Should left-handed children be given 'left-handed' scissors?

[IsabelC]

I have read elsewhere that every left-handed child should have her/his own pair of scissors, but I know some people here say they didn't think left-handed scissors were necessary or even helpful at all.

So just wanting to find out what the majority thinks. Thank you :)

[Ellie]

Mr. Ellie is a lefty. He uses right-handed scissors.

 

A child who learns to use right-handed scissors will be able to use any scissors he finds, which is to say that everywhere in the world he goes will have right-handed scissors, and he'll be able to use them, KWIM?

[besroma]

My son is a lefty. He struggles to cut paper with regular scissors.

 

It made me sad to hear him ask his sister to cut something for him because he wasn't "good at it."

 

I ordered scissors for lefties from Amazon, and he loves them. I have tried using his, and if that is how he felt using ours, I can see why he was frustrated!

[TengoFive]

I've bought my leftie numerous pairs of left-handed scissors. She doesn't use any of them and prefers right handed scissors. I answered "other."

[Elizabeth in MN]

My child is very left-handed. We use lefty scissors with her and she's happy. She tries to use right-handed scissors and gets upset because they don't work.

 

My suggestion is to try using right handed scissors in your own left hand and see how frustrated you become.

[besroma]

Mr. Ellie is a lefty. He uses right-handed scissors.

 

A child who learns to use right-handed scissors will be able to use any scissors he finds, which is to say that everywhere in the world he goes will have right-handed scissors, and he'll be able to use them, KWIM?

 

I wanted to add that if my DS could use right-handed scissors, I would only buy right-handed scissors. It is very inconvenient when he needs to cut something and cannot find his pair.

[kirstenhill]

I'm a lefty and I can cut with regular scissors just fine -- adult or child scissors, so I voted "no." The whole left handed scissors thing always confused me. :confused:

[Arcadia]

I am ambidextrous but cannot cut well. My teachers had to help me in class and my home economics teacher had to help me for the cutting of sewing patterns. Most of the time, I just bring home for my parents to help cut. It was a speed issue in my case.

 

I vote other since I would buy a left handed scissors if a child has problem using a right handed one. Especially if a child is in B&M school and the teacher does not have time to help.

[sbgrace]

I voted for left handed. My son is left handed and so is my husband.

 

When my boys were younger my son hated to cut anything and I noticed when I did have him cut he was slow and his paper was always a complete mess. He would ask his twin brother to cut whenever possible. So one day I mentioned to my husband that this boy was a really messy cutter and my husband enlightened me that "universal" scissors aren't and it was the fault of using right hand scissors. He then told me that he had always hated to cut. So I bought my son Fiskars left handed on Amazon and all was well.

 

I was concerned at the time that he would go places and then have problems with right handed scissors. He still uses left handed scissors at home but he'll use right handed ones anywhere else. I don't know if it's slower or more frustrating but he doesn't complain. At home though he'll pick the left handed ones every time.

 

When I can't find my scissors I get the kid scissors. I often forget which kid scissor is right handed and which is left so I've cut with those left handed ones a few times. I can certainly see why my son found it frustrating. Even if it's not impossible for a left handed child to cut with right handed ones I bet most would find it much better to cut with left handed ones. I think the average child would still be able to cut with right handed ones just like I can cut my son's left handed scissors but that doesn't mean it wouldn't be better if they had scissors whose cutting blades are the correct direction. I think this can be particularly helpful when a child is first learning as the left handed ones will probably make it a more successful and pleasant experience.

 

ETA: my son is a very dominant left handed kid. I am assuming he's cutting left handed with right handed scissors away from home though I've never paid attention. I've heard of left handed people cutting right handed but I don't think that would work with someone with strong dominance.

Edited October 14, 2012 by sbgrace

[SFM]

Mr. Ellie is a lefty. He uses right-handed scissors.

 

A child who learns to use right-handed scissors will be able to use any scissors he finds, which is to say that everywhere in the world he goes will have right-handed scissors, and he'll be able to use them, KWIM?

 

 

My son is a lefty and I suppose I feel the same.

[Kuovonne]

Three out of the four members of my family are leftys. None of us use lefty scissors. Get tight "universal" scissors, not true lefty scissors. True lefty scissors have the position of the blades switched, are hard to find, and and are expensive. Universal / ambidextrous scissors have the same blade arrangement as right handed scissors, but the hand/finger holes are shaped the same on both sides. Never give a lefty loose scissors where there is a wiggly gap between the blades.

[Incognito]

I'm a lefty and I voted no.

 

My DD is a lefty and I have honestly never thought of getting her lefty scissors. She cuts well.

 

If a child is having a really hard time I'd look at how they are trying to do it and work from there (talk about it and try different things) before buying left-handed scissors.

