getting child to use right hand

mutley74

Does any one have any advice on how to teach/train a 3yr old to use their right hand more when writing and using a crayon. As my kid likes to use his left more,but i prefer if he could try and be right handed.

vanoonoo

you'll probably stunt his creativity if you try to encourage him against using his left hand to be honest. the reason he's left handed if because his brain works in a different way to right handed people.

this link may be of interest and should explain a few things about being a lefty in a righty world.

http://www.left-handersday.com/tour2.html

I'm left handed and in order for me to learn how to do things mum (right handed) used to sit opposite me so that I copied her in reverse/mirror image

there are very few truely left handed people in the world due to the bias towards right handed people, so you willprobably fin that he develops into being ambidextrous.

hth a little although it doesn't give you any ideas for what you actually asked

Jay-Jay_4

Chipz,

I was in your position. My daughter showed left handed tendancies from being a few months old.

Her dad is left handed and so are both of my parents but I'm right handed and would have preferred my daughter to be right handed also.

I think that they usually have a preferred hand since birth and there isn't a lot you can do about it. Yes it can be awkward when they're writing in pen but my daughter is 5 now and it's never been a problem.

I have a friend who was forced to use her right hand and now her writing is barely legible. She's also lost the ability to use her left hand for writing now.

Please leave your son to use whichever hand he prefers. It's hard enough when they start shool without having to re-master fine motor skills.

Spendless

i think you're just born right or left handed. there is a lot of left handed people in my hubbys family and i alway wondered if mine would be too .little boy isn't. little girl don't know yet. i was bothered how we two right handed people would teach a left handed child how to do things like tie shoe laces for example and if daughter is i will ask my left handed relatives to help show her these things.

in my side of family only my nan is left handed and as a school girl in the 1930s was forced to have her left hand tied behind her back so she would write with her right hand instead - of course to this day she is still left handed and doesn't have fond memories of people trying to force her to be right handed instead.

longtallsally_2

My Mum did this with me when I was a child because I had left handed tendancies. I now write right handed but am totally cack handed and clumsy with both hands when doing most things. I still can't hold a knife and fork properly because it doesn't feel comfortable. I can't say for sure it's because of what my Mum did but I'd stick to what comes naturally.

Sarahsaver

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooo! let them find their own preference. My son had 'delayed fine motor skills' due to bandaging for eczema. Hes 4 and still hasnt quite decided which hand he prefers. If a child feels theres a right and a wrong hand they will be put off completely.

Mum_the_nut

Please don't try to change your child. I really don't understand why people have a problem with left handers. You'll give him a complex he'll think there's something wrong with him and there isn't. A lot of the most intellectual people were and are left handed. My son is incredibally bright he's 4 years ahead in his reading at school and he's ambidextrous. I would never change that about him it gives him character.

mini

Both my children I thought would be left handed because to draw they used their left hand they later switched to right handed although one daughter sometimes still uses left (only 4 now) I would urge you to leave him to develop naturally if he remains left handed, then make sure his nursery & school when he starts are aware of it as I understand using right handed scissors can be very difficult for someone who is left handed.

Jay-Jay_4

I understand using right handed scissors can be very difficult for someone who is left handed.

You can buy childrens left handed scissors at the Early Learning Centre for £3.00

SaraSeahorse

http://www.anythingleft-handed.co.uk/community.html

lots of info, FAQ, etc.

"At what age will I know if my child is left-handed?
It is not uncommon for children of nursery age to still be undecided as to their dominant hand, as we all develop at different rates. Most babies use both hands to begin with, and rarely show any preference before about 7-9 months old. By about 18 months many children use one hand consistently. However, it is not unusual for children to show no distinct preference even at 3 or 4 years old.

Generally speaking, the earlier a child shows a specific dominance for a hand, the more strongly dominant they will be, and it may be that if a child has no strong preference until later, even when increasing the number of manually dextrous tasks they perform as their brain and co-ordination develop, it is because they are comfortable using both hands.

Most children have a preferred writing hand by 5 years old, but their brains and co-ordination are still developing and hand preference too, can continue to develop until 9 years old. Whatever preference a child shows, it is important to let them develop naturally, as they will only choose the hand that is better able to complete whatever task is set, at their brain's stage of development. Even if your child has not decided on their hand preference by the time they start nursery, you can watch their development by noting:

Which hand they use to reach for toys and crayons placed directly in front of them.
Which hand they prefer to feed themselves with (either finger food or spoon)
Which hand do they prefer to stir with, if helping you bake a cake. Left-handers usually stir anti-clockwise.
When drawing, or attempting to form letters, left-handers usually prefer to work from the right, away from the body to the left, which is a more natural movement.
Left-handed children experimenting with toys and tools will try to turn things anti-clockwise, against the thread of a screw, or to wind up a toy by unwinding it!
When standing on one leg, feel more secure standing on the left. If you are helping them to dress, get the right leg ready first for them to step in.
Which hand do they brush their teeth with/comb their hair with?
(Catching and throwing a ball is a mixture of dominant hand and dominant eye, so is not always an accurate measure of hand preference).
"

rushnowt

I always thought that left handed people were more gifted artistally and probably a bit brighter because of the way the brain works. Please don't tell me i'm wrong it's my only excuse for being so thick lol :-[