As a parent, you may have noticed that your child seems to favor one hand over the other. This can be an indication that your child is either right-handed or left-handed. While this may not seem like a big deal, knowing which hand your child favors can help you in numerous ways. One of the best ways to determine if your child is right-handed or left-handed is to observe their behavior. For example, if your child picks up a toy with their right hand and consistently uses that hand to play with it, chances are they are right-handed.
On the other hand, if your child uses their left hand to hold the toy, they may be left-handed. Another way to tell if your child is right-handed or left-handed is to look at their handwriting. If your child consistently uses their right hand to write, they are most likely right-handed. If they use their left hand, they are most likely left-handed.
As parents, it’s important to understand that left-handed children may face some unique challenges in a world that is predominantly designed for right-handed individuals. In this blog post, we’ll be discussing some tips and tricks on how to help left-handed children thrive.
Firstly, it’s important to ensure that your child has access to left-handed tools and equipment. This includes items such as left-handed scissors, left-handed guitars, and left-handed desks. By providing your child with left-handed equipment, you’ll be ensuring that they are able to perform tasks comfortably and efficiently.
Teach your child to embrace their left-handedness. Many left-handed individuals have been made to feel like they are “different” or “weird” because of their hand preference. By teaching your child to embrace their left-handedness, you’ll be helping them to develop a positive self-image and sense of identity. It is important to ensure that your child’s school is aware of their left-handedness. This can include informing their teacher or requesting that left-handed desks be provided in the classroom. By doing so, you’ll be ensuring that your child is comfortable and able to learn to the best of their ability.
Be patient and show understanding with your left-handed child. They may take longer to learn certain tasks or may struggle with certain activities. By providing them with support and understanding, you’ll be helping them to develop a positive attitude towards learning and towards their left-handedness.
It’s important to note that some children may be ambidextrous, meaning they can use both hands equally well. If you suspect your child may be ambidextrous, pay attention to which hand they use for specific tasks. This can help you determine if they truly are ambidextrous or if they favor one hand over the other.
True hand dominance has been proven to develop around 4 to 6 years of age.
At The Nest Schools, we support the development of gross and fine motor skills in the hands, fingers, and wrists. Our Nest Play curriculum offers ample opportunities to strengthen and support the use children’s hands, fingers, and wrists. Strengthening both so that, no matter what hand or hands they end up using as their dominant one in the future, they are equally strong and prepared to be successful at The Nest. Activities to practice gross and fine motor skills at The Nest include coloring, cutting, twisting, squeezing (playdough), and more. We are proud to offer these creative and fun activities that significantly aid in strengthening our joints, building muscle, and coordination needed to be able to do future tasks such as writing, acquiring hand-eye coordination, grab/open objects, type, etc.
Understanding your child’s handedness can help you identify potential learning disabilities or developmental delays. While determining your child’s handedness may seem like a small detail, it can actually provide valuable insight into your child’s development. Pay attention to your child’s behavior and handwriting to determine if they are right-handed, left-handed, or ambidextrous.