4yo - left handed, but writes backwards and draws pictures upside down

[Neeerly3]

My 4yo DS has been obviously left handed since he first picked up a pencil. He is very precise, holds the pencil perfectly and his colouring in is so neat, I would be proud to say i did it!

However, he writes letters backwards and across the page from right to left. This weekend we also saw him draw a person perfectly, but upside down.

We switched the pen to his right hand and although he is more clumsy with it, wrote his letters the right way round and the person the right way up.

Any thoughts? Encourage the left hand and guide him to write the right way round, or move to the right hand?

He's at nursery full time currently, so I have asked them to keep an eye on his writing and drawing exploits, but would like to advise them how I want to proceed.

I have 2 left handed children and I am left handed. I found writing very tricky until my primary school teacher turned my paper 90 degrees clockwise. Yay! Worked like magic. Rather than writing across yourself and putting your arm awkwardly in front of your body, you write top to bottom, each line working towards you. Sounds a bit nuts but works a treat, stops arm cramps and stops smudging too. I have taught both my children to write like this and has helped them a lot.
I have had a lot of physio on my wrist (unconnected with writing) thanks to RSI and my physio was so impressed with my writing technique as a leftie that he now encourages other patients with RSI and are lefties to do the same. By leaning forward to start each line, it keeps my sitting posture great too.

As for the backwards thing - yup, definitely a leftie trait. I know some right handers might do it too, but def well known phenomena with lefties. My 5 yr old can write her entire name (middle and surname too) in perfect reverse order, mirror image. Amazing how the mind can work

thanks Bigbaubleeyes

I have a 5 year old leftie who does that too - the writing - can't sya I have noticed the drawing bit though.

It is fading now but when he first started writing it invariably went the other way across the page.

Ds used to write upside down and backwards (not sure which had though) and I worked out it was because he was copying the child opposite him and so mirror writing.

thanks everyone - nursery did a little experiment on him yesterday, got him to write on one bit of paper with his left hand and one with his right - the one with his left is neater and the E is actually the right way round, but the D is a b (so a backwards d) and the rest is scribbles, he got bored apparently!

The right handed one, he kept trying to switch hands so to me that says he is most definitely a leftie, not a confused rightie and i will just let nature take its course now.

Leave him alone he will out grow it and you could be opening up a pandora's box ending up with a child that stutters or has learning problems because he was forced to change to right-handed. Trust me I am a lefty and have done research for my whole life on this and ALL the Lefties I talk to despise the day they were made to switch.

It might help him to do some 'body awareness'/ copying type games - Simon Says/Heads Shoulders Knees & Toes/Hokey Cokey etc

This is not about making him right handed but making him aware that he has a right & left which,strange though it may seem, is not obvious to all children

For example, if you sit opposite him and touch your right ear with your left hand - could your DS copy that?

I did this- can still (at 39) write in perfect, joined up mirror writing (though not all the time!). I was an early reader, and left handed, and don't hold my pen the way a lot of lefties seem to, or have to have my paper at an angle. it does help a lot of lefties though. (all my family are lefthanded).

I did, at one time, have a left handed cheque book, which odd as it sounds, was a revelation when filling out the stub!
I wouldn't worry about the backwards writing- he is obviously just very smart- and it is a great party piece.