Purpose of review The review is aimed at practising paediatricians who want to improve their clinical skills in observational gait analysis. Many paediatric complaints relate to problems of walking or limb alignment, and only a small proportion of these are pathological. With a deeper understanding of normal gait and a framework to conduct an observational analysis, the clinician can feel more confident diagnosing and recognizing those walking patterns that need further investigation. Recent findings Advances in instrumented gait analysis over the last two decades have provided deeper insights into the mechanisms of walking, how to interpret gait deviations, and their effect on locomotion. This has helped improve the quality of observational gait analysis and, in many ways, defined its limitations. Summary This review explains the components of normal gait and provides a structured approach to observational gait analysis. It also discusses the cause of limps and expands upon the importance of understanding rotational deformities. Finally, some tools to enhance the observational analysis are presented.