Teaching left handed children to write

[Derbybound2022]

I have a child started in year 1, who hates to write. They are starting to do cursive handwriting that always starts on the line and finding it so hard. They can't see what they're writing and with the whiteboard pens their hands get dirty going over them or holding their hands up to avoid this. With finger spacing too, is there anything they can use? Apparently given nothing do far at school and I want to meet the teacher to ask how they can support as left hander. I have heard of left handed rulers and sharpeners too.

Sorry no advice just solidarity! My leftie son has also just fine into year 1 and it's really painful, his writing is illegible and they haven't offered any advice other than to do a lot of writing to practice! It's frustrating because now they've started to get spelling tests and he loses marks because his letters are all wonky and backwards so not clear... but he does know how to spell the words! Just not how to form the letters 🤷🏻‍♀️

Left handed scissors too. I’ve heard it’s easier for left handed children to write with the paper tilted to the side, you’d have to experiment to work out the best position.

DH and DD are left handed. They write normally, not by looping their hands around iyswim. Sitting opposite left handed children is useful for them to copy your technique. Left handed scissors are useful for home (school will have them) but a left handed sharp knife is amazingly helpful once they get old enough. The rest is easy to adapt to so I wouldn’t buy rulers or sharpeners etc.

Apart from scissors we have no left handed things for my daughter. She writes beautifully, the best of all 3 children, and I am sure that school haven't given her any extra help. I think it will just come with time. She doesn't loop her hand in order to see her writing, but my left handed husband does and his is pretty much illegible. My girl does love to write though so maybe it really is just practice.

I’m left handed and there are a number of books that you can get about learning to write. I use left handed scissors. I never used a left handed ruler but have seen them.

I’m left handed. Turning the page helps. Otherwise you don’t need other stuff

I felt like I should add that the majority of children entering into year 1 find learning to write struggle at first with letter sizing and writing on lines, regardless of whether they are left or write handed. A lot of them don't have the fine motor control needed yet but it does come eventually. I wouldn't worry until they were a bit older tbh.

*right 🙄

This is the website you need. This book is lovely.

anythinglefthanded.co.uk/left-hand-writing-skills-book-1-fabulous-fine-motor-skills

I'm left handed. My 2 children also are. It can be a pain and a bit awkward. But it just becomes normal after a while. Tilting the page helps. Please don't buy other left handed equipment unless they forever want to carry around their own set of everything. Me or my children have never had an issue using standard scissors, rulers, sharpeners etc once we got to grips with them. I think it would be much more confusing having to switch between standard and left handed.

Left hander here - get them to focus on what the letters look like rather than how they hold the pen. Lots of LH look really awkward when they write, but it's about getting the writing clear and on the lines. Let them tilt the page whatever way they need to - LH have to 'push' the pen whereas RH 'pull' it. Sometimes it's easier to tilt the page so the LH is writing down than across. Fountain pens are a nightmare - not sure anyone still uses them, but fibretip pens (the sort where there is a white nib with a dot of colour at the end, not those where the whole nib is inked like a felt tip) can also be difficult, so experiment with pens to find those which don't cause more difficulties (consider ink drying time and weight as well). My mum got loads of those books where you trace the characters, but I adjusted the suggested starting points and direction to suit me. Then it's just practising.

Now I have beautiful handwriting, but I cannot write in a straight line on a blank page to save my life, so I always need lined paper!

I have a left handed ds, he’s 15 now and his handwriting isn’t that great to be honest but I think that’s just him. Tilting the paper can help but other that scissors he doesn’t have any other left handed equipment.
I would say lots of practice but not just writing, colouring, drawing, threading beads, basically anything that practices fine motor skills will help.

My handwriting as a leftie was horrendous until I got a teacher who was also left handed in year 4.
the patterns aren’t the same as right handed.
maybe try a yropen/pencil, they’re angled so you can write straight.

I remember learning to write at
School, many, many years ago. I was left Alone to work it out my self. Back to front Ss, struggle, struggle all the way.

Finally I did! Because my teacher's and parents never made a fuss I never saw it as a problem.

