Teaching a Leftie How to Write

what i did with my son was 2 things
sit on HIS left hand side..... my right was by his left..... then i was able to help him hold his pencil, and i also helped him with my finger....i would put my finger on the paper and then he would follow along with his pencil,,,,,,, that really helped

i also gave him a second copy of what i wanted him to write....... so then he could see what he was to write

My son is a leftie as well and both my husband and I are right-handed. I found this website that sends monthly newsletters. Also, I bought a book called "Loving Lefties" by Jane M. Healey.

www.anything-left-handed.com

Hi, I'm a leftie too so I understand where your daughter is coming from. Both my parents are righties and they taught me just fine. My mom said the trick was to not try to do it any differently than she did with my right handed brothers. If you start over thinking it and trying to do it left handed as well, you will confuse her. Her brain will figure out on it own how to take your example and make it her own. Don't force it or try to be like it, just do it like normal and let her practice practice practice and her brain will make the switch by itself.

You might look in a school supply specialty shop for books that help w/left handed kids. My son, is also left handed, where as everyone else in our family is right handed. We did luck out though once he started kindergarten, because his teacher was also left handed. But during preschool he had a tough time.

You might also call a local school and see if they have any recommendations. Have you googled "left handed writers"? Not sure if that would be of any help.

Good LUck :)

K.

Hi C.,
I am a leftie,
when I was learning I was taught the mirroring technique. I would sit across from someone who was a rightie, and we both wrote the same thing I had to have proper handling of the writing instrument as they did and we wrote together we both had our hands on the same side of the peper or so I thought until I was older to know the diffrence. Oh well it worked they said follow me and I did it was very easy to copy someone else. Afterall we all want to be alike at young ages. Good luck,

S.

I am a leftie, I am not really sure what tricks there were or how I learned but I do have a few tips. A lot of lefties turn their paper sideways (top of paper moves clockwise 90 degrees). Also when it comes to cutting with scissors they have left handed scissors. It seems like a waste of money to buy another pair of scissors just for the left handed person, but trust me it helps out a ton.

Hello, I'm also confused by what you mean...I homeschool my 5 year old and she is also left handed. When she learned to write I just explained to her to trace the outline of the letters on the paper. And after doing that for a while they can start writing the letters on their own. Period. If you need to show her how to trace then just let her watch you trace the letter. And in that case it is actually a little easier because when she is using her left hand and you are working with her with your right hand, there is never a hand or arm in the way!!

I see you are looking for a play group, have you heard of Parents as Teachers? They have play groups at least once or twice a week, in most area's the age requirement is birth to 5. If you google "Parents as Teachers" you should be able to find it in your area or call a local school. They also will meet with you in your home once a month to go over your child's developmental age and discuss any questions or concerns you might have. If you need any help with finding them just let me know.

I'm also a righty with a 4 year old lefty. My approach is probably less than conventional, but it is what is working for us.

I don't "teach" writing. When she wants to color or write I will watch her and help her place her fingers to hold her pencil or whatever else she's using the correct way, but other than that I leave her to figure it out on her own. She needs to figure out what is going to work for her after-all.

She doesn't like having lines and being told to draw a specific letter on them. Instead, when she wants to try to write something specific she prefers for me to write it first with a highlighter for her to trace.

When we're introducing new letters I will sit on her left side and use my right hand to guide her left hand, but after the initial introduction I usually just leave her on her own to figure it out.

She's not really interested in writing right now, but I am gradually seeing more and more interest as her fine motor skills become more coordinated.

I am left handed and in gradeschool my teacher told me to turn my paper the opposite way a right handed person would do. This worked great for me. Let me expain...or try to. If the paper is straight in front of you on the desk, you will diagnolly turn the bottom right corner down and top right corner over. The paper now looks like a diamond shape with the right point pointing straight at you. Does that make sense?
God Bless. She will get it!

tracing letters has always worked. Here is a website with the way they have taught the kindergartners in my school system how to write.

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/letters/

just print out the sheets and have him trace away.

HI - I am a teacher - teach handwriting by giving the child a very, very small piece of chalk or crayon. This way they naturally hold it using the pincer grasp as that is the only way they can hold it. Also placing the chalkboard or paper standing upright helps early writers. Of course I'm sure you already know to tilt the paper a little the opposite way for a leftie. Also you can write simple letters, numbers with your left hand when working with her even if they aren't as well-formed as they would if you used your right hand. Also practice forming letters in a tray or dish filled with sand. I like to use colored sand from hobby shop.

Hello C.!
I too have an adopted daughter who is a leftie. When your daughter is ready to write, place the paper in front of her. The lower right corner should be turned so that the corner is touches her body. I also had to teach her to write without dragging her little left hand over the writing, which causes the pencil lead to smudge.

