Some of the famous lefthanded personalities include Albert Einstein, Helen Keller, Barack Obama, Lewis Carroll, Neil Armstrong, Bill Gates, Marie Curie, and Leonardo Da Vinci. This shows that although lefthanded people make up only around 10% of the total population, left-handedness doesn’t come in the way of a person’s success.
Some children are also ambidextrous, meaning they can use both their hands equally well depending on the task. While they might prefer writing with their left hand, they might pick up toys with their right. If your child is lefthanded and you are righthanded, you might have numerous queries about their handwriting, motor development, etc. In this post, we discuss the different aspects of raising lefthanded children.
Why Are Some Children Lefthanded?
Your child might be lefthanded due to various reasons, even if you and your partner are righthanded. Although the exact reason behind a person being lefthanded or southpaw is unknown, here are some theories.
- Genes: Some researchers suggest that several genetic factors could play a role in a child being lefthanded.
- Low Birth Weight: A study conducted on triplets suggests that babies with low birth weight are more prone to developmental delays and have higher odds of being lefthanded.
- Modeling: In some rare cases, children may choose to use their right or left hands by observing their parents or close caregivers.
- Gender: The gender of the child may also play a role in the handedness of the child. A meta-analysis of 144 handedness and brain laterality studies suggests that boys are more likely to be lefthanded than girls.
How To Raise A Lefthanded Child?
If your child is a lefty, here are a few things you can do to help them.
1. Encourage Them to Take Part in Sports: Encourage your child to participate in sports. Lefthanded people generally have the natural edge over righthanded people in certain sports.
2. Make Allowances: If your child is lefthanded, you can do little things that make their life easier. Using lefthanded scissors, getting a chair’s desk attached to the left side, making them sit on the left side of a shared desk, or even adjusting the computer’s mouse are little things you can do to make them feel comfortable.
3. Allow Creative Freedom: As lefties lean towards the creative side, give them creative freedom. Let them experiment with different creative pursuits while they decide what they are comfortable with.
4. Use a Mirror: Whenever your child is learning any new activity by observing you, they might get confused about the hand they need to use. Use a mirror so that they understand how they need to use their hands.
5. Do Not Force Them to Switch Hands: One of the worst things you can do is force a lefthanded child to use their right hand for daily activities. This might affect their neural circuitry, and they might not be able to use either hand properly in the future.
Benefits Of Being A Lefthanded Child
While your child might be one out of ten righthanded children, there are certain benefits to being a lefthander.
1. Memorizing: Lefthanded children are believed to be better at memorizing things and recalling them perfectly at a later time. This happens because the two hemispheres of the brain of lefthanded people are better connected.
2. Upper Hand in Certain Sports: Lefthanded people also have a certain advantage over righthanded people in certain sports. They can excel in sports such as tennis and boxing using their dominant hand against their righthanded opponents as righthanded people are not used to playing against lefthanded opponents.
3. Creativity: Research suggests that lefthanded people are better in the areas of spatial and musical intelligence than righthanded people. This is because lefthanded people generally use the right hemisphere of their brains, where all the creative centers are present.
Challenges Of Being A Lefthanded Child
In a world designed for righthanded people, lefthanded children might face several difficulties. Here are some of them.
- Western writing runs from left to right. A lefthanded child has to put in the extra effort while learning to write.
- Items such as scissors are traditionally designed for righthanded people. A lefthanded child has to use their right hand or specially-designed scissors.
- Lefthanded children learning to write often write back to front. This should not be confused with dyslexia, and it usually resolves with time and practice.
- Tables and desks in schools are generally designed for righthanded people, making it challenging for lefthanded people to use them.
- Notebooks are bound on the left, and so, lefthanded children find it challenging to use them.
- Door hinges and handles are usually placed where righthanded people can access them with ease. A lefthanded child might hurt themselves while using them.
- A computer mouse is preset for a righthanded person. However, by changing a couple of settings, this can be easily remedied.
- Lefthanded people might find it challenging to operate circular saws. Using circular saws is also dangerous for lefthanded children.
Being a lefthanded person is no longer looked down upon. However, there are still a lot of myths surrounding it. These myths can affect your child if not addressed in the early stages. The tips discussed in this article can guide you to raise and encourage a lefthanded child properly. Making them play to their advantage can go a long way in building their confidence.
