My handy Left’s Hander’s Desk Calendar 
From the looks of the website, it could use some funding. Not surprising, I suppose, because only 8-10% of the population are left-handed. Many of the articles I’ve read on left-handedness noted that lefties are simply under-represented in research. They may be under-represented in the caring department as well.
I found the page on left-handed writing (go figure) particularly interesting because it explained how left-handed people write differently. Lefties don’t just write the opposite as right-handed people. The following image illustrates, for example, how a lefty should position her paper.
As a young lefty, I wasn’t ever shown how to properly hold the paper and position my hand for writing. Most people don’t know this is even an issue because they are right-handed. This positioning makes a huge difference because, had I known, I would have avoided a lot of strain in my wrist and all that ink smudging on the outside of my hand.
Anyway, I thought it was interesting and would share. I’m sure there are some parents out there with left-handed children. Penmanship can be tough for lefties (mine’s horrible), but learning the best way to position themselves can certainly help.
The Lefty’s Left Handed Writing Guide Instructional Set
He’s not too much into writing letters just yet, but it seems like a great tool.
Do you have a left-handed child? What tools do you use to help them learn to write?
full disclosure: this post contains affiliate links. it does not, however, contain peanuts
Student Mom (Jenn) says
June 11, 2012 at 9:01 amWhahahaha. I read “teaching left-handed children to right”
Ok… maybe not that funny. My son (step son, but he’d be mine if I could reorganise the universe) is a lefty, but only because he broke his right arm when they started to learn to write. for years he used to draw a circle by completing the right hand side with his right hand, and the left hand side with his left – very amusing to watch.
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anotherjennifer says
June 11, 2012 at 9:33 amThat’s one way to read it. 🙂 Interesting that he had to switch hands because of an arm break. My 3 year old sometimes switches hands when he draws as well. Being ambidextrous can be good, but it sometimes makes it harder to learn how to do things well. Thanks for stopping by!
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Cynthia says
June 11, 2012 at 12:54 pmYeah, I was never really taught how to write properly either. I worked on my penmanship in college, and it’s a bit better now, but when I’m writing in a hurry it’s a complete mess. And no matter what I do, I just can’t avoid getting those ink smudges on the outside of my hand.
Neither of my sons are lefties, and my husband (psychology teacher) told me that lefties are diminishing in number. Yikes! Have you heard anything about that?
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anotherjennifer says
June 11, 2012 at 1:10 pmI hadn’t heard about diminishing numbers. I’m curious as to why. Maybe he can write a guest post! 🙂
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Michelle says
June 11, 2012 at 9:26 pmThis is pretty interesting. My mom used to be lefty, but (ya know), Catholic School. She was forced to write with her right hand. It’s not like that anymore, but she’s definitely a righty now. My son seems to favor his left. I’ll have to keep this post in mind when he starts to write.
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anotherjennifer says
June 11, 2012 at 9:50 pmMy mom was a lefty too, but the nuns made her switch! She’s a right now as well. Go figure.
I have a few posts on being left-handed and parenting a left-handed child if/when you need them 🙂
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Jenna says
June 12, 2012 at 8:59 amMy question: What do you do when your child hasn’t picked a side yet. He’s 4.5 and writes/colors evenly with both hands. COloring the right page in a coloring book? Right hand! Coloring the left page in a coloring book? Left hand! We haven’t forced it at all yet, obviously, but I feel like I’m short-changing him because he can’t yet write his name because he won’t pick a hand. Very confusing as a parent.
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anotherjennifer says
June 12, 2012 at 2:21 pmThat’s an interesting dilemma, Jenna. My 3 year old will switch hands from time to time, but he eats with his left hand, grabs things with this left hand and usually at least starts to write (scribble really) and draw with his left hand. I’ve read that kids can be ambidextrous until their 5 or 6. The key is to not push a preference. Does he have a preference for eating or picking things up? I can see how that would be confusing!
Here’s an article from BabyCenter that might help: http://www.babycenter.com/404_when-will-i-know-whether-my-baby-is-a-righty-or-a-lefty_6716.bc
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James Hoeltgen says
April 9, 2013 at 10:43 pmI was taught as you suggest and it really screwed me up. I totally disagree with you suggestion as you might guess. In writing with the right hand you move from left to right in a clockwise direction. When I right left handed I turn the paper at. 90 degree angle, do not loop my hand and write straight up, often appearing to be upside down. The movement is counterclockwise. I can write on a blackboard with either hand or use both at the same time.
There is an old SR Psych test using a platter with a small nickel size electrode. You are given a pen and when you make contact with the electrode a clock times it. Now you let the platter rotate. After several tries you get better and better, if you are right handed. Lefties don’t achieve the same results, they are awful.
