Lefties and moms of lefties.... a question for you.

[TwinkieMama]

I have suspected that my 4 yr old DS is left handed. I know small children often do not exhibit a strong "handedness". However, besides throwing, reaching, using silverware etc... at home, he always colors with his left hand.

However at his October preschool conference his teacher said he didn't know his left hand from his right as seen by his using the wrong hand for the Pledge of Allegiance. No biggie. I didn't even know that was a 4 yr old skill (he also can't tell his twin sisters apart but that is a separate thread) and I mentioned that this might be confusing for him since he tends to use his left hand so he would naturally use it during the pledge. She had not noticed that he used his left hand.

I didn't think anything of it until yesterday when he wanted me to watch him write his name. He did a great job. With his right hand.

I told him he he could write with whichever hand felt good to him. He seemed very confused. I asked him to write his name with his left hand... which he did with even better handwriting. And again, I emphasized that different people like to write with different hands and whatever he wants to do is fine. He insisted that he wanted to use his right hand. Ok. I thought maybe he is ambidexterous and there are advantages to printing right handed (you can see what you are writing).

Then today, he was sitting and coloring... .left handed.

So my question for you, is what should I do?

Of course lefty or righty, it doesn't matter... I am just wondering if at school he is trying to fit in by copying what he sees everyone else do or if the teacher is perhaps encouraging him to write "correctly". Or is this a natural part of preschool development?

Thanks for your time.

 

[mjkacmom]

We had this issue with ds11. With my oldest dd, she was always clearly left handed, but she always did sports righty (throwing a ball, kicking a ball, etc.). However, with ds, he wrote 1/2 the time with his right, 1/2 with his left, but all sports lefty. His preschool teacher finally decided he was righty, and has been righty ever since (but all sports lefty).

 

[NikitaZee]

My 5 year old daughter is a lefty. She has always shown a preference for her left hand - and does almost everything with it. When she was in pre-school (a pre-school where I also taught), her teacher (3 year old room) told me that children often go back and forth at that age, and most end up right-handed. However, this teacher also encouraged her to write with her right hand. The teachers in the 4 year old room did this also - with another student, not my daughter. I don't know why this occurred - I had never seen this happen before and can't figure out why one would be 'taught' over the other. I should have asked at the time.

Your son could very well be amidexterous. But, it is not out of the realm of possibility that he's being nudged to write as a rightey. You'll know soon enough what his preference is!

 

[worm761]

My DS did the same basic thing when he was little. Come to think of it, so did a cousin of mine. But eventually they will choose a hand and that will be the predominate hand. Both my DS and my cousin can still do things with both hands where as I am most definitely predominately right handed. I suggest you just work with him on learning right from left since the teacher seems to be concerned about that but leave the writing/coloring/choosing a hand thing alone. He will figure it out on his own eventually.

And twins are just hard to tell apart unless they are very different.

 

[clovergirl5]

My dd6 is the only lefty in our family. I had alot of concerns about her lefthandedness when she started school. I was told to let them do what feels comfortable to them. My biggest things were using sissors and the computer mouse. There are sissors you can buy that fit left or right handed kids. As for the computer mouse, its always placed on the right side of the keyboard. dd doesn't seem to have a problem using it now but I tell her to switch it to the left side if it feels better to her. I can't imagine being a righthanded person trying to use the mouse on the opposite side

At parent teacher conferences, I always make it a point to bring up my leftygirl to her teacher and make sure she's is not being forgotten as being a lefty. School is more geared towards righty's.

 

[tink_lover]

Well, my true lefty exhibited her left-handedness early - sounds a lot like your son. There was never any doubt with her. One ds would sometimes use left, sometimes use right. Now he is right-handed, but plays all sports left-handed. Last ds is very ambidextrous but refused to write left-handed. I think he wanted to copy what other kids around him were doing. Plus, people (teachers) tend to put a pencil/crayon in right hands as most kids are right-handed. That ds also plays all sports left-handed. I should add that my dad and two of my brothers are left-handed.

What I would watch with my kids was which direction they spun when turning in circles. DD (lefty) and DS (ambidextrous) would turn in the same direction - left. DH, me and DS (all righties) turn right. Also, watch which foot he pushes off with when riding scooters. Same situation as above in which legs the kids push off with. Does that make sense?

 

[yoopermom]

What I would watch with my kids was which direction they spun when turning in circles. DD (lefty) and DS (ambidextrous) would turn in the same direction - left. DH, me and DS (all righties) turn right. Also, watch which foot he pushes off with when riding scooters. Same situation as above in which legs the kids push off with. Does that make sense?

To add to this, look and see which foot he leads off with going up the stairs. I'm a leftie, and my trainer specifically has me try to go up the stairs with my right foot first, and it's really hard for me!

Being a leftie isn't so bad, many of us still do "some" things right handed.

Terri

 

[wenrob]

What do you mean what should you do? Let him choose a hand on his own, he'll do it eventually. I'm a lefty and when my eldest was around that age I was convinced she was going to be a lefty until it dawned on me that I placed things in her left hand without thinking about it. With my younger two (will be 4yrs in a week) they both lean heavily towards lefty but will alternate occasionally. I am very conscious about letting them pick up whatever on their own so they can fins their dominate hand on their own. At this age they're still processing it and it's won't be firmly established for awhile yet.

