Nearly starting school and still doesn't seem to have a hand preference?

[CrapBag]

DS is starting school in September, he has been at nursery for over a year. He doesn't hold his pencil properly unless I physically put it in his hand how it should be held which doesn't bother me too much at this stage but when I was drawing with him yesterday I noticed that halfway through he swaps hands and carries on drawing with the other one.

I used to think he was right handed but I have noticed he does everything with either hand still. I asked him which hand felt the best one and he just said "both".

Is he ever going to have an actual preference? It seems strange that at this age he still doesn't do most things with one hand. I am right handed and his dad is left. His dad writes with his left but does everything else with his right and I write with my right but can pretty much do things with my left as well. Looks like DS might be taking after us.

For most of reception DS1 would write with his left on the left half of the page, and with his right on the right half.

He is now (year 2) and clearly right handed, but very occasionally tries to write with his left and then looks most confused as to why his handwriting has 'gone bad' :)

Ds1 was the same until he was about 7 when he 'chose' right handed writing/ pencil work. Everything else is a bit of a mish mash. It doesn't make any real difference to his independence etc, and it looks as though it just follows in the family. I wouldn't stress about it.

My ds1 is 13, he can still write with both hands, eats right handed and playing football, is left footed!

I wouldn't worry too much tbh.

Thats good then, he is just going to be one of those children who swaps like his dad I think.

Thanks for the replies.

some people are ambidextrous :)

Mine chose his left hand in the second half of reception. I could tell he had a preference for it, but I think he wanted to be like everyone else.
He still uses his right for colouring in when his left is tired.

DS, didn't really settle on handedness until ... end of y1? Can still write with other hand if he likes. Now y3, and has beautiful handwriting, if he makes the effort!

DS chose right handed last year when in Yr 2. As in the teacher and I chose for him as he would swap half way through writing and we couldn't tell the difference it was all pretty appalling scribble

Now nearly at the end of Yr 3 he just got his pen licence and has really neat joined up writing which I never though would happen.

Still uses left hand for loads and also play football left footed and cricket left handed (apparently it messes with the bowlers head when you bat the wrong way round)