Left handed number formation

[redskyatnight]

Can someone point me in the direction of an on-line resource that shows how left handed children "should" write their numbers?

We have something similar for letters and it's really helped DD's handwriting - but she is still struggling with forming numbers so I'm starting to wonder if it's because she is trying to write them the "wrong" way?

No, I can't find one on any of the usual teachers' pages. However, if you inbox me an email address, you can have the two videos I just shot in my kitchen of me, well, my hand really, writing numbers in two slightly different styles. Sorry it's not the best quality but it's amazing what can be done with a bit of paper, some blutack and a camera!

How old is your daughter? DS is 5.5 and the written numbers only really started to work for him a few months ago. Sooooo thrilled he's a leftie! I've always been the only one in the family!

www.youtube.com/user/Pingumummy1#p/a/u/0/58V0iowxCQM

www.youtube.com/user/Pingumummy1#p/a/u/1/8zfldmw-5Hs

Decided it was easier to put them on youtube.

Thank you so much! Those are brilliant. DD is also 5.5. She reverses about half of her numbers and does something odd with the 2 and 5. Her writing of letters is very good and her handwriting is really neat - I'd just always expected the numbers to "click" too and thus far they haven't. She is the only left hander in the family so I'm always forgetting that she might need to do things differently.

I was the only left hander in my family (and still am). I've looked at those Youtube clips and forgive me for being a bit dense, but I still don't understand why you would need extra support to teach DD to write.

I'm not trying to be argumentative, I really can't see what the issue is! I taught both of my RH DCs to form numbers and didn't have any issues with that.

OP, LH's don't have to do that many things differently. It's never been an issue for me (or any of my LH friends).

My dd1 is left handed and - at 7 - writes beautifully but she still gets numbers the wrong way down.

I put this down to the fact they probably do much more writing and also do joined up writing which must help.

I keep on thinking we ought to practice numbers a bit more but we never get round to it.

She also struggles to read music, going up when she should go down, and down when she should go up.

I actually teach secondary MFL so am no expert in this area so I just filmed myself writing. No idea if righthanders make the strokes in the same order or not. I know that people remark on the fact that I write ticks on my pupil's work. I write the short stroke first.

DS is right-handed and nearly 12 & still writes his numbers the "wrong" way. It doesn't seem to have hurt his literacy or numeracy skills at all.

In both letter and number formation the only differences should be cross strokes (right handers should make them left to right /left handers right to left) DrSeuss I was surprised you write numbers exactly how a right hander would.

Really? That's pretty much how I've been doing it for 35 years! Both my parents were right handed as were most of my teachers so that'll probably be why. It really isn't something I've ever given any thought to.

Plenty of other things in this world (pans with lips, kettles with gauges, measuring jugs) seem to be sent to try lefties' patience. I remember one of my juniour school teachers throwing my sewing across the table at me because I'd done it left to right. She also had a problem with my hook hand when I write. If she were here today I would point out that President Obamawrites just like me and it doesn't seem to have done him any harm!

The problems only arise with cross strokes because a lefty is pushing the pen/pencil across the page rather than pulling it so can push a hole in the paper but otherwise formation is the same.

I agree with you mrz in fact my daughter is drawing the her horizontals right to left instaed of left to right, my problem is that her teacher is telling her that this is wrong. Even her p and 9 she works the circle clockwise not anticlockwise but is this truly wrong?

Mrs, I wondered why lefties did cross strokes differently. I only actually found out we did a few month ago as dd2 (2yrs) appears to be left-handed, like me & now she's started to write letters I didn't want to show her anything wrong, (weird how I never thought to look at it when I was showing the older 2 righties to write).

Red sky- as far as I know everyone should write numbers exactly the same.

Suedep - did you mean 'q' rather than 'p'? P is formed clockwise by everyone, (left or right handed,) but 9 & q would be anti-clockwise & the main reason its important is after completing the circle there's usually a small up stroke before the down stroke, but is that important in the big scheme of things ... Can't think of a reason why it would be for 9 but it might make a difference in joined up writing if q is in the middle of a word.