When can you tell if a child is left handed?

marrymemylove

DS is 4.5 and has always favoured his left hand. He'll eat left handed, pick up pens and scissors left handed etc. But I've noticed that if you ask him to use his right hand, his control of the pen is actually better.

I'm kind of hanging back trying to teach him fine motor stuff like writing (he baulks at writing his name although he does it in a flash with sticker letters).. because I don't know which hand I should encourage.

 FWIW DH was ambidextrous until he was about 10 or 12, when he decided quite consciously that life favours the right-handed so he deliberately used it more. Now his left hand isn't equal anymore though he still eats left handed.

DS's kindy teacher (aka preschool program to you guys) isn't sure either and wasn't much help on the issue.  

Bellisimo

I don't know.  It's been obvious since DS was first able to grasp toys and other objects that he was 100% left handed.  If your husband was ambidextrous as you say, then perhaps your son is too.  Wait until he's 10 or so and see.

Kapalua

N favored his left pretty early on. He eats/writes/colors lefty. But when we put him in tball this summer-he kept going back and forth. We got him a righty and a lefty glove b/c he would switch mid game!

DandR

I feel like I looked into this when my youngest was about a year because he seemed to favor his left hand....and everything I read said not until after they are 3???  Not sure why I think that.

My son still favors his left hand if  I put something in the middle.  But if I put it clearly on the right side, he'll pick it up with his right hand, so a little of both.

My father is left handed with everything expect sports.....they didn't really teach left handed swings in golf (or have left handed golf clubs, more likely) so in sports he is right handed, but everything else, he is left handed.

I don't push it...I should ask his preschool teacher what she's been doing, if she's been encouraging his right hand, because I know they 've been drawing and coloring a lot......I hope she is letting him pick.  but she is old school, so I could see her putting things in his right hand.

MayorMcCheese000

I think all lefties have some ambidexterity in them, (myself included.) This could just be because we have conformed to a right-hand world, who knows. But, I would say that if he is doing 9 out of 10 things as a leftie, then he is a leftie.

I suggest catching him off guard and throwing something at him and seeing which hand he holds up to shield himself with. You know, be super scientific with it.

 

 

Andrewsgal

With DS we suspect he is just because he does EVERYTHING with his left hand, he eats, throws balls, scribbles, picks things up. If i try to put something in his right hand he switches it right away.

marrymemylove

Thanks everyone. Yeah we are letting him use whichever, as does the kindy teacher. She just tested him by getting him to use his right hand and was surprised his control was better than with his "preferred" hand. That's why I'm torn about which one we should encourage as he learns to write.