Thread: handedness

ds2 is 4 in Jan, we were working on forming some letters today after nursery and he was swapping his pen around between left and right as usual, he's about equal with both tbh. He sometimes chooses right hand a bit more for art type stuff but for hitting things, i.e. using bats etc he swings in the direction a left hander would.

Got me thinking if they're meant to have chosen a hand by 3 how long can they go on working it out for? We just pass him stuff and leave him to work out the hand he wants to use then help him adjust his grip in that hand if he needs to.

No biggie, just a matter of interest!

I think they 'choose' a hand by age 7, not three.

Plus once he's in school and using a pencil more regularly he'll decide which he prefers.

Oh good, DD1 does this as well (she's 5) and I often wondered if I should be bothered about it. So far I haven't been as I figured, if anything, it was an advantage, and it seems I shouldn't have been!

Pretty sure mine had chosen by 3 years - as soon as they were colouring in properly rather than scribbling. 7 seems late? As with all these things, it will vary loads as all children are different. Mine have definitely been writing with their chosen hand since age 4.

He could end up using different hand for different things e.g. Dh is right handed for writing but left handed shooting - also snowboards goofy which looks odd.

Originally Posted by Ginnygin

but left handed shooting - also snowboards goofy which looks odd.

LOL both very everyday activities

will have to see how ds2 shoots then lol! Its not something we're bothered about, its as xaulleo says, when ds2 writes a c with one hand, then switches and writes a g with the other, then switches back to write the c again it just looks odd!

Does anyone know what decides the whole handedness thing? Just curious I guess!

Originally Posted by auntylady

LOL both very everyday activities

There was another but I deleted it as it's the wrong forum

Ickle, he obv. doens't know yet - when he keeps picking up objects / writing with the same hand, that's pretty much it. He might be ambidextrous, if that's how you spell it!

Originally Posted by icklebear

Does anyone know what decides the whole handedness thing? Just curious I guess!

That'll be genetics!

Ds1 is ASD and a lefty, pretty obviously from reception ages really. DS2 is a righty and better at sport.

DH and myself are both rightys,(but when I do hand eye co-ordination things like archery on the Wii I use the ''wrong'' eye according to dh!) FIL is ambidextrous, My dad is a lefty as was my maternal grandmother.

DS is a lefty and it took a while for him to 'decide' which hand to use, DD is a righty and has pretty much always been one. Right from a yhoung age, I just held out a pencil or spoon to them and let them choose which hand to use. I don't think it makes too much difference at a young age as they will settle on it themselves.