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Some daily problems may just come from being left handed!
The world's first and biggest Left handed ShopLeft Handed Children
Left-handed children have particular problems in learning basic skills using the wrong tools. These problems are easily overcome with some sensible guidance and use of simple left-handed implements, but they often get neither and end with an unfair reputation as being slow, awkward and clumsy as a result!
Left-handed scissors and cutting
Cutting out simple shapes using scissors can be a real challenge for young left handed children forced to use right handed scissors. Left-handed scissors have the blades reversed so that the child can the cutting line and so that the natural squeezing movement of the left hand pushes the blades together to make them cut rather than pushing them apart so that the card or paper gets stuck sideways inside the blades.
Click the play button on the video below for a full explanation.
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Writing left-handed
Left-handed writing requires a correct grip and correct paper positioning. If they are made to write like right-handers, but using their left hand, they often end up with a very cramped position and a "hook" wiring style that is painful and slow - not great for exams in later life! As children start to use ink pens, a left-handed nib cut-off in the correct direction is essential if they want to avoid a blotty mess.
Click play on the video below for more information on writing left-handed.
If you have any trouble seeing the video on this page, please use one of the links below to watch it.
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Even simple things like sharing a desk can be made complicated - always put the left-hander on the left-side of the shared desk or there will be clashing elbows and arguments all day.
Mirror writing
Left-handers sometimes slip naturally into mirror-writing flowing from right to left and perfectly readable to them (or to anyone with a mirror). Famous examples of this were Leonardo da Vinci and Lewis Carroll
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23rd May 2009 - 9:59pm
You lefties, well I swear, are taking over at my school. In my grade alone there must be at least twenty lefties out of one hundred and something kids. (Not me, I'm a rightie). Righties rule!
20th May 2009 - 9:10pm
I'm a lefty and i use the left hand on the computer. My computer teacher in school forced me to use my right hand =/ it made me really upset so my parents had to talk to my teacher. Another funny thing, my brother is right handed but he uses the computer with his left hand because he grew up learning from me =] this just ticks my computer teacher off even more =D
24th April 2009 - 1:39pm
Well, I'm a 41 left hander and have never had any problems. To my surprise my youngest son turn out to be a lefty just like his mother. It had amaze me when he started school, he would write with both hands. Each letter he would change hands. Then one day I noticed he was writing with his left. Guess what left handers make better lovers
11th April 2009 - 2:58pm
I feel special for being a lefty!!! My first love was a lefty too
16th March 2009 - 2:23pm
Im a 14 years old swedish girl. Im left handed and when I was in kindergarden they didnt have lefthand scissors so I cut with my right hand.:/
7th March 2009 - 8:58pm
They tell you that Youre supposed to write with your tuhmb and forefinger which I do... except for the fact that my THUMB goes OVER my FOREFINGER... I hold the pencil Soo tight that I get blister-like things on my middle finger! It doesnt hurt, but it looks really weird! I love being left-handed but sometimes my teachers give us lefties special attention and always help us the most because we use our left hands and our teachers teach with their right hand. I have never met a left handed teacher... Wooow.
5th March 2009 - 11:17am
Parents with lefties should have a discussion with the childs kindergarden teacher about them allowing the child to hold their pencil,and position their paper in what ever way is most comfortable for this child. I struggled for many years with my teachers always agressively straightening my paper. I still to this day write with my paper at a 80 to 90% angle.I am the only lefty in my family. When my son was born he is right handed I had to face him to teach him to tie his shoes.Kept this in mind if you need to teach your right handed girls to knit or crochet.
26th February 2009 - 9:40am
I wrote in an earlier post that my penmanship teacher failed me because I was left handed and would not write with my right hand. But after seeing this video I now have to thank him because he taught me how to hold a pen, how to position my paper and how to form good letters. I still right with my left hand but I have a right handed slant to my words and I also have a good handwritting. No one would ever guess I was left handed short of seeing me...and that was over 45 years ago.
21st February 2009 - 7:24pm
I was wondering of the odds of having 8 left handed children? My mother accomplished this and both her and our father were righties.
29th January 2009 - 1:37pm
I have always used the same grip for writing and eating with utensils. I remember in Kindergarten, the teacher trying to force me to change my grip by placing plastic "correct grip", but I refused to use it! I have great handwritting, but still get comments from strangers about my unique grip if they see my write...its still annoying to hear after 28 years. My grip is like a fist with pencil/pen/fork/spoon between middle and ring fingers.
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