I turn my page at 45 degree angle and write down the page, I do not awkwardly bend my hand. which is possible most of the time. I do still sometimes get comments about this but curious not criticisms.

Your DC will find their way with your support.

I still haven't mastered writing on a black board, white board as it is now.

My handwriting is good but I have had to make the effort.

I’m left handed and went through hell on earth. Even doors are generally made for right handed people and fridges.
turn the paper - it’s a game changer. Turn the paper 90 degrees to the right do you write down the page from left to right.
I have to write in fountain pen sometimes and it’s a game changer. I write with a normal fountain pen but the down the page method works.

I had a colleague who is also left hand and one day moaning at the fountain pen issue I turned his page and said there you go and he looked at me open mouthed. In 40 years no one had suggested it.

I don’t think whiteboard pens are good for teaching children to write either - a really good quality pencil is far better Faber and castell do good ones that are Like triangles

I’m left handed and write normally, people never notice I’m left handed as I don’t loop my hand around the page - that’s what makes it difficult. I never found it a problem.

You don’t need a fancy things to get your child to write, they just need to change the way they hold the pen (if possible).
I’m right handed for scissors.

I think it comes with time and practice . We got DD left handed scissors, there are left handed pens you can get but tbh DD didn’t really like them, your child may though so it’s worth having a look. DD is now in secondary school and she has lovely handwriting, she didn’t get any extra help in primary it was just a case of practice.

My dd is a teen now and had this problem, but she worked it out in time. She was put in a special handwriting group for a while but now has absolutely beautiful writing. Was never a big deal for her and she's excelling at school . She has left handed scissors but that's it.

My advice is to stop with the cursive.
It is beginning of year 1!
This shouldn't be started until at least after Christmas. And it's a slow process. Go back to just letters. Maybe try lead in and exit flicks. But cursive is just not needed at this age.

Also lots of hand exercises- and arm exercises to improve the hand musicales and therefor improve dexterity.
Play doh is your friend here

Sorry I realise this was more about left handed. I just don't think year 1 children need to be cursive yet

There are degrees of left handedness, and different writing solutions fit better for different people, so try to find what is comfortable for this child, do they need to loop over, or does a page tilt work better? It's not a one size fits all.

Also letter formation tends to start differently, all my right handed friends shudder when I do a tick as I start at the opposite end to them 😂

I don't struggle with scissors, though tin openers are a nightmare, but this thread has reminded me I need to get DS18 some scissors as he really can't use right handed ones. So there's definitely a process of working out what actions are affected and which aren't which is quite individual.

I’m left handed and just learned to use right handed things. I’m glad as items for specifically left-handed people are in short supply.

I hold scissors in my right hand and turn the paper with my left hand - I’m great at cutting out. I’m a teacher and known for having very nice whiteboard handwriting; I’ve had to learn to hold the whiteboard pen at the end so I don’t smudge what I’ve already written.

I give left handed pupils (actually, all pupils) the option to use a wide range of writing and cutting supports, but don’t force them to use any particular one. I make suggestions, such as tilting the paper to make things a little more comfortable, but I remember being forced to do things a certain way and hating it.

For your yr1 child, I’d ask for handwriting practice to be on paper and with a pencil, rather than a whiteboard, as there’s no real way to avoid making a mess without lifting the hand at an odd angle.

Both me and my partner are the only left handers on each side of family. And it seems my son may eventually write with his left too. Partner got forced to try and write with his right hand, whereas my Mum just encouraged me daily to keep writing and writing. To thus date, I absolutely love writing and it's pretty neat. Boyfriends isn't the clearest to read but he wasn't pushed as much as me to write and hates it. Keep at it.

no need to overthink this.
DC2 is a lefty in a family of righties. angling the paper is the only thing she needed to do. She's always had great handwriting. She doesn't have any special equipment, but is understandably a bit more discerning about pens, and will always test them out with a quick scribble and rub.

My LH DS is yr 5 now. In yr 1 he hadn't really settled in a hand yet and was using both. He really hated writing but the school were great and didn't put any pressure on him to write cursively. I think he may have only started doing that in year 4. I feel bad that I don't know how to help him. We had left handed thick pencils and left handed scissors.