How to Spot a Left-Handed Child

A lot of research has been carried out in the field of left-handedness. Statistics shows that 90% of all people are right-handed, while the remaining 10% are lefties. It has been proved that hand preference is closely linked to brain functioning, which means that we don’t choose our dominant hand consciously. Among the factors that may influence our choice of hand they list genes, sex, fetal development, modeling parents, brain damage, and adjustment in case we cannot use the other hand due to injury.

There’s no exact age as to when a child starts showing hand preference. Some start as early as 18-20 months, others not until they are three or four years old. However, there are always some signs that help you understand which hand is your kid’s dominant. Observe the following things to spot whether she is a lefty or a righty:

• which hand your child uses to hold a spoon while eating
• which hand your kid holds a pencil and draws
• which foot they prefer to kick a ball with (left-handers prefer doing this with their left foot)

If you have found out that your child is left-handed, do not force her to use her right hand. Training handedness may hinder the natural development of a child and place stress on the brain.