This was true when I took the test in psych in college. Then I asked the professor to reverse the direction of the platter from clockwise to counter clockwise, which he couldn’t do. I told him for a lefty it was turning the wrong way. We had to come up with an experiment for the class and I hade my experiment.
I asked for lefty and righty volunteer out of a student body of 1,100 I got 100 lefties. I randomly picked 100 righties. I used my record torn table which was belt driven and just made a new belt which when twisted made the turntable turn counterclockwise.
The results were startling. Each individual was tested with each hand in clockwise and counterclockwise directions. The only test the righties excelled in was with the right hand in a clockwise direction. The lefties were slightly lower. Now reverse the platter and the lefties scored as well as the righties had above. The righties scored much lower than the lefties in the counterclockwise direction.
Time to switch hands. The lefties did a pretty good job with their right hands in either direction whereas the righties were just awful with their left hand regardless of direction of the platter, almost comical.
As a lefty we are forced to adapt to a righty world. I think the test showed this. I think being taught to write like a righty as above enhanced my dyslexia. When I’ve endorsed checks at the bank I’ve had tellers scream because they could read it, not good! BTW I am using an iPad and typing this with my right hand. Pretty much I can use either hand for anything except hand writing. My father, an eye doctor performed eye surgery with both the right and left hands depending on which eye he was operating on.
anotherjennifer says
April 11, 2013 at 9:58 pmWow. Interesting stuff!
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James Hoeltgen says
April 11, 2013 at 10:13 pmSomewhere I read in a book the rather stark differences between looping and non looping left handed people when they write. My daughter gave me the book and I have not been able to find it or any references to it. The author pretty much said the loopers were “normal” but the non loopers had some interesting quirks which sound similar to Asperger’s, the one I remember is being in mid sentence then all of a sudden switching topics. This is me. When I do this the people to whom I am talking are lost whereas I am lost because they don’t understand me.
James Hoeltgen says
April 9, 2013 at 10:44 pmI would rotate the paper above about 150 degrees.
GwenMSi says
August 16, 2013 at 10:21 amMy son who just turned 14 I believe was suppose to be a lefty, because when he was in K his teacher sent a not home telling me to encourage him to write & draw with his right hand. Being a young new mom and her being a much older woman that had been teaching for years I just did what I was told. At every conference she would just always tell me he needs to work with his right hand. Well by the time he got to 2nd grade he had all sorts of fine motor issues and just struggled. So I held him back thinking it had something to do with his immaturity. Well it wasn’t until his second yr of second grade when I took him to a batting cage and a instructor asked me why he was batting righty but holding the bat as a lefty. Something told me a number of times that this was the issue. I tried to encourage him to try lefty but he fought it. It wasn’t until recently he has been willing to give it a try and it’s amazing his writing with his left hand which he has tried doing for just one day looks almost identical to his right hand which obviously he has been writing with for years. Watch your kids and let them lead the way don’t let a teacher tell you which hand they should use for the sake of it being easier for them to teach.
anotherjennifer says
August 18, 2013 at 6:09 pmI agree, Gwen. We need to follow our children’s lead. Forcing them to do things a different way is just going to hold them back. From the very beginning, I made sure I always handed my children things (like a spoon, for example) in the middle – never on the right or left. It’s too bad your son was forced to write with his right hand. I hope he’s open to using whatever is comfortable now! Thanks for sharing your story!
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Eboly says
November 19, 2014 at 1:50 amI believe my son is left handed because when he was in preschool his teacher adviced me that she had to encourage him to use his right hand. Of course I asked her to stop and let him use the hand he dominated with, but it was too late. He is now 7 and still is having a difficult time with his hand writing. I have searched for tips on how to help him, but have not found any. I would like to reteach him to use his left hand.
James Hoeltgen says
November 19, 2014 at 2:21 pmHi Eboly, why not leave well enough alone. Teacher thought he was right you think he is left. Overthinking this is not good for him. Why not let him choose which hand he uses to write and everyone allow him to do this and he can teach himself. You don’t can’t teach him how to write with his left hand, it’s up to him. Maybe he is ambidextrous and will write with both hands. I write left to right at a 90 or close to 180 degree angle, upside downish when writing on a flat surface. I can also right with my right or left hand on a blackboard without prejudice as to handedness. I’m dislexic and really don’t care where something is, I will use the hand that is simplist to use for the position I am in.
Handedness can not be taught in my opinion because you don’t know how his brain is wired. You all are assuming. Teach him the letters etc. and let him determine how he “writes” them. You can learn from him. BTW I am writing this on my iPad with my right hand and I am a lefty, oops righty oops both. Get tired half as fast.