Raising Left Handed Children

Raising a left handed child in a right handed world is not difficut. You will need to make choices at times as to instructions to give and products to buy. Sometimes right handed items are okay while at other times you must search for the appropriate left handed instruction or item.

The odds of having a left handed child are 50/50 if both parents are left handed and about 25% when only one parent is a lefty. When both parents are right handed your odds drop to well under 10%.

You will know if your child is left or right by age 3 to 6. Males are 1½ times more likely being left handed than females.

Testing for left handedness can go from simple to complex, depending on how many doctors you ask.

One simple (nonscientific) test is to have your child draw a circle with each hand. If they draw counterclockwise this is said to indicate a left handedness.

Another test is the Edinburgh Handedness Survey:

Which hand do you prefer:

• Writing

• Drawing

• Throwing

• Cutting with scissors

• Cutting with a knife (no fork)

• Spooning something out

• Teeth brushing

• Sweeping (upper hand on broom)

• Striking a match

• Opening a box lid

Source: Oldfield, R.C. (1971) The assessment and analysis of handedness: the Edinburgh inventory. Neuropsychologia, 9(1): 97-113.

If you have a left handed child, you have an awesome gift! DO NOT try to switch them to being right handed. There are plenty of resources (including this website) to assist you in raising happy & healthy left handed children. I will go into more depth as this web site progresses.