The Best Sport Shoes for Children – The Best Soccer, Basketball, Baseball, and Football Cleats

Are you looking for a pair of sports shoes to protect and support your children’s feet and legs and encourage them to succeed? Being good at sports requires children to have the best type of shoes for that particular sport that they are playing. Just so you know, expensive sports shoes don’t automatically translate into better shoes for your child. You don’t have to spend more money to provide your child with a pair of good sports shoes and keep your child’s feet healthy. I have put together a list of the best sport shoes for children, and the shoes can fit different foot shapes (medium, wide, extra wide).

My Experience Fitting Children’s Shoes – Over a Decade of Shoe Fitting Experience

I have been fitting children’s shoes for 10 years at a specialized children’s shoe store that focuses on fitting children with foot and leg problems, but we provide regular shoe fitting as well. We carry many different shoe brands and styles, and over the years I became familiar with the best sport shoes for children.

I will provide you with a selection of the best sport shoes for your children, focusing on the following sports:

• Soccer
• Basketball
• Baseball
• Football
• Tennis
• Lacrosse

Does Your Child Have a “Complicated” Foot Shape?

Some children might be dealing with a particular foot condition or “complicated foot shape” that is making it harder for you to find sport shoes that fit. The good news is that I will help you find that particular sport shoe that you have been looking for and that will accommodate the shape of your child’s feet, no matter how narrow or wide it is.

The Importance of Getting the Correct Type of Sports Shoes – Prevent Injuries

When children play sports, they are stressing out their feet and legs at a whole different level, as they are running faster, making sudden stops, quick direction changes, and they are jumping and landing hard on their feet.

Bear in mind that in most children, toe, foot, or ankle injuries occur during sports, play, or falls. Sport-specific shoes are engineered to provide the support, motion control, and cushioning that minimize foot injuries associated with a particular activity.

The Best Sport Shoes for Children

I will give you a brief description of a particular set of sports and based on that I will also help you find the best sport shoes for children, so they can play any of these sports while keeping their feet and legs healthy.

Soccer 

When children play soccer, they are stressing out their feet and legs at a whole different level as they are running faster and making sudden moves and stops. There are a lot of quick direction change movements in soccer as well. I have seen several cases of children having knee and leg pain after playing soccer, and most of the time this was simply because they were not wearing the correct pair of cleats.

The soccer cleats that I recommend provide great traction, are flexible, and come with a firm heel counter to protect and support your kids’ ankles.

The Best Soccer Shoes for Kids ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Take a look at the description below each soccer cleat to find out if it can accommodate your child’s foot shape (medium, wide, extra wide).

I explain in more detail the features of these soccer cleats in another article I wrote. Go to the link below:

The Best Soccer Cleats for Kids – The Secret for Your Child to Play Better

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Basketball

Basketball requires running at a faster speed and landing hard on the resilient floor, which makes the risk of injuries on the court higher.

Wearing the correct pair of basketball shoes helps minimize the chance of injuries on the court. Basketball shoes play a huge role in keeping your kids’ feet and legs healthy.

Ankle injuries are some of the most common ones in basketball and it’s important for your kids’ basketball shoes to come well-padded around that area.

Basketball shoes must provide 2 key features to provide your child with the appropriate support:

1️⃣ Firm Heel Counter: This part of the shoe provides ankle support and protects your kids’ ankles from getting injured.

2️⃣ Substantial Outsole: This part of the shoe helps protect your kids’ feet every time your child lands on the resilient floor after jumping.

The Best Basketball Shoes for Kids ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Take a look at the description below each basketball shoe to find out if it can accommodate your child’s foot shape (medium, wide, extra wide).

I explain the features of these basketball shoes in more detail in another article I wrote. Go to the link below:

The Best Basketball Shoes for Kids – Avoid Damaging Their Feet and Knees

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Baseball 

When children are playing baseball, they are putting pressure on their feet and knees by accelerating quickly and sliding. If they are not wearing the correct pair of baseball cleats, this increased impact may not only end up hurting your kids’ feet, but also make them more prone to injuries.

Baseball cleats always fit narrower than regular sneakers, as they are designed to fit the shape of the athlete’s foot. That is the reason why it is so important to find cleats that are wide enough for your child’s feet, so you won’t have to worry about your kids’ toes being cramped inside the shoes.

These cleats will significantly boost your kid’s efficiency. They might not automatically make them better baseball players, but they will definitely allow them to play at their best.

The Best Baseball Shoes for Kids ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Take a look at the description below each baseball shoe to find out if it can accommodate your child’s foot shape (medium, wide, extra wide).

I explain the features of these baseball cleats in more detail in another article I wrote called:

What are the Best Baseball Cleats for Kids? – Maximize Performance and Prevent Injuries!

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Football 

I have spoken with many football coaches, and they all agree that children that don’t wear cleats tend to slip and fall when the grass is wet, which puts them at risk of injuries, being stepped on, or just getting hurt from the fall itself.

They all emphasized how they have seen children get hurt from not wearing cleats but have yet to see one injured due to wearing them. That’s why it’s so important to wear a pair of cleats that fits and also that provides good traction.

