Left handed?!? Help!?

Question

My son is 3 and he is definitely left handed. He's started doing writing skills at nursery and he's doing it backwards. Is there anything I can do to help? Anything I can buy? Anyone got any helpful hints?

I'm not saying there is anything wrong with him. I'm not going to tell him off. I just wondered if anyone had any good ideas as it's difficult to teach when you're teaching someone who's doing it differently to you. I couldn't care less if he never wrote, I'm his mother!!! I just want to make it as easy for him as possible.

Answer 1

I'm the only lefty in my family. When I was learning to write, my mom couldn't just take my hand and help me, so she made dotted letters and numbers for me to trace. Kind of like connect the dots. Another tip, when he starts learning to tie his shoes, sit in front of him, not behind him. Even though it'll seem backwards to you, watching you tie his shoes in front of him will actually look right to him.

Answer 2

I'm left handed and so is my three year old daughter. It's never posed a problem to me and so for not to her either. At the nursery she goes to they give out "proper" letter formation sheets and there is a right handed one and a left handed one. I never realised before it's more natural for people who are left handed to form their letters the opposite way to right handers (but still with the letters correctly formed) The sheet they give out shows this, for example an "O" can be written anti-clockwise or clock-wise and also other letters like "a". (I can't remember which is which though!) Perhaps you could ask at nursery if they have anything like that?
Also, instead of dots, my daughter's nursery write the words in yellow for the child to go over in pencil. This seems better than dots as distinguishes each letter more clearly. I would suggest lots of practise!!
If he's into cutting then ELC sell scissors especially for left handed children, it's been a great help for my daughter.
Hope he continues to do well at nursery and I'm sure it won't hinder him long term!

Answer 3

I used to work in a nursery (I never qualified as a Nursery nurse, but did it for a year) We used to write their names (for example) in a yellow pen and then let them follow the letters and learn how to make the correct shapes that way, either left or right handed. I have been watching my 1 year old and he seems to use his left hand more than his right, so I think he may be left handed. Like you I am not bothered which hand he uses, it will just make him more unique!!

Do you know anybody that is left handed, maybe if you do they could tell you the ways they found easier etc.

Answer 4

I have 6 children 2 are left handed . 1 of them worked until he got it right , the other one was dyslexic . she always had a problem seeing words backward , in her 40's she still prints every thing .
At his age I wouldn't worry , boys some times are slow at getting things & then it just clicks & they do ok . It's like tieing shoes or telling time . If there is a problem later there should be teachers at the school He will be going to that will help him ..
You could make letters , show them to him , ask him what letter it is & have him draw it . make letters he can hold in your hand , turn them up side down , ask him to pick one up & turn it the direction it goes . Them gently show him if he's wrong , keep working on it , but don't push to hard , make it a game .

Answer 5

My Dad and my eldest son are both left handed. The one piece of advice my son's nursery teachers gave that was useful was to draw lots of circles with him, going in the anti-clockwise direction ( that's the same direction you would draw most circular letters ) and when stirring cake mix or playing in the sand - just to get him used to going round in that direction. Other than that, don't worry about it at all as he will get the hang of it soon enough - he's got plenty of time! My 4 year old is right handed but writes lots of letters and numbers upside down and back to front. They get the hang of it in the end!

Answer 6

I grew up the only one in my family who was left handed. It was also hard doing other things besides writing(throwing a ball, eating, ect). You should just help your son to the best of your ability. It's not a disability to be left handed, he just may do certain things different than you do at times. Besides I've always heard that left handed people are smarter. There are more Dr's who are left handed than right handed. Maybe he will be very successful one day!

Answer 7

Right handed

Answer 8

He's only 3 and there's plenty of time for him to figure things out. Even righties write thing backwards when starting out, my daughter did the same thing and she's right handed.
It called a learning process, where they figure out how to write letters and then put them together and then to put them in the right order. Learning how to read and write from left to right has to be learned too.
Let him learn at his own pace and with his own imagination and don't stress out, besides, he could become another Leonardo DaVinci, (aka: genius) and what would be wrong with that?

Answer 9

My son is left handed too.....
When he was little he had the same problem.
I was concerned! The teachers were not! They said that is very common when children start to develop their writing skills.
It is not just left handed kids either!
Don't worry about it now! He's just learning!
Enjoy him while he's a tot! They grow up so fast!
My son is now an honors college student. He grew out of that writing backward thing.
In all likelihood - your child is normal!

Answer 10

I'm left handed. have been for almost 50 yrs. My mother and father are both right and my sister and I are both left. I think it was probably harder on my Mom than either one of us girls. All kids write backwards sometimes. So there's nothing to worry about in that area yet. Try to encourage him to write upright. Sometimes left handers develop a "hook" to their hand. Usually from trying to write like a right hander.They try to lean the letters to the right when their hand naturally wants to lean them to the left. mostly don't worry. Lots of really smart people are left handed.