Today’s Wonder of the Day was inspired by Moranda from Woodruff, SC. Moranda Wonders, “Why do feet grow? ” Thanks for WONDERing with us, Moranda!

Do you like shoes? There are so many styles to choose from! You might like sneakers, flip flops, or even high heels. Maybe you need cleats for soccer and boots for bad weather. Maybe you even like to wear slippers around the house!

You get the picture. People make shoes for all sorts of occasions and types of weather. In addition to shoes being designed for many different occasions and conditions, they also come in all sorts of sizes. Why? Because not everyone has the same size feet!

Some people have tiny feet, while others have huge feet! Your feet might be small, large or somewhere in between. When you’re born, your feet are teeny tiny and so cute. As you get older, they grow and grow until they reach their full-grown size when you’re a young adult.

As your feet have grown over the years, you know how fun it can be to get new shoes when you outgrow your old ones. Not only is it fun, it’s also necessary. Comfortable shoes that fit well are important. If your shoes are too small or too big, you can end up with foot pain that makes you feel bad all over.

You probably know what your shoe size is, but did you know your shoe size is actually different depending on where you are in the world? That’s right, countries and regions throughout the world use different sizing standards. For example, men’s shoes that are listed as size 7.5 in the United States and Canada are a size 40 in European countries. The same shoes are a size 7 in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and Mexico, but a size 25.5 in Japan.

Not only do your feet grow bigger as you grow up, but the average size of people’s feet have grown over the years, too. In the early 1900s, the average woman’s shoe size was about a size 4. Today, it’s between size 8.5 and size 9. Men’s feet are growing, too! Sizes 6 and 7 used to be in high demand. Today, stores sell more 9s, 10s, and 11s.

Standards: CCRA.L.3, CCRA.L.6, CCRA.R.1, CCRA.R.2, CCRA.R.4, CCRA.R.10, CCRA.SL.1

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Tomorrow’s Wonder of the Day will leave you spinning!