Why Kids Should Go Barefoot More?

We all know about the 5 important senses (sight, touch, sound, smell, and taste), but we often forget about MOVEMENT as a significant sensory component. Play activities like going barefoot on a sensory play mat, stimulate the proprioceptive system and vestibular system that are integral components of healthy development. These systems contribute to everything from balance and visual skills, to attention and behaviour. Exploring the world using the sense of movement further contributes to kids’ secure and organised sense of themselves.

Remember your childhood when kids ran barefoot on the grass, on rocks by the river and on the pebbles and leaves in the garden or forest. We jumped over fallen logs and balanced on them. We waded by the sea or river, looking for empty shells and building castles of sand or mud. Such fun memories and we were fortunate to have felt these amazing experiences under our feet.

But what about our children? Our lifestyles and where we live have changed, and we are less surrounded by nature, and more by the roads and concrete of high density living. Too much screen time and less active play, are one of the primary reason for poor physical, social and intellectual developments in kids .

The solution sounds pretty simple. Give our kids the exposure to nature and the outdoors by visiting forests, walking barefoot on natural elements or make them jump from wooden logs. But our forever busy lifestyle makes it difficult to do everyday.  

While we cannot bring the forest into our home. However, with help of experts, science and technology, we can help recreate the experience in new innovative ways through “Muffik's Orthopaedic sensory playmats”

	With a focus on barefoot stimulation , the benefits of Muffik’s orthopaedic sensory play mats are rooted within some of nature’s best kept secrets. More specifically, such sensory stimulation has a long and advantageous history, as the interaction between feet and the earth’s natural surfaces and textures has been proven to significantly contribute to healthy bones and joints.

Combining nature and science, Muffik created 3D templates from many natural elements. And then made sensory play mats so you can create your own nature with your chosen elements. How cool is that!

So what is Muffik's Sensory Playmat?

Muffik Orthopaedic sensory playmats are inspired by nature and have been engineered to specifically replicate the surfaces and sensations felt in nature by children’s feet. The soft and firm types of interlocking mats feature the textures and surfaces of grass, pebbles, seashells and forests. These textures mimic the benefits and pleasures of walking barefoot over real surfaces. The purpose is to give children an experience of walking on different natural surfaces in a safe environment. 

These sensory playmats are designed as an interlocking puzzle, just like a jigsaw. They come in 2 sizes with numerous shapes and colours providing hours of fun active play.

The Benefits of an Orthopaedic Sensory Playmat

Speaking of benefits, our sensory floor mats provide an excellent alternative to outdoor barefoot play especially when the weather is not really in your favour.

These orthopaedic mats are specially designed to prevent and improve various foot development issues including Valgus (Knock Knee), Varus (Bow Legged) conditions, Club Foot and Flat Feet. Walking on uneven surfaces help children to distribute their weight evenly and efficiently throughout their bodies and allows children to develop a more natural gait which is gentler, has a shorter stride and puts less pressure through the heels. The knees bend more to cushion each step and the toes help grip and forward movement.

1. Foot Health 

   The uneven surfaces support the appropriate range of motion in the foot and ankle joints, in addition to adequate strength and stability within the muscles and ligaments of the feet.

2. Stability and Control

   Walking on Muffik floor mats allows for better control of foot position on contact with the ground. Whereas the wearing of modern stabilizing footwear can interfere with the development of a child’s foot strength, ankle stability and movement pattern.

3. Body Function and Kinesthetic Awareness

   These sensory play mats strengthen and maintain the full function of the children’s feet and body and supports the improvement of their kinesthetic awareness. This helps children learn to navigate the space around them safely.

4. Prevention of Flat Feet and Correction of Posture

   Muffik orthopedic puzzles correct gait, flat feet, shrunken arches and help overall posture development.

5. Improved Balance and Proprioception

   Muffik play mats improve proprioception; the children`s sense of the relative position of body parts in relation to the other parts of the body along with their joint and muscle sensations.

6. Sensory Stimulation and Fun

   Walking barefoot on Muffik sensory floor mats can also help brain development as children learn to balance and develop all of the other sensory systems in the body.

7. Beneficial for Kids with Autism

   Yes, Muffik sensory play mats are even recommended for children with autism to improve physical, sensory and cognitive development. Sensory play may provide value for children with regards to processing sensory information and communication.

8. Versatile for all generation use

   Puzzle floors are incredibly versatile and offer healthy foot development for all generations. Use in the bathroom, as a rug underneath a bed or in offices underneath the table for a relaxing foot massage. Orthopaedic mats help to reduce fatigue and pain, relieve tension in the feet and improve blood circulation. These orthopaedic floor mats are also beneficial for adults through foot relaxation, better activation of foot and ankle muscles, and improved mechanics of the hips, knees, and core.

How Safe are Muffik's sensory mats?

With regard to safety, Muffik's puzzle shaped mats are designed with help of orthopaedics, physiotherapists and podiatrists and are super safe for children. ANZ Safety Tested and Certified, non-toxic, anti-slip playmats are manufactured to the highest standard with quality materials so that children have a comfortable and playful experience.

Muffik's sensory floor mats are also tested according to EU standards:  EN 71-1:2014 + A1:2018 and EN 71-2:2011 + A1:2014 and EN 71-3:2019-08.

At TINNITOTS, we are extremely proud to be involved with MUFFIK, helping our passion for educating parents about the importance of a healthy lifestyle in kids from an early stage.

Be it Indoor Gyms or Soft Play or Busy Boards and now Sensory play mats; we continue to bring innovative and interactive products for our Australia and New Zealand parents to help every kid grow into healthy, balanced, confident and capable adults.