If you have a left-handed child, there are some things you can do to teach him to write, which will make his life much easier. If you can make these a part of his writing style, it will benefit him for years to come.  Without proper guidance in hand and paper position, awkward people will adopt their writing style, which is not always the best. This means an awkward posture that leads to hand, back, and neck pain.

Writing is a considerable effort of the hand for a child born with the quality of being left-handed. The small muscles of the hand tire more quickly in a left-handed child than in a right-handed child. However, in the first days of school, children get tired and bored of writing very quickly. 

Therefore, the teacher should consider that writing causes additional fatigue for a left-handed child. Moreover, if you force your child to write with his right hand, you force him to think differently than he is programmed to. 

The child may have difficulty remembering information and may give wrong or delayed answers. Consequences: academic performance may decrease or interest in learning may be lost.

Here are some tips on how to teach a left-handed child to write

The most difficult period in a schoolchild’s life is the first school year, the year of acquiring reading and writing. The unguided child will find the most convenient way to keep up with peers in this process, which is not always the best solution.

Manual dominance develops by age 5-6. If you have a toddler or preschooler who exhibits a left-handed preference, he may change his preference when he begins formal writing instruction. If you allow your child to use both hands, he will most likely develop a preference and eventually use the hand that demonstrates the most skill, strength, and dexterity.

If your child has established his left hand as his dominant hand, make sure he knows and can verbalize that he is left-handed. Sometimes the teacher may switch the child’s pen to the right hand because she might assume that child is right-handed. This can have a negative impact on the child and can confuse him, so teach him to be able to communicate that he is left-handed.

Hand position is very important

When they start writing, clumsies are tempted to hold the pen with as many fingers as possible. Sometimes they hold the pen too tightly and press it too hard on the paper, which makes it difficult for them to form the letters and can cause hand cramps.

The most comfortable and efficient pen, pencil grip for a left-handed person is with three fingers. The pencil should be held lightly between the thumb and forefinger and rested gently on the bent middle finger. 

With the hand below the writing line, the index finger guides the pencil to make the letter shapes, while the other fingers support the pencil. The wrist and shoulder should remain straight and relaxed as the arm slides across the page. Always remind him to relax his hand and wrist.

Paper position

Before starting with the positioning of the writing instrument, we need to help the child to adopt a correct position in relation to the paper he is writing on. Draw a line (imaginary or real) on the desk in front of the child. 

The sheet will sit to the left of the line and be angled to the right, no more than 45 degrees, and the top right corner should be in line with the midline of the body. If the child’s arm and the bottom edge of the page form a right angle, and the child’s arm on the desk is more extended than bent, then the sheet position is appropriate.

Always make sure there is ample space to the left of the child’s desk for them to carry out their work in this way. This position will allow him to pull the pen towards him as he writes—a much smoother action—and he will have a clear view of his writing. 

The paper’s position will not allow it to hook the hand, so it should automatically bring the hand into the correct writing position – below the writing line. He will not be tempted to hook his left hand by holding the right wrist. The right hand should rest relaxed on the page away from the writing line, to keep the sheet still.

What else can you do to help a left-handed child learn to write correctly?

The letters can be turned a little to the left and be larger, at least at first (the smaller the writing, the harder it grips the pencil). Writing on the board can be very helpful. It comes naturally to the child to move their arm freely, without tension, keep their wrist straight, and focus on the letters themselves.

For younger children, choose a pencil with a softer lead that glides easily across the page and won’t tear the paper. Older children should be encouraged to use different pens and pencils until they find the right one.

Writing instruments must have a relatively large diameter to help the child hold them; the optimal size for the small hands of children between 4 and 8 years old is between 8 and 11 mm. The writing instrument must be comfortable to hold.

Since younger children often write from right to left, you can put a small dot on the line’s left edge to remind them where to start. Left-handed students should be seated on the left side of the bench or beside another left-handed person to avoid bumping their elbows. Make sure the desk and chair are at the right height. A low table causes the child to raise their shoulders, resulting in the “hook” writing style.

The correct writing position must be followed continuously during the first 3-4 months after the beginning of the process of learning to write.