How to Determine if Your Child Has High Arches – Follow My 2-Step Method

August 21, 2026 High Arches Juan Valenzuela 0 - Comments

High arches can cause your child to place excessive pressure on the ball and heel of the foot, which often leads to discomfort and heel pain. Catching this early matters — high arches can affect overall posture and balance, and left unaddressed, that imbalance can eventually show up in other areas of the body, like the knees and lower back. As a shoe fitter who works with families every day, my goal is to help you figure out your child’s exact foot structure so you can choose the right footwear with confidence.

Let’s Figure Out If Your Child Has High Arches in Two Simple Steps

Determining your child’s arch height is the first step toward choosing the right footwear for their feet.

Step One: Capture Two Images of Your Child’s Feet

Take two clear photos of your child’s feet — one per foot, each shot from that foot’s outer side (the left foot photographed from the left side, the right foot from the right side). This gives a clean profile view of each arch. Make sure your child is standing up straight, with their legs neither tilting forward nor backward, so the images give an accurate picture of their natural arch.

Hold the camera at foot level, about 12–18 inches away, close enough that the foot fills most of the frame from the toes to just above the ankle.

Step Two: Record a Short Video for Better Visualization

A short video shows how your child’s foot actually functions while moving — which often reveals more than a static photo can. Watch how the arch behaves as your child walks or stands, since arch height can look different in motion than it does at rest.

If recording a video isn’t an option, sending two clear photos works too. That said, a video will give the most accurate read on your child’s specific arch type and foot shape.

Once you have your images or video ready, email them to customerservice@fittingchildrenshoes.com and I’ll help you figure out exactly what you’re working with.

Why Supportive Shoes Matter for High Arches

Supportive shoes play a real role in managing high arches. The right shoe provides cushioning and stability that helps distribute weight evenly across the foot — which can prevent discomfort, reduce injury risk, and support healthy foot development over time. For a full list of shoe recommendations, check out my guide to supportive sneakers for kids with high arches.

Please don’t take a “wait and see” approach when it comes to your child’s foot condition. Waiting for a walking gait or foot posture issue to resolve on its own usually only allows the underlying problem to get worse.

Before and After: What Supportive Shoes Can Do

Seeing a real before-and-after comparison makes the impact of proper footwear much easier to understand. In “before” images, you’ll often see visible strain around the heel and ball of the foot, along with a misaligned stance. “After” images typically show meaningfully better alignment, improved balance, and less visible discomfort once a supportive shoe is in place.

^{An image of a child with high arches who is placing excessive weight on the outer part of the feet.}

^{An image of the same child wearing a pair of supportive shoes I recommend by Asics.}

You don’t need to buy the most expensive shoes on the market to keep your child’s feet healthy — but it’s worth knowing that, generally speaking, the cheaper the shoe, the less thought and quality goes into its construction.