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Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

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Original poster

At what age do children decide which hand they're going to use for writing?

14 replies

HeadFairy · 26/08/2010 18:00

ds definitely favours his left hand when he's drawing or using a pen but still occasionally uses his right. He throws with his right hand too. He's 2.11. When did you know for sure what hand your dcs were going to use?

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IMoveTheStars · 26/08/2010 18:01

ah, i'd be interested to know too - DS is 2.9 and I think he's RH, but not 100% sure yet as he draws with his left hand most of the time.

NamedAfterTheBandActually · 26/08/2010 18:10

In most children it does take a while to become apparent and as you have found at 2 or 3, a lot of children still chop and change.

DD though has favoured her right hand from the moment she could use it. Has always eaten using it, drawn with it and now at 3.3 writes with it, thrown with it etc. I would be v v surprised if she's left handed!

Rockbird · 26/08/2010 18:13

DD reached for a toy with her left hand at a couple of months whatever and has been left handed ever since. She very occasionally holds a pen or spoon in her right hand but I'll be stunned if she doesn't turn out to be left handed. She's 2.7yo.

HairyMaclary · 26/08/2010 18:16

Our ver experienced OT said they used to not worry till children were 5 but with reception doing letter formation they like to have some idea by 4 ish.

I have one very obvious RHander and one who is still, at 5.6, having to be reminded to hold the pencil in his right hand. He does have additional issues though.

SpawnChorus · 26/08/2010 18:20

DS has just turned four, and he's still ambidextrous, but leaning towards left-handed. I've heard that ambidexterity can be associated with learning difficulties

mankyscotslass · 26/08/2010 18:24

DS will be 5 in October, he still uses both hands to draw. He has a decent tripod grip in both, but moves between them.

mankyscotslass · 26/08/2010 18:27

fridayschild · 26/08/2010 18:28

I think from a very young age indeed. DH and I are both lefties so I was watching the DCs from birth. While they were still babies there was always one hand where the nails needed to be cut more often than the other. If you are always reaching for something with the same hand the nails just get chipped and worn down naturally a bit more, so the hand where you cut nails is not your child's first choice. DS1 is right handed and DS2 is left handed. They are 7 and 5 now.

I used to explain DS1's terrible pencil control to his teacher by saying there were no right handers in the house and she would have to show him. Sadly it was the same teacher for DS2 who has even worse pencil control and the excuse did not wash a second time around...

HairyMaclary · 26/08/2010 18:39

Don't worry! Boys are often later to develop these fine motor skills, if you are worried the best thing to do it take them to the park and get them climbing climbing frames and making big movement (seriously).

There are ways of 'forcing' the choice if it becomes a problem that they are still ambidextrous, that is not yet. It's also not something to do just because you don't like the fact that they are left handed for eg!

mankyscotslass · 30/08/2010 22:22

DS tried to write his name today, off his own bat, with his left hand!

I can manage with a leftie, the best person I know is a leftie.

bruffin · 31/08/2010 00:52

DD was definitely left handed by the age of two, She then burnt her hand and used her right while she was bandaged but went straight back to using left

Orissiah · 31/08/2010 09:54

My DD used her right hand almost exclusively from the moment she started to be able to hold things! Quite rare indeed. I would be flabergasted if she turned out to be a leftie. Interestingly, both my DH's siblings and his father are lefties and I am a leftie too. But she is most definitely a right-hander at 2.3 years old.

mackerel · 31/08/2010 10:06

Ds was 5 and didn't hold a pencil until then. His school were really concerned and asked us to take him to a paediatrician - which we did - but I'm left handed and my dad and I are both ambidextrous - well, more that neither hand is particularly dominant. His general co-ordination was slightly delayed all over. However, he's now 9. He's on the top table in class in literacy and writing, can play football and cricket well and generally doing fine. My other children all held a pencil and favoured the same hand to write with consistently very early on.It may not be very common but some children just seem to take a bit longer than others in some areas with this.

Latootle · 19/09/2010 18:52

2 of my 3 gkids are left handed they manage very well what is the problem. I've noticed that a lot of highly clever people are left handed. Dr's Lawyers etc (here's hoping)

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