Tomas Bata University in Zlín

An original book for children was created on the premises of the University of Zlín

Zlín 2. 5. 2023 – How feet affect the behavior of the whole body, how they work, why they sometimes hurt, how to procure the right shoes and why to prefer sometimes barefoot-walking. These and other questions are answered in a picture publication called “Nezapomeň na nohy”. It is intended for children and their parents, but also for kindergarten and elementary school teachers.

A richly illustrated book with practical advice and examples of how to take care of your feet properly was created at the Institute of Marketing Communications and the Animation Studio of the Faculty of Multimedia Communications (FMK) of the Tomas Bata University (TBU) in Zlín in cooperation with the Technology Transfer Center (TTC) and with the support of the Footwear Research Center (FRC). It is divided into nine chapters that deal in detail with the issue of children’s feet.

“This book is educational, so it is assumed that an adult will work with the child. It’s either a parent, or perhaps a kindergarten teacher, or the children get to know her in clubs or in first and second grade classes,” says Radomila Soukalová, one of the authors.

In addition, a detailed manual is prepared for each chapter for adults, who can study the issue and theory in advance before starting to work with the book itself and with children.

“The position of the feet and their proper functioning is extremely important, because the way how we stand and walk affects the position and functioning of the entire body. Improper use of the feet already in childhood, one-sided loading and unsuitable shoes can be the cause of a whole range of health problems in later years. The book is intended to be a guide and at the same time a prevention, so that children and their parents can realize that the feet are the basis of our body, a pillar that needs to be well taken care of ever from an early age,” explains co-author Jana Vašková. “Children will learn in a playful way how to stand correctly, how to move correctly, and for example how to correctly do such a seemingly simple movement as a squat. Because even many adults do not master the technique of performing a squat, by doing it incorrectly they overload the knees and back, which used to be a frequent cause of pain, the development of arthrosis and various movement difficulties,” he adds.

There is a QR code on each double page, under which children, together with their parents or teachers, can find animations and practical videos with exercises. According to them, they can then exercise together. Readers will learn how feet work, how to use them correctly, how to take care of them, how to perform a pedicure, or even why walking barefoot is healthy, when and how to walk barefoot, where not anymore and when it is better to take shoes. A separate chapter focused on footwear as such describes how the right shoe should look like and, on the other hand, what footwear is not suitable for the feet. “All this is depicted in beautiful pictures. We also clarify to readers any risks of diseases that can affect the feet when we use them incorrectly or wear inappropriate shoes. It is important to remember that every foot is individual and not each shoe is suitable for it. Even the best shoe on the improper foot is a bad shoe. In order to keep our feet health we must not forget about regular movement and exercise,” says Jana Vašková.

The illustrator of the book, Eliška Chytková from the Animated Creation studio, was left relatively free to do her own creative work, but under the strict supervision of experts in the field of podiatry. “After so many consultations, I am sure that the drawn positions of the children and the accuracy of their movements are correct. Within testing the book through the children in the family, it was gratifying to observe their interest in getting moving and exploring how their legs affect the functioning of the whole body,” she says.

“Footwear is associated with a person almost from the first steps and accompanies us throughout our lives. It is therefore an integral part of everyday life, and therefore it is necessary to pay great care to this area. The most important factors from the point of view of footwear are functionality and comfort, which undoubtedly contributes to the healthy development of the feet of the young population. I perceive the book “Nezapomeň na nohy”, its content and balanced content to be very beneficial from the point of view of familiarizing and educating the young generation with this issue. In terms of content, it appropriately complements and follows on from the activities of the Footwear Research Center,” says Tomáš Sáha, director of the Footwear Research Center at TBU.

Thanks to the Technology Transfer Center of the Tomas Bata University in Zlín, we managed to find a publishing house with which a license agreement was subsequently concluded. The book will be published by Host publishing house on May 18, 2023. Besides, the book was created also thanks to the support of the Technological Agency of the Czech Republic (TAČR). “It is exactly the good example of transferring knowledge into practice. And the fact that we finally managed to sign the license agreement and publish the book makes us very happy,” said Ivana Bartoníková, director of the TBU Technology Transfer Center in Zlín. “In addition, the prototype of the book is protected as the industrial design,” added Přemysl Strážnický, TTC specialist.

However, the focus on children’s feet does not end with this book. This is followed by a board game with the same title, which thematically follows the book. It is a board game with cards, where the exercises are shown just like in the book. “Some of the same, some of the new, the board game is again for preschool and school age children. Children will use the knowledge from the book, the game includes figures and characters that they know just from the book. The game is complemented by a mobile game where all the characters from the book appear again,” finishes Radomila Soukalová.