Left Handed Kids - Piggy Pack Question

Right-handed household except 1 kid here:

To enable my left-handed son to hold his pencil at an appropriate writing angle(and to help me help him)we got him a pencil grip that allows for the thumb to rest whilst writing.

I also stand over my son instead of sitting next to him when it comes to writing tasks because it enables me to see it from his pov thus enabling easier writing strokes.

I'm lefty but never did that awkward wrist twist that makes my hand run across the words. My fingers and hand are below the pencil point. I'd try to teach him that. Also for your other question, I never used lefty scissors. I do a fair number of things righty and while I wouldn't force him, if he's able, have him do those types of things righty. Way easier than always hunting for lefty scissors.

All pencils are graphite. Most pencils are #2 however they tend to smudge for left handed people (because your hand is dragging over your writing). We found that #3 or #4 pencils which we bought at an art supply place worked out much better when the kids were younger. We also gave them fine point pens when they started using pens because a thinner ink line means the ink dries as soon as it hit the paper unlike the standard pens.

We also worked with the teachers to allow loose leaf paper to be used in writing instead of a spiral notebook. The kids would write on the paper and then put it into their folder so that they could write without having to work around the spiral part. Usually if you bring all this to the teacher's attention at the start of the year the remainder of the year runs better.

Google 'left hand writing skills' and you'll get a lot of great information.

Both of my boys are left handed, and everyone else in the family is right handed. The only difficulty we've come across that I can remember is when they were learning to tie shoes. It was really difficult for us as right handed people to teach them to tie shoes, so when the time came for our youngest to learn, we let our oldest teach him since both boys are left handed. It went much more smoothly (they're 6.5 years apart). Other than that they have adapted well to our right handed world.

Graphite? Maybe I am confusing pencils but don't they smudge like crazy? I would think that would drive any child insane.

I cannot think of one thing my youngest has requested because she is left handed and she is in 8th grade.

On your other question about scissors, put your scissors in your left hand and try to cut. Yup, can't do it, the paper slips between the blades. My daughter cuts with her right so we didn't have to deal with that.

Per your what happened, good idea.

Currently my youngest is 13 and taking art. Like my teacher when I took art, it is fascinating the teacher that she can draw with both hands, equally. I always thought that ability was born of me using my right hand for everything while actually being a leftie. She does everything but scissors left, and softball, and typing this I get the feeling lefties are far more dynamic than I considered.

Still I stick with my advise teach him to cut with his right hand.

If possible, get him notebooks that let the pages flip up (like legal pads) instead of ring-bound ones. Or loose leaf that he can put into a binder afterwards. It's hard to write with the ring of the ring-bound notebook under your hand all the time (for rightys is usually on the other side).

And yes, buying pencils and pens that won't smear all over your hand as you come across the paper is also useful. In this sense, crayons are actually better for coloring and drawing than markers.

I still remember that my biggest challenge in elementary school was learning to cut with scissors. I eventually just learned to do that right handed, because my art room never had lefty scissors and I got tired of having to ask for help - but I remember being frustrated with that. So teach him to use scissors, and if they are lefty and you can do it, offer to donate some to the art teacher if she doesn't have a bunch of them.

Our school has each kid buy a small dry erase board and they use that for all their in-class math work and short answers for other subjects. I'm not sure how we'll address that with my little lefty (we didn't have such things way back in the dark ages when I was in elem). I can predict that his hand will wipe off everything he writes as he goes across the board. I'm wondering if some moms here have BTDT and can give advice on this one.

Teach them to write in a manner that is a mirror-image of a right hander. (tilt the paper *to* him similar to the way you would tild the paper away from yourself - much easier flow and much less dragging hand thru his writing)

yep - I'm a lefty and tell others to do this w/their kids -- funny, unless I'm writing quickly and kinda sloppy, many have no idea that a lefty wrote that paper they are seeing - lol

My GD is left handed and the only issue we've had so far (she's 12.5) is my trying to teach her to sew. I just can't seem to figure out how to teach her that; I tried doing it left-handed to show her, but I just could not do it. Also, you might find that although he writes with his left hand, he may do quite a bit with his right hand. My GD does; she can't write with her right hand, but she does almost everything else with her right.