The Best Ballet Shoes for Girls – The Most Comfortable Shoe for Your Ballerina
Looking for the best ballet shoes for girls that combine comfort, fit, and performance? Whether your young ballerina is just starting out or already pirouetting across the stage, choosing the right ballet shoes is key to her success—and her foot health. With so many styles and brands available, it can feel overwhelming to find the perfect pair. That’s why I’ve curated a list of the best ballet shoes for girls, designed to support narrow, medium, and wide feet. These top picks provide the flexibility and structure your child needs to move confidently and comfortably in every dance class.
Things to Know About Ballet Shoes
Ballet shoes—also known as ballet slippers—are lightweight shoes designed specifically for ballet or modern dance. Typically made from leather, satin, or canvas, they fit like a second skin and offer just enough structure to support graceful movement. While they may look simple, choosing the best ballet shoes for girls involves more than just picking a pretty pair.
Fit, material, and flexibility all play a crucial role in your child’s performance and comfort. With so many options available, it’s easy for parents to feel overwhelmed.
Key Features of Comfortable Ballet Shoes for Kids
Based on my experience and customer feedback, below are my top recommendations for ballet shoes for girls in 2025. Disclosure: Some links in this post are affiliate links, meaning we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Best Ballet Shoes for Girls – Comfortable for a Better Performance
My ballet shoe recommendations are thoughtfully selected to fit a variety of foot shapes — whether your child has narrow, medium, or wide feet. Just make sure to choose the appropriate width to ensure the best comfort and performance.
- Order this ballet shoe by Stelle on Amazon
- 100% leather
- Constructed of soft leather upper and full chrome tanned suede leather outsole for durability
- Hammered pleats for smooth floor contact
- I suggest that you get this shoe a full size bigger than your child’s current foot size
- Order this ballet shoe Daisy by Capezio on Amazon
- 100% leather
- Constructed of soft leather upper and full chrome tanned suede leather outsole for durability
- Hammered pleats for smooth floor contact
- I suggest that you get this shoe a full size bigger than your child’s current foot size
Always check with your child’s ballet instructor to get their feedback on the shoes you’ve chosen—having their approval ensures the shoes meet studio requirements and support your child’s training effectively.
Breaking in New Shoes
New ballet shoes may feel stiff at first. Encourage your child to wear them around the house to break them in before their first class. This will help them mold to their feet and become more comfortable over time.
Making sure your child’s ballet shoes fit the shape of her feet perfectly is key to helping her dance with confidence and control. Shoes that are too long can bunch up like oversized socks, creating instability and increasing the risk of slipping or tripping mid-performance. A proper fit not only enhances her technique but also keeps her safe as she moves across the floor.
Retrieving Your Child’s Exact Foot Length and Shape
Before you start shopping, it’s essential to know your child’s exact foot length and shape. You can use my virtual guide to accurately measure their feet at home. This step is crucial in ensuring you order the right size online and avoid the hassle of returns.
Ballet Shoes for Girls – 4 Key Factors to Consider
When it comes to ballet shoes, fit is everything—just like with any footwear for kids, proper fit ensures comfort, safety, and optimal performance.
Perfect Fit: Ballet slippers should fit like a glove—snug but not tight. Avoid excess material or shoes that curl the toes or squeeze the ball of the foot.
Material Matters: Leather and canvas are the most common fabrics. Leather tends to be more durable, though slightly more expensive (usually just a few dollars more).
Color Guidelines: Ballet shoes come in various colors, with pink being a popular choice. However, always check with the instructor to match classroom requirements.
Price vs. Quality: While ballet shoes are relatively affordable, be cautious of ultra-cheap options. Poorly made shoes can wear quickly or cause discomfort, ultimately impacting performance and safety.
Reach Out for Specific Shoe Recommendations
If you’re unsure about which shoe to choose, don’t hesitate to reach out. As a dedicated shoe fitter, I’m here to help with any questions or specific shoe recommendations based on your child’s unique foot shape and needs.
My daughter is a dancer and has wide feet. She has the most difficult time getting fitted for dance shoes, so this article was very helpful. Do you know of any good tap or jazz shoes that come in widths as well? Thank you!
Hello Luigi,
Yes, I recently wrote an article that describes the best tap jazz for kids. You can find that article here:
Wide Tap Shoes For Girls – The Best Tap Shoes For Your Girl With Wide Or Extra Wide Feet!
I hope this helps!
Thank you! My two and a half year old will likely start dance soon to help her continue to work on her coordination/gross motor skills once we age out of PT. She is also about to begin wearing orthotic inserts (your posts on that have been invaluable!). So my question is are there any ballet slippers and tap shoes that can accommodate inserts? Or will that just be an activity done without the inserts? Your thoughts would be greatly appreciated!
Leslie,
You don’t need to worry about putting an orthotic inside your daughter’s ballet shoes. Orthotics only fit in substantial footwear. Make sure you get her a good supportive sneaker in order for her to get the full benefit of the orthotic! Do you have a kids’ shoe storethat you can take her to be fitted for shoes in your area?
My daughter took ballet for two years when she was 5 and 6 years old. At that time we picked up a pair of ballet shoes from a department store but I never realized what factors are involved in choosing a good pair of ballet shoes. I wish her instructor would have told us. 🙂 She is pursuing some other sports this year, but if she does want to ever go back, I will definitely follow the advice in this post.
This article was really informative – thank you so much for sharing.
Tej,
In order for your daughter to perform at her best at any sport she decides to practice, she must wear the proper type of shoes for that particular sport.
It was interesting reading about how to choose ballet shoes.My granddaughter has been taking ballet lessons, and I have received a better understanding of the various types of shoes that are available. The points you brought out make a lot of sense, because we would want our little ballerina to be comfortable and do her best always.
My granddaughter also has the narrowest feet, and I didn’t know these shoes were available in narrow widths! Thank you!
Judy,
Yes, the fact that they come in a narrow width is really important. You wouldn’t want your granddaughter to dance in class with shoes being too wide on her since it might compromise her stability. You can probably benefit from reading a post I created about the best narrow shoes for kids:
The Best Shoes For Kids With Narrow Feet – Stop Hurting Your Kids Feet!
Thank you so much for this informative post, the information you’ve provided here is indeed very useful!
My little girl is 5 and keeps dancing around the house every day! She loves taking ballet classes, but the teacher told us we needed to invest in a better pair of ballet slippers since she kept falling down.
Also, what is the best material for a ballet slipper according to you?
Thanks once again!
The best material for a ballet slipper is leather. I presented you in the post with a selection of the best ballet shoes for children, they are all made out of leather WITH a leather sole to provide your child with more stability. Let me know if you have any other questions!
Hi there,
Awesome article, I was absorbed by the reading!
I was once a ballet dancer, and I use to wear these shoes. These are really comfortable and the sole grip well the floor, which is important when dancing, it prevents from slipping:) My daughter start to do ballet and she needs to buy a pair of shoes. I will show her this article, I already have an idea of what she would like:)
Thank you for this excellent post!
Daniella,
I am glad you enjoyed reading this post. I believe it contains valuable information for parents who have a child who does ballet. Wearing the right type of ballet shoes is important in order for the child to be able to perform at his or her best!