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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

left handed ds age 4

47 replies

jobhuntersrus · 22/01/2011 18:57

Ds is 4 yrs 3 months. He loves drawing and has really good pencil control. He is just beginning to try and write letters, particularly his name. I have noticed he is left handed. He uses left hand when eating and playing too. Neither dh or I are left handed so really don't know if it is going to cause him any problems? Sorry I probably sound really dim. Any left handed people out there able to let me know any potential issues he might encounter?
Many thanks

OP posts:

thinbridewaitingtogetout · 22/01/2011 19:00

He will do everything you do, only with the other hand. I and many others manage/ed fine.

Skollie · 22/01/2011 20:07

My 5 yr old is a leftie. He does struggle a bit with scissors, I am going to eventually get round to sourcing some special ones for left-handers....
Writing with a smudge-able pen can be problematic as his hand rests on the letters he just wrote and messes them all up!
He prefers holding cutlery in the wrong hands which can be difficult with certain knives being angled for right-handers!

Oddly enough, he kicks with the right leg!
He´s a prolific drawer and has a crazy imagination, so am quite chuffed that he´s "different" from the rest of the family.
These are just little annoyances that I believe all lefties learn to live with. So far, no other problems....no yet old enough for corkscrews and similar!

Seona1973 · 22/01/2011 20:10

my ds (4.2 years) is also a leftie in a family of righties. He uses left hand scissors at nursery (should really get some for home!)

Sazisi · 22/01/2011 20:13

DD1 is left-handed and it doesn't cause her any problems; I got her some left-handed scissors from elc before, but she prefered normal scissors and ignored them.
I thought she might have trouble with writing but her writing is beautiful, she doesn't require any special equipment or anything.

DiscoDaisy · 22/01/2011 20:14

I have 2 leftie children. One problem we had was when I tried to teach my eldest how to tie shoelaces. She couldn't get the hang of it at all and the only reason we could think of was because she is left handed and I'm right handed. My left handed friend came round for the afternoon and 10 minutes later my daughter could tie laces.
The only other problem they have had is trying to do look,cover,write,check at school. Because the words are written on the left of the page my DC had to cross hands to do it. We spoke to the teacher and got our DC to write the words on the right of the page and this really helped.
Other than that they both have adapted to a right hand world and other than when they are writing and making a hash of using normal scissors you wouldn't know they are lefties.

KenDoddsDadsDog · 22/01/2011 20:18

I'm a leftie too. I was taught to do things right handed which is why I am so awkward. I cut right handed, iron and stand the right handed way to do some things. But I love being left handed and discovering other lefties!

TheMonster · 22/01/2011 20:21

I'm a leftie, and I cope fine. I have adapted to use right-handed things, and I cannot use left-handed scissors at all. The only thing I can't do is peel veggies, but tbh I have never really tried that hard!!!
DS is 4 and he is left-handed too. We've not made a big thing of it and I want to just leave him to adapt to things his own way.

Greenkit · 22/01/2011 20:23

www.anythingleft-handed.co.uk/

Great website and can really help with bits and bobs, like scissors your son will need

GrimmaTheNome · 22/01/2011 20:24

He may not be able to lay a table correctly when over 40 and occasionally take someone else's drink/bread at dinner, if my leftie DH is anything to go by .

hugglymugly · 22/01/2011 20:26

I'm right-handed. I once worked in an office setting with three other women. It was only after I had spent some time struggling to cut something with scissors that they told me I was using left-handed scissors. Up until that point, it hadn't really caught my attention that they were all left-handed. That's because they had ensured that where there was a difference, e.g. scissors, they had left-handed scissors available. That incident taught me a little about what it's like to be "other-handed".

Schools certainly should have all the necessary resources and techniques available for left-handed people as much as for right-handed people.

I don't know about the statistics. I know that many years ago the percentage of left-handedness was quite low, but I wonder how much that was skewed by the insistence in the bad old days for everyone to write right-handed. I don't think my DH will ever know whether that's the reason he's right-handed for writing/cooking/scissors, but is left-handed/footed for sports (badminton, golf, football).

