When your child enjoys outdoor sports the right shoes make a world of difference. But, before you start shopping for children’s sports shoes you’ll need to consider the specific kind of sport(s) your child needs them for. You’ll find specialist kids sport shoes available for each activity:

Children’s running shoes: kids will happily run in whatever shoes, sandals or boots happen to be on their feet at the time, but if they want to run across terrain or for a longer session they’ll need proper running footwear. Whether your child will be mostly road running or trail running, you’ll find a junior model on the market for them. Examples include the Saloman Children’s XA Pro 3D trail running shoe and Merrell Kids’ Bare Access running shoe.
Kids’ climbing shoes: Just as climbing shoes are a must-have for adult climbers, so they are for children. This is a soft shoe with a special rubber rand/toe cap which helps your child to move their feet freely and grip or wedge them into footholds. Top brands such as Black Diamond, Boreal, La Sportiva and Scarpa all produce high-quality kids climbing shoes – amongst many others.
Children’s water and beach shoes: Children’s sport shoes designed for water fun are normally a form of hybrid water sandal. These provide a combination of protection and flexibility for little feet. American footwear company Keen is just one of the manufacturers offering a huge range of children’s water sandals with flexible low profiles and grippy rubber soles.
Kids’ approach shoes: This type of shoe merges a traditional hiking/walking boot with a rock climbing shoe. This design offers the support your child needs whilst walking with the extra grip they’ll appreciate when climbing or scrambling. Check out Adidas Terrex’s AX2R kids models for one example.

Quality

The quality of kids’ sport shoes is maybe even more important than that of adults. Children put their clothing through a lot – so they need to be made from durable materials and be finished to a high-quality. Kids also sweat more, so it’s important to ensure that shoe materials are breathable and comfortable.

Size

Children grow quickly so it’s a good idea to choose a sports shoe that’s slightly larger than their actual measurement. Bear in mind also that when your child walks, their foot moves forward about 5 mm with each step: meaning you need to leave some extra space in the shoe to account for this also. Avoid going too generous in terms of sizing up however – shoes that are too large may cause blisters, trips and rubs.

Features

The features that’ll offer your child significant advantages will vary depending on the use type of the shoe they need. But you’ll need to consider:

Sole: think about profile, grippiness and the type of material used
Closure: depending on the age and development of your child is the closure easy to use or appropriate? Is the model slip-on, Velcro or laced?
Style: last but not least, think about the look and feel of the shoe. Does it look cool? Kids can be pretty style-conscious and there’s no point finding the perfect shoe for their needs – only for it to be left at home all the time because of the way it looks