[amyrobynne]

I voted "other". I'm very left-handed and there were always green lefty scissors around in elementary school and I appreciated that. But after age 10 or so, I usually grabbed the more convenient scissors, which were the standard ones my mom had lying around. Actually, I suspect that the righty scissors were the higher quality ones because my lefty ones were for kids. So eventually I learned to use righty scissors because it was worth it to use the better scissors.

 

Anyway, I voted other because cutting seems hard enough for preschoolers without forcing them to use their non-dominant hand. But I'd suggest having righty scissors around too and encourage both types to be used once the physical cutting motion isn't so awkward if only because there will be times when the righty scissors is the only one around and it's best to be able to use one.

[Dolphin]

I voted other. My daughter is a lefty, and so far she is doing great with righty scissors. She loves cutting and it is a joyful time for her. If she struggled, or ever does I will get her lefty ones.

 

I guess I am doing that with most things. I am teaching her handwriting left handed and I am using HWT as that teaches me how to teach her, but as she is in a right handed world I am only planning on getting special things for her being left handed when a problem arises.

[kitten18]

If a child is a left handed cutter, they should have left handed scissor.

If they're a right handed cutter, they can use regular scissors.

 

I don't think a left handed cutter can just learn to use right handed scissors because it's more convenient, they have to be somewhat ambidextrous for that to work.

 

 

I'm a "lefty" but the only things I do with my left hand are write and eat. I don't do other things with my right hand because I was taught that way or it was more convenient, I use my right hand because it's more natural *for me*.

[Melinda S in TX]

7dd is a lefty. When she was little and just learning to cut, she found it easier with left handed scissors. Now that she is a bit older and has more practice, she usually grabs the nearest pair even though she has left handed ones in her school box. She is a bit neater with the left handed scissors, but can cut ok with the right handed ones as well.

[Tammi K]

I voted 'No' not because I personally have a problem with them but because both DH and DD are lefties, and like many of their left handed friends, never choose to use them. It is just so much easier to learn to use a right handed scissors since that is what you find in most every situation.

 

I was able to find scissors that were usable for either hand when dd was young. But, more often than not, when she needed scissors, she grabbed a right handed pair and by school age she learned to be more comfortable with those.

 

Funny story - DD was a gifted kid and very advanced for her age. She went to public school in kindergarten and was doing very well. I was very surprised to receive a note stating that the teacher was very concerned about what she was observing in the classroom and requesting that DD be allowed to be tested for apparent learning difficulties. The teacher felt she could benefit from some special remediation. Yikes! Of course, I was very concerned and requested an appointment to find out what was so worrisome to the teacher. It turns out that the cause for concern was ...wait for it.... her scissors skills.

Yes, folks, it seems that poor scissors skills can label you as 'special needs' in kindergarten. In the end, I pointed out that if the teacher would allow her to use a RIGHT-handed scissors, instead of the LEFT-handed one they insisted she use she would do fine. It turns out that they insisted that left handed kids use left handed scissors and my left handed daughter kept putting them in her right hand like she did at home. They don't work so well that way! No wonder the child couldn't cut.:001_huh:

[delaney]

I have read elsewhere that every left-handed child should have her/his own pair of scissors, but I know some people here say they didn't think left-handed scissors were necessary or even helpful at all.

So just wanting to find out what the majority thinks. Thank you :)

 

I never gave this much thought but my littlest is a lefty and although he can cut I think he would do well with his own pair. Stocking stuffer!!:001_smile:

[WishboneDawn]

Other. My DH and I are lefties and we never use left handed scissors. Lefties are often a lot more mixed then you righties. The DH and I write left but do everything else right because our right arm is stronger. We weren't forced to do things right handed, it's just our natural preference. Just wait a bit and see what the lefty in question prefers.

 

I think righties think we're a lot more confusing and mysterious then we really are. :D

[kirstenhill]

Now that I'm reading these responses I'm even more mystified...are a lot of lefties cutting with their right hand? I still cut with my left but use all the same scissors as all the righties. They all seem to work just fine on my left hand? Am I subconsciously picking scissors that are more universal, or did I just learn done kind of coping technique without realizing it? :lol:

[boscopup]

My youngest is a lefty. I'm encouraging him to use right handed scissors for the moment, as I would prefer he be able to do that, but if it's ever a problem, I'll get the lefty scissors.

 

My sister is a lefty, and my dad gave her a good quality pair of lefty scissors. I once tried to use them, and it hurt! I had to kind of hold them apart while cutting with my right hand (the wrong hand). So that gave me perspective on the lefty issue. If my child insists on cutting left handed, lefty scissors would be a good idea. If he can cut right handed, that would be easier for him long term.

 

Currently, my son is still ambidextrous with most things (he's 3.5), including cutting and writing, but he is definitely left handed.