In summary, a good football cleat will provide excellent traction, support, durability and breathability.

The Best Football Cleats for Kids ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Take a look at the description below each football cleat to find out if it can accommodate your child’s foot shape (medium, wide, extra wide).

I explain the features of these football cleats in more detail in another article I wrote called:

Best Football Cleats for Boys – Protect Your Child’s Feet and Prevent Injuries!

If your child is actually into flag football then take a look at the article below:

Flag Football Cleats for Kids – Don’t Buy Baseball or Soccer Cleats for Flag Football

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Tennis

There are 2 key features that your kids’ tennis shoes must provide:

1️⃣ Firm Heel Counter: This feature helps cushion, support, and protect your kids’ heels every time they become in contact with the ground. A tennis shoe that provides a firm heel counter helps reduce the chances of sprained ankles.

2️⃣ Excellent Traction: There are a lot of sudden stops and movements that involve quick direction changes in tennis. Shoes with good traction allow your children to make these types of movements without hurting themselves.

The Best Tennis Shoes for Kids ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Take a look at the description below each tennis shoe to find out if it can accommodate your child’s foot shape (medium, wide, extra wide).

I explain the features of these tennis shoes in more detail in another article I wrote called:

Best Shoes for Kids Who Play Tennis – Lateral Support, Stability, and Good Traction!

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Lacrosse

Your child will need to make short, quick lateral, forward and backward movements when playing lacrosse, making footwork an important skill.

There is also a lot of jumping involved in lacrosse, and the higher your kids can jump, the more balls they can catch, block, steal and shoot effectively. It’s important for your kids to wear the correct type of cleats to perform all of these movements without hurting their feet.

There is only one lacrosse cleat style that will fit the shape of a child with wide or extra wide feet.

The Best Lacrosse Cleats for Kids ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Take a look at the description below each lacrosse shoe to find out if it can accommodate your child’s foot shape (medium, wide, extra wide).

I explain the features of these lacrosse cleats in more detail in another article called:

The Best Wide Lacrosse Cleats for Kids Reviewed

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When your children try a pair of sport shoes, always make sure that they try them on with the same exact type of socks that they will wear while playing the game.

What Shoe Size Should You Order?

In each of the descriptions of the shoes, I indicate whether you need to order a half size or a whole size bigger than your child’s foot size to provide the correct amount of growing room.

*A half a size bigger translates to 3/16 of an inch or 0.4 centimeters of space between your child’s longest toe and the end of the shoes.

*A whole size bigger translates to 3/8 of an inch or 0.8 centimeters of space between your child’s longest toe and the end of the shoes.

How To Fit Your Kids’ Sport Shoes Perfectly – Let’s Find Out!

When shoes are not fitted properly, they contribute directly to foot injuries. A shoe that is fitted too large has the same consequences as a shoe that is fitted too short. Let me show you two examples below:

If shoes are fitted too large, they will have a direct impact on your child’s stability and make your child more prone to falling, especially when playing high-speed sports, where they have to run fast and engage in quick direction changes. A shoe that is fitted too large allows too much extra space around the ankles, which may cause the ankles to roll, twist, or turn in an awkward way.

Shoes that are fitted too short may have a negative impact on your child’s feet as well. Sport players make sudden stops all the time. If the shoe is fitted too short, it might not only make your child more prone to falling but it will also cramp the toes, causing all sorts of problems such as bunions, calluses, corns, and ingrown nails.

One of the most common mistakes that I see parents make is to buy larger shoes for their kids with wide or extra wide feet to take pressure away from the widest area of the foot.  This can lead to your children injuring themselves on the field as running in shoes that are too large compromises the child’s stability.

How to Retrieve Your Child’s Exact Foot Length and Shape

I created an article that describes the simplest, yet most effective way to figure out your child’s foot size from home:

How to Measure Your Kids’ Foot – 2 Simple Steps to Determine Foot Length and Foot Width

In that article I help parents determine their child’s exact foot size and whether the child has narrow, medium, wide, or extra wide feet. I also will be able to tell you whether your child has a high instep or not.

When children play a sport, they keep themselves active and healthy. Also, taking part in a sport can help in the development of your children’s body and also boost their self-esteem and confidence.

Your children might also make some of their best friends along the way. Most importantly, playing a sport will give them a high sense of being a good team player, and believe me that is a skill that will get them very far in life.

Are Any Other Shoe Choices Available?

Do not hesitate to contact me directly at my e-mail if you have any further questions or if you need a different pair of sport shoes for your child. My e-mail address is:

fittingchildrensshoes@gmail.com

Not wearing the appropriate sport shoes will lead not only to foot and ankle problems, but leg, hip, and back pain as well. Keep in mind that alignment begins with your feet and moves up to influence the rest of your body.  Remember that wearing the correct type of shoe for that particular sport or activity is the best way of protecting your child’s ankles and feet from getting injured.

Have you found a sport-specific shoe style that has worked well for your child’s feet? Please share your findings below so other parents can benefit from your feedback.