Right & Left & Puns

Updated on March 24, 2015
F.B. asks from Kew Gardens, NY
13 answers

Mamas & Papas-

Went shopping with DS this weekend. BB&B, children's place, stride rite. He pushed the shopping cart throughout, and was a good and careful driver thoughout. Only he doesn't quite know his right from left. So I wrote the letter R on his right hand, and the letter L on his left hand and he'd look up at his hands and get it correct rather than asking me- which way now mommy. right. which way is right. then I'd tap him on the shoulder. this way is right. oh ok. When we pop by my brother's later that same day, my brother started punning about right v. correct, and poor DS could tell that there was something funny, or off about this, but didn't seem in on the joke.

1. when did your kid learn right from left?
2. any tips or techniques to make it easier on him?
3. what about puns? when do they start getting it?

Best,
F. B.

What can I do next?

  • Add yourAnswer own comment
  • Ask your own question Add Question
  • Join the Mamapedia community Mamapedia
  • as inappropriate
  • this with your friends

Featured Answers

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

J.C.

answers from Philadelphia on

My husband sold shoes in HS so his left was the customer's right. My husband still gets mixed up and I joke with him when navigating that he needs to make a shoe sales man right which means left. Hehe!!!

3 moms found this helpful

More Answers

S.T.

answers from Washington DC on

i did just what you did. marker on the correct hands, and just let 'em get used to it. i think their teachers also had the blackboard marked.
i think most little fellows struggle with puns. i can remember the hesitant laughter and confused expressions around that age. it's just one of those things they figure out eventually. don't over-think it.
ETA now i'm beyond annoyed that i never figured out the 'left hand makes an L' trick!
khairete
S.

4 moms found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

D.K.

answers from Pittsburgh on

He is 9 and is correct most of the time. I think he started getting left/right when he was in kindergarten (maybe). When he is unsure he looks at his hands - when he sticks out his thumbs the left hand makes an L. The other hand is the right one. My son made his first pun when he was probably 2-1/2.

Another quick cheat (for adults) - make circles with your thumb and index finger - the left hand makes a small b - the bread plate goes on this side when setting a formal table. The right hand makes a small d - the drink goes on this side. Keep your hands below table level when checking this so no one else sees you.

4 moms found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

M.P.

answers from Asheville on

Here's how I teach my kids-
Extend both arms in front of you (palms facing out). The left hand will make an "L" with the index finger and the thumb. The other hand, naturally, is right.
My 8 yo son learned at a young age. He loved traffic signs (which are always on the right of the road). So, that's how he learned. My 4 yo gets it right about half of the time.

3 moms found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

G.♣.

answers from Springfield on

I've always loved that the left hand can make the letter "L." That has helped" us a lot.

My oldest is right-handed, so we used the letter "L" for his left hand and reminded him that he writes with his right hand.

My youngest is left-handed, so we've mostly been used the fact that his left hand can make the letter "L." He's in kindergarten now, so we'll have to wait and see if we need more tricks.

3 moms found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

A.V.

answers from Washington DC on

We told DD to hold her hands up, palms out, and stick out her thumb. The side that makes and L is left. I think she got it around 5. I forget when she made her first pun. 3 or 4?

3 moms found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

M.G.

answers from Portland on

Preschool or kindergarten I think .. I just went by what hand they used to do things (I have right and left handers). That made it easy for them.

My sister always wrote L and R on the insides of their shoes so they knew which shoe/boot went on which foot.

I used to just say as we did stuff, "Now we're going right" .. etc. and it just sort of sunk in.

Puns .. a lot later. Around the same time as riddles ... school age somewhere in there. One of my kids is much sharper - get them every time, whereas they still go over most of their heads :)

2 moms found this helpful

S.G.

answers from Los Angeles on

Tell him to hold his hands up with his thumbs pointing towards each other. The hand that makes an "L" is the Left.

If he is right handed then right is the hand he writes with.

2 moms found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

R.K.

answers from Appleton on

To teach my kids right from left I would put red nail polish on the big toe of their right foot. Even with shoes on they knew where the red toe was and could remember right from left. It only took about a week. There were about 3 at the time.

1 mom found this helpful

D.B.

answers from Boston on

I think right and left are really hard for some kids. Marking with R and L is one thing, but they have to know that R stands for right and L for left - which is hard when they don't spell yet.

Double meanings (right the direction, right meaning correct) are harder. You can try making a game of it by listing words that sound the same but mean separate things (don't get into the spelling yet) like "pair of shoes" and "eat a pear", "bye" the farewell vs. "buy" at the store, etc. Until they get that, puns don't work. It's a good game to play in the car or while waiting for food in a restaurant - "road" vs. "rode", "bat" for baseball vs. the flying mammal, "shoe" vs. "shoo", "brake" vs. "break", that sort of thing. Just make it light - like "isn't language a funny thing?"

I think the first time they get into jokes is when the other kids start telling Knock Knock jokes - which they repeat endlessly until they drive you nuts! I'm not sure they always get them - they just know that people laugh, and they like the attention and giving people joy! Knock Knock jokes are basically puns.

Sometimes children's magazines (Highlights, for example) have age-appropriate jokes and that helps guide you for what they are able to understand and what's over their head at this time.

I think you could benefit from a code with your brother if too much is over your kid's head and he's getting agitated or feeling like he's not smart. We used to just hold a hand over our own head if the joke was "over the kid's head". That was a signal to back off.

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

G.B.

answers from Oklahoma City on

I always had the kids do left and right, even from infancy. I'd say let's put on your left shoe, let's put your right shoe on, hold my hand with your right hand, use your left hand to wash your hair too.

All my grand kinds knew left from right very early.

1 mom found this helpful

B.C.

answers from Norfolk on

Our son learned left vs right in preschool.
He was in 1st and 2nd grade when he was understanding puns when most of them went right over his classmates heads.
He had a lot of fun with his 2nd grade teacher - she was great!

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

K.H.

answers from Detroit on

My son learned a little before he turned 5. I really think it takes practice. I would ask him at the store - we need to turn right, which way is right? He's also worked on it in preschool. Sometimes, if he asks me which way is right, I'll tell him it's the hand he writes with just to try to form an association between the two.

I had to laugh. Reading about you writing L and R on his hands reminded me that my other son took a pen last weekend and wrote Butts on his hand with an arrow. Can you tell he's 8?

For Updates and Special Promotions
Follow Us

Related Questions