[Carrie12345]

My lefty has never complained about right handed scissors.

 

 

The manual can opener, on the other hand...

[Matryoshka]

We have two lefties in the house and no dedicated lefty scissors.

 

However, every single pair of kids' scissors I've ever gotten (and we have many) are "ambidexterous" ones - say right on the package they're good for right or left handers.

 

However, dh is a lefty and dd doesn't always use kids' scissors and they haven't complained, so I'm not sure if they use their right hands when they've got righty scissors? :confused: Perhaps I should ask.

 

I'm fairly ambidextrous and I've tried to use righty scissors in my left hand and it was a huge pain, so if anyone asked me for them, I'd go out of my way to supply them.

[ErinE]

My dd uses whatever scissors are available and she's never had problems.

[Soror]

I think it depends on the degree of left-handedness. I don't think all left-handed people can easily use right-handed scissors, it is the same to me as assuming you can make any left-handed person could write with their right-hand if they tried hard enough. I have 2 left-handed kids here and I have both. They seem to not care much, although cutting is just harder for ds regardless of the scissors used.

[arcara]

I am left-handed and taught myself how to cut right-handed in about 2nd grade when lefty scissors were no longer regularly available. I'm really glad that I don't need special scissors to cut things. I haven't gotten any special scissors for my one left-handed child. She's only 3 and does fine cutting left-handed with right-handed scissors. I may encourage her to switch to cutting right-handed when she's older.

[mommaduck]

It depends upon the child. Some lefties do better with left handed scissors and some do better with right handed scissors. I'm a lefty and cannot use left handed scissors. Being left handed does not necessarily mean that your left hand is stronger or more adept to being "left" at everything.

[PIE!]

Dd and ds are lefties. They can cut with both kinds of scissors, but when using scissors with the left blade on top they can get a better view of what they're cutting, and can cut more accurately. Thanks to the internet, good, cheap, lefty scissors are not hard to find.

[black_midori]

I suppose I should have said other, but I said no. I have 2 lefty kids in homeschooling and both tend to use righty scissors. So I guess it just depends on the person and what works for them!

[Walking-Iris]

I voted no. I'm left handed and all three of my children are. I agree with Ellie--the world is full of right handed scissors. Teach them to use them now when they're learning cutting skills and they'll be able to use right handed when they are older. I don't buy into this "special" stuff for the left handed idea.

[Dinsfamily]

4 out of 6 in my family are lefties...Dh, myself, and 2 kiddos. We vary in our degrees of left-handedness with me being the least ambidextrous. I'm VERY left-handed. I've taught myself to do a lot with my right hand over the years and now cut with my right-hand unless a left-handed pair of scissors is within reach (which is almost never). However, I could not cut with my right hand at all in early elementary school. It was very frustrating for me. My right hand didn't work and I couldn't get right handed scissors to work in my left hand.

 

I did buy my 6yo lefty a pair of lefty scissors and he prefers them, but the dull, ambidextrous preschooler scissors worked just fine for him. He is pretty ambidextrous and has no trouble cutting with his right hand when he finds his brother's scissors first. He didn't really need the lefty scissors, but I'm glad I got them just in case. I'll have them for my next lefty coming down the pike. I would rather have them around than have a frustrated dc.

[Incognito]

I cut with righty scissors in my left hand. So, no, whoever asked upthread, you are not the only one. :)

[ClassicalTwins]

We just bought our lefty a left handed pair of scissors and here is why

 

When a lefty uses "univeral" scissors, they can't see where they are lining up their scissors. The top blade is in the way unlike a right handed person. He kept saying I can't see where I'm cutting and well, we looked at it from his point of view and well he was right. We got them on Amazon. He can use right handed ones, but prefers his lefty ones when he is home and working on projects

[SEGway]

I'm a lefty, too, and I voted yes. I remember being so thankful for the left-handed scissors I used when I was little and so frustrated with all the others. The universal ones we have at home now for our kids (all right handed) are easily used by either hand, but with the gappy ones, I still have trouble.

Using lefty scissors as a kid does not preclude being able to use most universal ones as an adult.

Using lefty scissors as a kid did make it much easier for me to be able to figure out How to get the hang of cutting.

[trlt]

I'm a lefty, too, and I voted yes. I remember being so thankful for the left-handed scissors I used when I was little and so frustrated with all the others. The universal ones we have at home now for our kids (all right handed) are easily used by either hand, but with the gappy ones, I still have trouble.

Using lefty scissors as a kid does not preclude being able to use most universal ones as an adult.

Using lefty scissors as a kid did make it much easier for me to be able to figure out How to get the hang of cutting.

 

:iagree: As an adult I use right handed scissors but when I was little left handed scissors helped me out a lot. When you are learning to cut and don't have the proper tool it is hard. I would get very frustrated trying to use right-handed scissors and I did so much better with left-handed scissors. As an adult I use right handed scissors to cut things but I have left-handed fabric scissors because I need to be precise and they are better for that.