From some brief googling, here's a website that might be of use:

www.anythinglefthanded.co.uk/index.html

faffaround · 22/01/2011 20:27

My DS (6) is also a leftie in a family of righties! Good pencil control is vital, as is non-smudgable pen - and tilting the page so they can see where their heading. Also ensure he is sitting on the left-hand side of right-handed classmates (so they don't lock elbows). Left-handed scissors really help, as does a left-handed pencil sharpener (www.anythinglefthanded.co.uk).
He has been slower to write than his classmates (but this was partly because the nursery he went to insisted on repeatedly "correcting" his pen-holding by putting it in his right hand) but is now rapidly catching up.
One thing - I always point out his left-handedness when he does any extra-curricular activities.

Original poster

jobhuntersrus · 22/01/2011 20:53

Thank you everybody. He can manage scissors fine and it is certainly not holding him back in anyway at all at the moment. Nursery know and I will make sure reception teacher knows in september. I'm sure he will find his way. I stumbled across a website with left handed tools and thought omg am i going to have to buy all special stuff for him.
He is such a character and so different to my older 2 boys. Really creative. I wonder if it has anything to do with being left handed? Does it mean the left side of brain is dominant? Or does it have nothing to do with that?

OP posts:

KenDoddsDadsDog · 22/01/2011 21:10

If you are left handed then you are more likely to be dominant right brained. Right brained people apparently are more creative, intuitive, emotional and resourceful. Obviously doesn't always follow!
Forgot about peeling potatoes - you need a special peeler. And I have to cut right handed as the blades of kitchen knives are made that way!

TheMonster · 22/01/2011 21:26

KenDodds - do NOT tell my DP that such things as left handed peelers exist. I have been using my left-hendedness as an excuse for years.

KenDoddsDadsDog · 22/01/2011 21:33

Ha ha they are not left handed peelers. It's a Lakeland one I think and it's a brilliant thing. You would love it I'm sure. Will try and find a link.

TheMonster · 22/01/2011 21:34

LA LA LA LA I can't hear you!

KenDoddsDadsDog · 22/01/2011 21:34

Get one of these bad boys!

Original poster

jobhuntersrus · 22/01/2011 21:35

Interesting thank you

OP posts:

AnnieLobeseder · 22/01/2011 21:39

My DD, 5yo is a leftie. Perhaps more issues will come up later, but so far all we've needed to go is get her left-handed scissors and explain to her that she needs to choose the yellow and green scissors at school too.

It was brought home to be how cut-and-paste her reception year report was, or how clueless her teacher was, as it bleated on about her right-handed pincer grip. I was fuming!

TheMonster · 22/01/2011 21:39

Oh no, it's sharp. I could hurt myself.

TickettyBoo · 22/01/2011 23:10

Lol at some of the comments I can relate to as a leftie! . He'll be absolutely fine and adapt but yes I do find;

I have to visualise myself eating in order to put knives and forks the right way round when laying a table lol
Cannot cut in a straight line, and can't use left-handed scissors
Found using fountain pens in school a pain in the backside as I would rub away at the wet ink with my hand as I wrote
Has been pointed out to me I am clumsy with knives when cutting rolls for example, but I don't think I am lol
No-one could teach me to knit, but that could be cos I've got crap patience or they have lol.

Don't know if it's common with lefties, or whether I practiced when little to "fit in" or for fun - but can write with both hands (ambidextrous) - comes in handy when I've got my hands full and need to sign anything lol x

YourCallIsImportant · 22/01/2011 23:15

I've been on MN a few years now and am thoroughly sick to the back teeth with 'my DC is left handed, what do I need to do/will they be disadvantaged'

It's not a fucking life limiting condition you know!!

Get a grip. Your child writes with his left hand. Have a .

TheMonster · 22/01/2011 23:29

It is life limiting...if you like peeling veg.
I love being left handed.

YourCallIsImportant · 22/01/2011 23:35

Me too. That's why I get so pissed off with these threads.

I don't normally swear, nor issue , but I've had it up to here [holds hand at top of head emoticon].

TheMonster · 23/01/2011 12:16

I think we should suggest that as a new emoticon. The only thing we need to decide is if it should be the left or the right hand...

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