Life as a Lefty in a Right-Handed World
What do a pair of scissors, a notebook, a pencil sharpener and a refrigerator door have in common? For lefties, that's a no-brainer. They're all designed for the right-handed.
About one in 10 Americans is left-handed. Left-handed parents often have left-handed children. The chances are even higher if both parents are left-handed.
Why are some people left-handed?It's still not clear why 10 percent of the population is left-handed. But in a study led by Oxford University researchers, a gene was identified that might increase a child's chances of being left-handed.
If your child is right-handed, he is probably left-brain dominant. This is the hemisphere that handles language and speech. Left-handers are typically right-brained. The right side handles emotions and image processing. Many kids who are right-brained tend to show increased creativity and excel in art or music.
Learning to writeLearning to write can be a challenge for a left-handed child. That is because she must write toward her body instead of away from it. Left-handed children often start out doing "mirror" writing. This means they start on the right side of the page and write toward the left. For instance, the word "apple" might appear as "elppa."
Unless your child is trained to write properly, her hand is likely to rub against the fresh ink as she writes, smudging her work. It's a good idea to work with your child to show her correct positioning and pen/pencil grip.
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