[angela in ohio]

We just bought our lefty a left handed pair of scissors and here is why

 

When a lefty uses "univeral" scissors, they can't see where they are lining up their scissors. The top blade is in the way unlike a right handed person. He kept saying I can't see where I'm cutting and well, we looked at it from his point of view and well he was right. We got them on Amazon. He can use right handed ones, but prefers his lefty ones when he is home and working on projects

 

Yep.

 

And buying a child the scissors they need to be able to cut comfortably most of the time doesn't doom them to a life of not being able to use right-handed scissors. :confused:

[Dinsfamily]

We just bought our lefty a left handed pair of scissors and here is why

 

When a lefty uses "univeral" scissors, they can't see where they are lining up their scissors. The top blade is in the way unlike a right handed person. He kept saying I can't see where I'm cutting and well, we looked at it from his point of view and well he was right. We got them on Amazon. He can use right handed ones, but prefers his lefty ones when he is home and working on projects

 

I'm a lefty, too, and I voted yes. I remember being so thankful for the left-handed scissors I used when I was little and so frustrated with all the others. The universal ones we have at home now for our kids (all right handed) are easily used by either hand, but with the gappy ones, I still have trouble.

Using lefty scissors as a kid does not preclude being able to use most universal ones as an adult.

Using lefty scissors as a kid did make it much easier for me to be able to figure out How to get the hang of cutting.

 

:iagree: You two said it way better than I did.

[hollyh]

Ok, here's my question though.

Obviously I will teach my lefty to cut left-handed with lefty scissors.

However, w/ right-handed scissors, do I teach her to cut with her left or right hand? I would think to let her discover herself, but at 3, I would think she kind of needs to be explicitly taught.

[boscopup]

Ok, here's my question though.

Obviously I will teach my lefty to cut left-handed with lefty scissors.

However, w/ right-handed scissors, do I teach her to cut with her left or right hand? I would think to let her discover herself, but at 3, I would think she kind of needs to be explicitly taught.

 

I let my 3 year old work it out himself. He's used both hands for cutting with right-handed scissors. I just fix his grip, whichever hand he uses. Same goes for writing - he can pick a hand, and I'll fix his grip. Today, he was doing a R&S workbook where you trace lines, X's, O's, triangles, and squares. He did the first half with his left hand, then he did the second half with his right hand. :lol: He did both really well, though I noticed that he hooks when writing with his RIGHT hand. Odd. But he's left-handed in general. Just still ambidextrous with the writing thing. He uses the left hand more, but still uses the right hand also. I don't worry about it. I just provide the writing utensil and help him with grip as needed.

[HappyLady]

I remember in grammar school the teachers would always give me left-handed scissors even though I told them I wanted the regular ones. I could never cut anything with them even though I'm left-handed! I cut with my right and even cut food with my right. I say to let children try both and see what they're more comfortable with.

[Joshin]

Get them and see what is preferred. My youngest writes right-handed most of the time, but does everything else left-handed, including cutting and playing sports. When he was younger, before we realized he was ambidextrous, he refused to cut out anything and would whine that it was too hard or made his hand cramp up. One day at my mom's house (who is left-handed) he grabbed her lefty scissors to cut with and was just enamored with them. That's also when we realized he was doing a lot of things other than writing with his left hand.

 

He'll now cut with any scissors although he always uses his left hand. He still grabs a lefty pair when he needs to make a very precise cut, though. If a child is having trouble with the righty scissors, get them a better tool. As others said, let them master the skill first the easy way!

[sbgrace]

Ok, here's my question though.

Obviously I will teach my lefty to cut left-handed with lefty scissors.

However, w/ right-handed scissors, do I teach her to cut with her left or right hand? I would think to let her discover herself, but at 3, I would think she kind of needs to be explicitly taught.

 

Stick with the way the child's brain is supposed to go. If she is ambidextrous she'll do whatever she's wired to do with the hand her brain wants to use. In other words, let her select her dominance for tasks. Hand the scissors in the middle and let her take them with the hand she wants to use. She may be still establishing dominance so this allows things to progress naturally for her.

 

 

Assuming she's left handed and that sticks I would just let her use the left handed scissors and leave it at that. If she picks up right handed ones they will still cut for her in her left hand. When my son uses right handed scissors now he still cuts with his left hand.

Edited October 16, 2012 by sbgrace

[Alphabetika]

I haven't read the thread and I don't have any left-handed children, but I am a lefty who learned to use right-handed scissors because that's what was available to me. Since I don't know whether lefty scissors for adults even exist, I think if I had a lefty kid I'd try righty scissors first and switch only if my child was having terrible trouble.