Toe Walking Exercises

Did you know that toe walking in kids is supposed to stop by age 3? I did not. My youngest was 5 before we got help. We were given some toe walking exercises to help and heres the details.

When a friend asked me at school pick up one day if my youngest always walks on her toes I replied with yes & she looked horrified.

I never really noticed it before as a problem. But oh is it. She then told me about her own journey with her oldest about toe walking and it shook me awake.

She explained some toe walking exercises I could do with her to get her to stop going up onto her toes.

Because here is the thing, she was ABLE to go flat footed but it was never for long before she was back up on her toes.

This caused her to fall…a lot. She was constantly tripping or falling into things and her poor knees were taking a beating.

So at her 5 year old check-up appointment I asked my pediatrician about it. She referred me to see a physical therapist and get assessed.

We took her to that first appointment and when I say I was shocked, it was an understatement. I never realized how many issues were caused by her toe walking.

The PT did some stretching and different exercises, really games to them, to see how severe it was. It was severe enough that she got us on a PT schedule.

My daughter could not extend her legs fully out when the PT doctor lifted one in the air. She could not put her heels all the way down when stretching in a lunge position.

She could not tough her toes, she could not crab walk, she could barely balance when just kneeling.

Her core strength was weak, her hamstrings were too tight, and her calf muscles had been doing all this work so they were tight as well.

I never realized how many issues toe walking could cause. Thankfully we have been in PT for over 2 months now and it has gotten way better.

Her balance has improved (PT helped her balance way more than gymnastics did), she is able to extend her legs in the air better (still working on that), she can crab walk, she doesn’t fall over or trip as much, and she is able to do most of the toe walking exercises and is about to “graduate” the PT program.

So if you are concerned about your little one walking on their toes constantly and they are over 3 years old, ask your pediatrician and ask for a referral to be assess by a PT. Can’t hurt and it will save you worlds of headaches later on.

Now onto the exercises that have helped us. Each child is different and I am not a physical therapist. This is just what we do at home to stretch the muscles and work on strength. Plus they are fun games for the kids.

Animal Walks

These are a favorite of any kid! What kid doesn’t like to pretend they are an animal? So there are specific animal walks that will help with making sure they keep those heels on the ground as well as help strengthen the core and leg muscles.

First is crab walks, these can be a bit tricky but once you show them a few times, they will get the hang of it. Try it forwards and backwards. Make sure they are lifting their booty off the ground. You may be surprised at how much the glute muscles, leg muscles and core all go hand in hand in these toe walking exercises.

Penguin walks. These are great for making sure they keep their heels down because basically they are walking on their heels with their toes in the air.

Bear walks is another good animal walk to make sure the heel goes down too.

These animal walks do not have to take long either. Have them do each animal walk down a hallway and back then move on.

Toe Pick Ups

This one was by far my kids favorite. You take any small objects like marbles, legos, cut up pieces of sponges, etc. and have them balance on one foot, while using the other one to pick up the items with their toes and put them into your hands. Start with your hand on the ground if they are super wobbly. As they advance lift your hand higher and higher off the ground. This will help with core strength and balance too.

Flipper Walks

The doctor did this during sessions because we don’t have flippers at home. But you could buy a pair of swimming fins/flippers and have them wear them and walk back and forth around the house. You will have to help them so they do not trip as the flippers are very awkward to wear. By the end of a few sessions, she was able to walk by herself with the flippers.

Walking Backwards

Walking backwards helps them put their heels down to walk. When you walk backwards naturally your heels go down first which helps stretch out the hamstrings and get those muscles up to speed.

Toe Braces

These she was not a huge fan of, but she would wear them 5-10 minutes at a time. If your child lets you put them on and wear shoes even better. The braces are supposed to help make being on their toes a bit uncomfortable so they go back on their heels.

You can also buy these toe wedges that go between their toes to help not go up on their toes when walking, or you can DIY it yourself by taking an old sponge and cutting slits in it for the toes.

Stretches

Wall lunges helped her stretch those hamstring and calve muscles out and be able to eventually put her heels down while stretching one leg back at a time. Make sure they keep their toes pointed forward. They will try and turn their feet outward to make the stretch “easier”.

Another stretch is to have them lay on their backs and keeping one leg out straight, the other lifts in the air keeping it as straight as possible while going as high as they can. Hold this stretch for 30 seconds and switch legs. They will not like these stretches but it will help stretch out those tight muscles.

Stretching out these muscles and doing these exercises will help it not be so hard or uncomfortable walking flat on their feet which can help them refrain from toe walking.

These are all the toe walking exercises we do at home to help aid in the PT process. Overall the PT has helped her almost always walk flat footed now, sometimes she will get up on her toes but a quick reminder usually corrects it.

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