I am confused on what you think the issue is? There really isn't an issue here. As far as the teacher saying he doesn't know his left from his right, seriously at four? I don't think I had that down until 2nd or 3rd grade! If you think the teacher is trying to influence which hand he writes with then you need to firmly and clearly ask her to stop. I come from an era where being left handed was considered a "handicap." When my teacher complained that I was using "the wrong hand" my father set her straight quick. Still to this day I do certain things with my right hand because I was forced to. In this day and age that should not be an issue at all. Ask her straight up not to try to influence you son and tell her to lighten up on the knowing left from right, he's four!

 

[NikitaZee]

My dd6 is the only lefty in our family. I had alot of concerns about her lefthandedness when she started school. I was told to let them do what feels comfortable to them. My biggest things were using sissors and the computer mouse. There are sissors you can buy that fit left or right handed kids. As for the computer mouse, its always placed on the right side of the keyboard. dd doesn't seem to have a problem using it now but I tell her to switch it to the left side if it feels better to her. I can't imagine being a righthanded person trying to use the mouse on the opposite side

At parent teacher conferences, I always make it a point to bring up my leftygirl to her teacher and make sure she's is not being forgotten as being a lefty. School is more geared towards righty's.

How funny - I tell my daughter the same thing but she seems to have no problem using it on the right - guess she's just gotten used to it by now.

 

[kathi29]

As this lefty sat here mousing through the thread with my right hand, I can't imagine trying to mouse with my left.

My FIL told me DD was a lefty before she was even 2 years old. He was watching her on her little slide, and she always led with her left foot when she went up the ladder. I'd never given it much thought, but I do the same thing. And DD is a lefty just like he said.

I certainly hope the preschool is only concerned about him knowing left from right, and not about which hand he prefers. Both DD and I (and my dad) do certain things right handed but I cannot fathom the frustration I would encounter if forced to write with my right hand.

 

[Mrs.Toad]

As for the computer mouse, its always placed on the right side of the keyboard. dd doesn't seem to have a problem using it now but I tell her to switch it to the left side if it feels better to her. I can't imagine being a righthanded person trying to use the mouse on the opposite side

I can't really help the OP, but just wanted to comment on the computer mouse. My dh is left-handed, but he learned to use the mouse with his right hand. He finds it to be an advantage, as he can be clicking away with his right hand, while writing things down with his left. As a righty, I can't imagine using the mouse with my left, either, but I bet if I started out that way, it'd be no big deal.

 

[Hillbeans]

Oh my gosh, I could have written your post!

My DS 4 has the same issue - at school he sometimes changes hands when he's writing and we are still trying to figure out which hand he likes to use.

My husband is Leftie, and DS seems to favor using his left 75% of the time when eating and writing. He throws right. I am pretty sure he'll stay leftie as he says he likes using that hand more, and it's the one he favors.

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

Lefty here, with the ability to use my right hand for "right-handed" tasks, like the mouse. Since your child already uses both I wouldn't move the mouse or push anything in either hand. It will come natural at some point. And make sure all the teachers know that you do NOT want your child to be swayed either way.

When I was little, my mother put me in our hallway that lead from the kitchen to the living room. On the left was the door to the cellar, and on the right the door to the bathroom. She would do this every day she would have me point with the right hand to the bathroom and point to the cellar with the left. I remember being in junior high and closing my eyes to figure out the bathroom door.

Don't worry, all is going just fine and is natural.

 

[taximomfor4]

My oldest (a lefty) was pretty hopeless with her right hand. I (righty) can do many things with either hand. Youngest dd (righty) was almost exclusively a lefty (SOMETIMES wrote/colored with right hand) until right before Kindergarten, when suddenly she became a righty.

Might be that your ds hasn't found his "handedness" completely yet. If he wants to write right-handed, I'd leave him be.

BTW, I write NEATER with my left hand but throughout school I was able to write faster, and felt more comfortable, writing with my RIGHT hand.

 

[Metro West]

I'm the only lefty in my family and have the best handwriting by far!

As far as the computer goes, I always move the mouse to the left hand side...always. It certainly doesn't bother me to do so at work or in a class or something.

You should let your child choose which hand he wants to use.

 

[joyjoy]

Mine is a lefty. She tried 'em both out until she started 1st grade, then settled pretty much 100% on the left. Don't do anything - he'll figure it out.

 

[clovergirl5]

I can't really help the OP, but just wanted to comment on the computer mouse. My dh is left-handed, but he learned to use the mouse with his right hand. He finds it to be an advantage, as he can be clicking away with his right hand, while writing things down with his left. As a righty, I can't imagine using the mouse with my left, either, but I bet if I started out that way, it'd be no big deal.

Never thought of it that way. That makes sense! I think she's doing ok with it on the right. I guess when they start out that way, it just feels normal to do on that side.

 

[Evil Genius]

He's ambedextrous. Leave him alone and let him work with whatever hand he is comfortable using at the time. Seems like a lot of pressure to put a 4 year old under.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Youngest dd is the lefty in the house. She does a lot of things with her right hand as well.

Eh, don't worry about it. It should naturally work itself out.

 

[Mouse House Mama]

Don't do anything. I have a child like that. He does a lot of things lefty and some things righty. He used to write with both hands. I did tell the teacher if she saw him struggling to suggest he try it with his other hand (didn't matter which one- just thought the change might be easier). We never thought much of it but as he got older he favored his right hand for penmanship but does many things left handed that people automatically assume he is a lefty. It's no big deal. Let him use what he feels comfortable with.