Left-handedness - is there anything I need to know or do about this?

[Matonic]

Ds is approaching 3.5 and is getting more and more left-handed by the day. We are all very right-handed, and so I realise I know absolutely nothing about what, if any, challenges he might face in a right-handed world.
You see, I don't even know if left-handers do or should eat with their knives and forks the 'other' way round - it would certainly go some way to explain why ds would much rather just stuff his food in with his (left) hand.
Might he need or be better off with left-handed scissors at this stage? Assuming left-handed scissors for three year olds even exist, that is ...
He is quite clumsy with crayons and paints compared to his peers and I do suggest sometimes that he tries using the other hand to see if it's easier, but apparently not, because he'll give it a go and then switch straight back again. I understand that his 'handedness' may not be set in stone at his age, but it sure is looking like it at the moment.
So, are there any particular considerations I could make for him, or do I just go with the flow and accept he'll find his own best way to hold a pencil, fork, etc, in his own time?

LM, i was star recorder player at primary school and i played left handed

Yes it's hereditary - but recessive, so has to be on both sides of the family.

Good! I have encouraged him to do everything LH and noticed he tended to hold the recorder LH but now that he has started lessons, she insists he do it RH. I will make sure I keep on coaching him at home! What about flutes, clarinets, etc? He is thinking of taking up another instrument. Can they be played LH too?

LM I am totally RH but do play recorder LH

Yes you do put hands up the other way and turn the bottom round

DS is LH as a result of him being so prem as lots of very prem babies are LH {that is what the paed told us}

BUT do think it is hereditary though but we are deffo RH all the way {apart from my recorder}

DS plays the Trumpet RH as I think is the only way unless you buy a LH one which TBH never occured to us

i think more complicated wind instruments like the flute have to be adapted or you can buy left handed ones

Nailpolish - golf can be played left handed.
See
left-handed golf

Think there's a famous right-handed golfer who can only play golf left-handed because he copied his father( mirror-image type copying) when he was learning.

Bit of trivia for you there.

Oh and my 18yo is left-handed. We never seemed to have to do anything extra for him when he was younger. He just got on with it. It never seemed an issue. Although he did comment that LH scissors were a lot easier to use than RH ones for him. And he has insisted on having a LH bass guitar rather than a RH one.

Dh and I are both LH and ds ds is RH.

II'm like Gwinick - can't use a deesert spoon and fork as my left hand isused for both.

Dh however deosn't have the porblem was he uses his fork in his right hand.

We both play golf right handed - there is an argument that it is actually a strength, as your "stronger" arm is your leadnng arm. (quite a few top players are lefties playing right handed)

You also need to be aware which is your dominant eye, as that also has an effect. My dominant eye is still my right eye, ie I'm not "fully" swapped over.

I uses RH scissors in my left hand, but can swap over if necessary.

I use a mouse in my left hand, but the clicker is still on the left (comes from having had to share PCs with others when I first started using a mouse)

I played a "normal" flute (and recorder). Never even crossed my mind to have a left handed version - the fingers on both hands are having to work equally. If anything the left hand has to work more, as the thunb on the left hand has a permanently "useful" role in defining the pitch, whereas the thumb of the right hand is just supporting the instrument.

Just go with the flow. He's young yet - but do make the nursery aware that he is showing this tendency (although if they are any good they will hhave noticed themselves)

juuule - i tried telling the man in the wee box down at our local crazy golf this, and he just laughed - esp when i suggested he invest in a few left handed putters! leftism i call it LOL!

RTKangaMummy... we think my daughter is also dyspraxic... (waiting to be refered) she is left handed but often when she tries something new like.. rounders.. she doesn't know which hand to hold the bat in.. or which foot to kick a ball with, she also holds a pen like your son... we call it a death grip

Rummum

I used to be left handed until I was persuaded by a teacher at primary school not to be ( my sleeve used to get pinned to the back of my clothing so I could only write with my right hand)

I write RH although I can do it LH (messily!)
I swap between RH and LH when I eat
I generally do things RH but I often get 'confused' and have to really think about what hand to use (DH thinks it's very funny when I'm standing in the kitchen asking him what hand to use!). I was hopeless at rounders as I cannot catch balls!

My sister was left handed (5 years younger and a different school luckily!) and I know her major LH issues were learning to knit, scissors and using ink pens. We used to get her LH fountain pens when she needed to use them in school.

I'll look out for the LH scissors next time we're near an ELC - thanks for telling me about them. And I'll definitely talk to the nursery staff, though I think they will have noticed - they're quite good at things like that.

I'm fascinated by all your variations of left- and right-handedness. There's clearly more to this than meets my eye: I've just assumed that because I do everything with my right hand, that left-handers must do everything with their left.

I think I need to observe ds more carefully over a variety of activities - we've noticed he's left-footed so far, as well, but I can't remember without checking with him, how he wields a set of toy golf clubs, for example.

Wait and see if he does indeed cut left-handed. My parents and teachers gave them to me, but I cannot use scissors left-handed.

There's lots of left handed spoons and pens but everything else right here.

I do everything with my right apart from playing a guitar which I would have to do the Paul McCartney way - not that I can play it but I can't even hold it the 'proper' way.

serenity @ your school

rummum Sounds like she has poor hand dominance definition too

It is a mega prob with DS sometimes

We have just got him a STABILO MOVE PEN -- DEFFO BRILL

here is the link

They are DEFFO BRILL

LIke the triangle hold things from ELC but more grown up

A website I used to find useful is:www.anythingleft-handed.co.uk.I'm afraid I can't do links

Click MOVE EASY PENS --- WRITING

Thanks for the link RTKangaMummy... Daughter uses a yoropen.. heres the web address... can't do links ;( yoropen.colespenco.com/main.html

description

well actually I decided to have a go at link... I mean.. how hard can it be

Rummum

it worked.... it worked....

DEFFO BRILL

Never seen one of those before

I have two left-handed children though we're all r-handed. It really isn't a big deal at all. We have l-handed scissors around but both dd's can use r-handed ones if necessary. Dd1 uses cutlery l-handed, dd2 doesn't. Dd2 had learnt to knit in the usual way and both girls have pretty neat writing. Lots on info for you on the Anything Lefthanded site, although you're very unlikely to need all the equipment they're selling!