behave optimally (e.g., too much pronation or supination), it changes how the ankles, knees, hips and spine load and adapt. Over time, this can contribute to postural imbalances, inefficient movement and even pain.
Balance and stability: The study found younger kids with more pronated feet had less static stability. If the base (feet/ankles) isn’t stable, the rest of the body works harder to compensate.
Muscle development & adaptability: The differences in foot strength show that foot posture influences how the intrinsic and extrinsic foot/ankle muscles develop and function. Healthy foot development means the body builds strength where it should, not where it’s forced to.
Long-term implications: While the children in the study performed reasonably well, the authors caution that persistent foot posture issues (like pronation) might translate into problems later in adolescence or adulthood — gait inefficiencies, pain, structural changes.
What I teach to support healthy foot development
In my classes I emphasise the feet because without strong, functional feet there is no optimal centre of gravity, and healthy movement for life is compromised. We move from the ground up.
Here are some of the practical strategies I use — and recommend you use at home with children, or grand children.
Encourage barefoot or minimally restricted movement time
Let children be barefoot (safe surfaces) or wear shoes that allow the toes to spread, the foot to flex and feel the ground. Over-restrictive or overly structured shoes may limit natural development.Choose footwear wisely
Especially for young children: avoid narrow toe boxes, big positive heels, lots of artificial arch support or overly stiff soles. Ideally the shoe: wide in forefoot, flexible sole, allows toe splay, minimal interference with natural foot roll.Foot- and ankle-specific activation and mobilisation
In class and at home I include exercises such as toe spreads, heel raises with control, short-foot exercises, balance on one leg, ankle dorsiflexion mobilisations. These help the intrinsic foot muscles, ankle stability and arch dynamics.Integrate full-body movement with the feet
The feet don’t exist in isolation. When we work through Pilates movements (standing roll-downs, lunges, single-leg stance, squats, unilateral work) we remind the body that the feet have to be active participants — sensing, stabilising, transmitting force.Monitor changes and growth
Growth spurts matter. In children, as bones and joints change rapidly, the foot posture and strength may shift. Simple checks — how the foot looks, how the child stands/walks, whether toes splay or shoes feel tight — give early signals.
Key takeaway for parents and kids
If you take nothing else away, let this be it:
The feet are not just “things to put in shoes.” They are foundational, sensory-rich structures designed to move, adapt and support.
If we allow them to develop naturally, and support that with smart movement and good footwear choices — we give our children the best chance of thriving posture, efficient movement and fewer foot/leg/spine problems later.
This study backs what I’ve seen in real life: what happens between ages 5 and 10 matters. The more we pay attention now, the more we invest in a lifetime of better movement. Happy feet, happy body.