I am a lefty and homeschool 2 righties! I almost the same just using the other hand. I'm sure by now you've probably figured things out but I just want to encourage you that it really isn't as hard as it seems. Good Luck. Contact me if you wish. I have 2 girls 3 1/2 yrs. and 6 1/2 yrs. B.
PS I also use ABeka and they have to position the paper the opposite way! Thankfully there is chart to show you. It was difficult at first but we finally figured it out and it made sense.

My daughter is 4 and a lefty and in preschool. I am right handed. She resisted admitting that she was left handed because it made her not the same as me. But, she has 2 left handed grandparents, so we talk about how lucky it is to match them. As for teaching her, like other responders, it doesn't seem to be any different. She knows to pick up the marker/crayon/pen with the left hand and I use the right. She seems to be coming along just fine. No real special handling. We have bought left handed scissors, but nothing special for writing and coloring. It will happen for you and your daughter,
Good luck,
A.

I am left handed and I remember having a hard time learning to write cursive because it was hard to get the slant correct. That is why a lot of lefties end of turning their hand wierd to get the slant. I got enought slant to please my 3rd grade teacher and went on. Now, my cursive is straight, it doesn't slant at all and I hold my hand like a right hander does. I don't think that printing is any different than a righty. Just try to hold your pencil in your left like you would your right to show her how to hold it.

Since you use Abeka, contact them, I do believe they have a "left handed writing" edition.
If not then try google.
I'm left handed, I do not curl my hand around like most do.
So, it's not a requirement of lefties either.

Im left handed and Im honestly not sure what you mean. I was never taught differently than anyone else, the class was taught to write in general and I learned along with everyone else, just with my other hand.

I'm either handed, but mostly left. However, my grandmother taught me to write right-handed. Now I can write with either hand and it's very useful...especially for those pesky invitations for weddings, showers, etc. Why don't you teach her to write right-handed and after she masters that, move on to having her practice with her left so that she is proficient with either hand??
Just my two cents, hopefully you will take it to heart, it's a very useful talent to be able to write with either hand...and it's much easier to teach someone to write using the same hand, then after she learns it, have her use the left hand. She'll be young enough to not be quite as set in her ways, and it should be fairly easy to teach her. Best of luck to you!!

Hey C.. This can be frustrating. Sit across from her and have her "mirror" you. She will tilt her paper the opposite way of you. Righties shift their papers counter-clockwise and lefties need to shif it clockwise. this helps eliminate having to curl their had around like a hook. If she mirrors you, she will have the correct form and will not strain her wrist. Good luck!

M.

I write left-handed but do everything else right handed. I'm the only one in my family of 5 kids and 2 parents, and no one taught me how to write differently...I just figured it out. I wouldn't worry too much about how to teach her the RIGHT way to do it. I would let her do whatever comes naturally. I actually don't "hook" my wrist around when I write like you see most lefties do. I just write with my hand below the line. I think I did have a problem because of that with slanting my handwriting, but I think they finally stopped correcting me after third grade and said "whatever." Which is good because I actually have the nicest handwriting in my family, so go figure :)

Hi C.! I read your letter and it got me thinking. My two oldest children are both left-handers and I didn't do anything different with them. I think they figured it out on their own. (I don't remember because they are 19 and 15 now.) The only thing that I think I helped them with was my oldest sat across from me when he learned how to tie his shoes and then I think HE showed his sister how to do it when the time came. Just keep encourageing them to write the letters correctly and they will figure out what works for them.
Good Luck!!
M. B.

as soon as i found out my autism son was a leftie, I know this sounds funny but i was happy my son can do somthing i can't do. your the one with the problem she's going to be fine. I wasn't trying to be mean just truthful.

Give her some crayons and watch her coler. How does she hold the crayon? How does she angle the paper? Look at her grip...does it look comfortable? Or does it look like it is not going to be comfortable for along, and her hand will get tired? A four year old will hold her pencil/crayon very clumsily, and she should be allowed to figure things out for herself, mostly. If, as she gets more used to things, it looks like her grip is not evolving on its own into one that will serve her well, then go to a school supply store and ask for a pencil grip. There are several types, all effective. They are soft plastic grips that slide down over the pencil, and help her place her fingers. But mostly, don't worry about teaching her how to hold her crayon/pencil too much at forst; let her work it out for herself, and then analyze it.

C.,

I have a son who is left handed and all my girls are right handed like me. My son is the only one in my family that I know of that is left handed and even in his dads family also. When it was time to teach him to right we showed him the same way you would a right handed person. He picked up on it really fast. Teachers teach them to write letters the same way a right handed person would. I asked the teacher when he started Kindergarden if I should be teaching him how to write left handed and I was told left handed people learn to write just like right handed people there is no right or left way to learn to write. I hope this helps you and helps you not to worry if your teaching the wrong way are not.

T.