Today this question should not mean any concern for parents, since if our child is left-handed or right-handed, it does not imply any advantage or correction. But curiosity is always there, and to make the tasks easier for children in their development, We wonder if our son will be right or left handed. How to find out?
We are not born being right or left handed, but we will be in early childhood. Up to two or three years old, children use both hands interchangeably for their daily tasks: eating, pointing, playing ... Although at that age some children may already show a tendency to use more of one hand. But, generally, the preference for one or the other hand is not shown until four or five years.
To know which is the dominant one, we can offer the child a toy, or the spoon if we are eating, in front of him and in the middle line, and observe with which hand he goes to take it. We can repeat it several times, to make sure.
If the child uses both hands interchangeably, it may be due to two reasons: either he is ambidextrous and will continue to use his right and left hand throughout his life, or they are still maturing and his laterality has not been determined predominant.
Is it bad to be left handed?
It is important to remember that being left or right handed is neither better nor worse. It does not influence the development of intelligence, although it can influence some aspects of learning that, in our culture, are usually prepared for right-handed people, such as writing. When left-handed children learn to write they may have some difficulties, since the hand is covering their writing strokes.
Others inconvenience, such as the use of scissors or notebooks, can now be overcome thanks to the fact that there is a wide range of material and objects designed for lefties on the market.
If we think that the child is left-handed, it is not advisable to prevent him from using his left hand, nor to deceive or force him to use the right, but to facilitate and help you to manage well with that hand, just as we would if it were right handed. Forcing a child to change his nature can be detrimental to his development and to his future learning and the exercise of different skills and abilities.
It is convenient that we support the child in his lateral development, whatever it is, but we should only intervene to help him define himself in one way or another once his natural inclination is clear.
We hope these data to know if your child is right or left handed help you to carry out this task of accompaniment and help so that you end up being true experts in the different motor skills that you will develop throughout your childhood.
