My 8 yo son likes these shoes as to fit.  He is a little bit chubby.  He always been a fan of Skechers in terms of fit and design:-)  These serve as his gym shoes in school and he wears them for 2 hours only.  So I have no idea if these will make him comfortable all day.  As for arch support, I am not too sure because I have not asked him questions about arch support:-)  Sorry about the feedback.