4 benefits of the ‘walking barefoot’ educational method in Japan

In the past 10 years, Japan has applied the “barefoot” educational method to train children to adapt to nature, fight cold, run and jump … to improve their physical strength.

Many studies have shown a difference both physically and intellectually between the group of children who never walked barefoot and those who never walked barefoot.

Japanese children are encouraged to walk barefoot on the beach, lawn, walk on the sand, or wooden boards that are safely placed in schools. Photo: Aboluowang.

Japanese children are encouraged to walk barefoot on the beach, lawn, walk on the sand, or wooden boards that are safely placed in schools. Photo: Aboluowang.

Trẻ em Nhật được khuyến khích đi chân trần trên bãi biển, bãi cỏ, đi bộ trên cát, hay các tấm ván gỗ được đặt an toàn trong trường học. Ảnh: Aboluowang.

Contrary to the opinion of many parents that children should wear shoes to ensure hygiene, avoid illness … due to the sensitive nerves in the feet, Japanese still encourage children to take off their shoes and socks to Go barefoot.

Of course, that does not mean that children walk barefoot every day, but that they are encouraged to walk barefoot on the beach, lawn, sand walk, or wooden boards that are safely placed in schools. Occasionally, the school also organizes “barefoot events” for students to participate.

So, what is the effect of this “barefoot” educational method?

Promote brain development

The foot is a motor organ that gathers 6 meridians, 66 acupuncture points, is the gathering place of many nerves. Therefore, children walking barefoot on the ground, or stepping on gravel, rocks can help massage, stimulate nerves. In addition, changes in temperature, shape of the contact surface … can bring different feelings to the child, helping to stimulate the brain for comprehensive development.

Improve memory

An experiment by the University of North Florida, USA, performed on a group of 72 volunteers aged 18-44 years old, was divided into two groups, one was running on shoes, the other group was running barefoot. 16 minutes later, the two groups entered an examination. The results showed that the memory of the barefoot group was significantly enhanced. When exercising with bare feet, the human brain will be activated and work harder to avoid obstacles, to protect the feet from injury. This stimulates memory area of ​​the brain, helping to improve memory.

Create “arch” balance feet

Statistics on 1,127 children aged 3-6 years old in China show that about 33.98% of children have flat feet. This condition can cause pain in the soles of the feet, deformation of the big toe, tendonitis of the heel … Therefore, for the arch of the foot to develop well, children should be barefoot, take off protective shoes, leave the feet. Fit to the ground to promote leg muscles, arches are also more even and balanced.

Increase power

According to observations, 80% of the child’s physique is markedly improved, after giving the child 6 months to a year of soil removal. This activity promotes the child’s height development. The liver of the feet concentrates the sweat glands in the legs, this is the child’s temperature regulation system, but they are incomplete. Therefore, giving the baby barefoot also helps dissipate heat under the soles of the feet, increase blood circulation, and reduce the phenomenon of cold hands and feet. When the body’s blood circulation is enhanced, the baby’s metabolism and immunity are also improved.

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