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Original poster

At what age does a child become left/right handed??

75 replies

Drinkandknowthings · 16/04/2020 20:34

Just curious. DD is 3 and still swaps between hands when holding a pencil/crayon. She does seem to favour her left though and seems to have a bit more control (lines are a bit straighter). So I’m just wondering.

OP posts:
ItchyScratch · 16/04/2020 20:36

We speak about this often as my daughter we knew from one week old she was left handed as she only ever sucked that hand which gradually progressed into always using the left for any task.
(She’s now 14)

Our second is 3 and we can’t tell at all. She uses both all of the time

Myfriendanxiety · 16/04/2020 20:38

My 3 year old always favours his left and we have said from being about 6 months old he thought he would be left handed.

Windyatthebeach · 16/04/2020 20:40

Of all my dc I have 2 lefties and 1 who is good with both. Rest are right handed.
Obvious at nursery at the latest.

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NuffSaidSam · 16/04/2020 20:40

No-one really knows. Some theories say it's already decided before they're born. There is likely some genetic element too.

They usually show a strong preference by about two years old, but some will still sometimes swap between until they're about four.

APipkinOfPepper · 16/04/2020 20:41

I thought I was going to have to tell the teacher I didn’t know whether one of my DC’s was left or right handed when they started school! In the end they made their mind up that summer when they were just past their 4th birthday. So it can take a while in my experience!

nameymcnamechangeagain · 16/04/2020 20:42

My sons 19months and we’ve been saying he’s left handed from quite early on (kicks a ball with left foot, walks up and down steps left foot first etc)

Temple29 · 16/04/2020 20:43

My DS is one and has always favored his left hand since being able to use his hands so I’m curious about this too

trilbydoll · 16/04/2020 20:43

DD2 is very left handed and had a clear preference very early. DD1 is right handed but showed no real preference until starting school.

rallytog1 · 16/04/2020 20:46

My eldest was 5 before we were sure she was left handed.

My youngest was obviously right handed from a few weeks old.

OnlyFoolsnMothers · 16/04/2020 20:47

DD 2.7 has been obviously right handed since she could colour- my niece was left handed once she picked up a crayon

mathanxiety · 16/04/2020 20:49

My youngest (of five) is a lefty. I knew when she was old enough to hold objects and put them in her mouth. She always did this with her left hand. When she was weaned she fed herself with her left hand too. She would hold objects with her right hand and do fine motor investigation of them with her left. So basically within her first 7 months I knew.

mathanxiety · 16/04/2020 20:50

And I observed the same for the eighties within the same time frame.

mathanxiety · 16/04/2020 20:52

*righties...

Jemma2907 · 16/04/2020 20:52

My boy is 5 in June and still uses both hands. Left for writing and right for colouring! I think he will be left-handed but not 100% sure obviously. Both me and my Husband are right-handed.

isabellerossignol · 16/04/2020 20:54

My son is half way through primary school and still hasn't settled on which hand to use. He uses his left on the page on the left and his right on the page on the right.

I'm thinking that at this stage he isn't going to choose one!

Em3978 · 16/04/2020 20:55

My DS was same as Pipkin's, didn't really work out a preference until the summer before school started. Now he's mostly right handed but ambidextrous at some things.

xyzandabc · 16/04/2020 20:56

Eldest is left handed and I'd say it was obvious from when she 1st started reaching for things. She did everything first with her left hand. Other 2 are right handed and it wasn't so obvious at all.

My friend had a school report at age 6 or 7 mentioning that her child was left handed. She's a teacher and it was the 1st she knew of it. Child was definitely right handed as far as she knew.
Upon questioning, child says they write with their left hand at school and right hand at home!

LittleBoyJuly2020 · 16/04/2020 20:57

My son (now 20 years old) is left handed and left footed (plays football) and I knew from really early on.

Aroundtheworldin80moves · 16/04/2020 20:57

DD was showing clear signs of being left handed until she broke her left arm at just turned 4. Started school a couple of months later, favouring her right hand. Now in Yr4.. and can't write legibly. Teachers have a theory that she is left handed, but has learnt to write with her right hand and can't unlearn it... But doesn't have the usual muscle strength in that hand.

Using lockdown to work on her reversed letters and pencil control 1-1.

dreadpiratered · 16/04/2020 20:58

Our GP and health visitors guidance has been that you should stay to notice by two years and we have certainly seen that with our three year old. Our five year old is in year one and still writes with both hands although appears to be trending toward right at the moment. We are looking at whether she has some underlying issues such as dyslexia and dyspraxia.

MummaGiles · 16/04/2020 20:58

DS (5) writes left handed but throws with his right and is right footed. It was from around age 2 I reckon that it was obvious he favoured his left for drawing etc.

whenwillthemadnessend · 16/04/2020 20:59

My ds was obvs as soon as he started making marks. So about 18mths/2. I'm left handed tho so it wasn't a big surprise

shinynewapple2020 · 16/04/2020 21:06

Interesting. As a 3 year old DS used both hands but had more of a tendency towards his left. Given that DH is left handed we assumed DS was and so encouraged his left handed holding of pens and crayons. However as he grew up he did everything else right handed - scissors, tennis racket, cricket bat, guitar etc and I've often wondered whether, if I'd pushed right handed writing more when he was 4 if would actually be writing right handed now. He's grown up now, but he has really awful hand writing.

thatmustbenigelwiththebrie · 16/04/2020 21:07

My sister is 35, writes with her left hand but does everything else with her right. So she's not figured it out yet Smile

Oblomov20 · 16/04/2020 21:15

Ds2 was clearly left handed from a very early age. Possibly 1? Maybe 1.5? I can't remember.