We all know that children love to explore the world with touch. This is why stimulating the feet is so important in your child’s development.
The base of the feet are just as sensitive as the hands with a complex network of nerves linking directly with the brain. In this blog post, we’ll explain some of the benefits of sensory play and barefoot stimulation and how you can factor it into your child’s playtime.
How sensory play and barefoot stimulation helps physical development
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How sensory play and barefoot stimulation boost cognitive function
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How to incorporate sensory play and barefoot stimulation into your child’s life
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Who are we?
How sensory play and barefoot stimulation helps physical development
Barefoot stimulation is a powerful tool for promoting healthy foot development. It is one of the primary tools that our ancestors relied on to develop strong muscles and joints. Children once explored nature barefoot, using the many bones and muscles in the feet and legs to adjust their balance and posture. 
Incorporating barefoot play into your child’s routine and bringing toys that encourage barefoot stimulation can be a great way to promote your child’s development.
Commonly found in the toolkit of physiotherapists, sensory mats have been shown to help athletes recover from injury and fatigue by massaging the feet and retraining muscles. Happy Feet Play Mats have drawn from the science to create sensory play mats for children.
How sensory play and barefoot stimulation boost cognitive function
Barefoot stimulation enhances the connection between the feet and the brain making sensory play mats an underused tool for improving cognitive function.
Thanks to its stimulation of the brain, barefoot play can boost concentration in children. Try using Happy Feet Play Mats when you’re teaching your child something new, and they’re likely to pay closer attention than if seated on the floor.
It can also encourage parent-child interaction thanks to the creative nature of sensory play.
In addition, science suggests that sensory play can aid children with autism.
How to incorporate sensory play and barefoot stimulation into your child’s life
There are lots of way of bringing sensory play into the playroom or garden. Mud, playdough and paint are all great options. To bring barefoot stimulation into the mix, consider sensory play mats.
Our play mats are made from a variety of different textures, all designed in partnership with an orthopaedic expert.
Who are we?
Happy Feet Play Mats was founded by Marketa Klemmova and Andrew Miley, parents who both experienced the benefits of sensory mats during their careers in sports and physiotherapy. The couple recognised the potential of these mats for child development, launching the first company in the UK to specialise in sensory mats for children
Interested in sensory play mats? Get in touch with our experts today: hello@happyfeetplaymats.co.uk