Kathryn Posted July 4, 2018 Share Posted July 4, 2018 My 4yo still doesn't *always* use a particular hand when eating, drawing, etc. in general, I'm fine with it, but she is really wanting to learn to write and I'm not sure what to do about her hand-switching. I'm left-handed. My olders and husband are right-handed. She primarily uses her right hand, but occasionally (at least once per sitting, not like once a month) switches to her left. When teaching her to write/form letters correctly, should I encourage her to stick with her right since she seems to prefer it? Is it going to be confusing for her to switch back and forth or should I just adjust things every time she switches? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanaqui Posted July 4, 2018 Share Posted July 4, 2018 Still normal at that age, and not worth worrying about. Even though she really wants to write, at the age of four "learning to write" is still mostly play. However, there is one thing to look out for. If she has trouble "crossing the midline" - that is, using her left hand on her right side, or her right hand on her left side - that could be a developmental issue. I forget what it's a sign of, but it's not a great thing to see. If you see her consistently switching hands when she reaches the middle of the page, when writing or drawing or coloring or painting, then it might be time to check with a pediatrician about getting her a referral for therapy. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathryn Posted July 4, 2018 Author Share Posted July 4, 2018 1 hour ago, Tanaqui said: Still normal at that age, and not worth worrying about. Even though she really wants to write, at the age of four "learning to write" is still mostly play. However, there is one thing to look out for. If she has trouble "crossing the midline" - that is, using her left hand on her right side, or her right hand on her left side - that could be a developmental issue. I forget what it's a sign of, but it's not a great thing to see. If you see her consistently switching hands when she reaches the middle of the page, when writing or drawing or coloring or painting, then it might be time to check with a pediatrician about getting her a referral for therapy. Thank you. I do remember that now that you mention it and I'll pay attention to see if that's what's going on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted July 4, 2018 Share Posted July 4, 2018 My ds did this an excessively long time and it was indeed indicative of retained primitive reflexes and midline issues. Those will affect her vision and hence reading also. Easiest snazzy thing you can do? BalavisX. You can buy the book and do it yourself with little beanbags or look on youtube or whatever you want. It doesn't cure as much as they say, but it's worth doing and fun and stellar for those midline issues. Then google for retained reflexes. Usually they don't start working on them till 5, but sounds like the writing is on the wall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loowit Posted July 4, 2018 Share Posted July 4, 2018 If there are no developmental issues, then I wouldn't worry about it too much right now. Both my oldest and youngest switched hands a lot until they were a bit older. DD ended up being left handed, and DS right handed. But I think they really could have gone either way. DD still does a few things with her right hand, just because it is easier in a right hand world. And DS still does some things with his left hand. I did make DD choose a hand eventually but I think she was around 6. DS just naturally started to use his right hand more by the time he was about 5 1/2. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hollyhock2 Posted July 4, 2018 Share Posted July 4, 2018 I agree. Don't worry about it. I wouldn't even mention it to her. She'll naturally pick one probably by the time she is 7 or so. My 3rd son switched until he was about 6. It was really funny because in 1st grade, he did the left hand page of phonics with his left hand, and the right page with his right hand. They looked identical! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MerryAtHope Posted July 5, 2018 Share Posted July 5, 2018 It's pretty normal to still switch hands sometimes at this age. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted July 6, 2018 Share Posted July 6, 2018 On 7/3/2018 at 7:02 PM, Kathryn said: My 4yo still doesn't *always* use a particular hand when eating, drawing, etc. in general, I'm fine with it, but she is really wanting to learn to write and I'm not sure what to do about her hand-switching. I'm left-handed. My olders and husband are right-handed. She primarily uses her right hand, but occasionally (at least once per sitting, not like once a month) switches to her left. When teaching her to write/form letters correctly, should I encourage her to stick with her right since she seems to prefer it? Is it going to be confusing for her to switch back and forth or should I just adjust things every time she switches? You teach her how to correctly hold her writing implement and correctly write each letter, regardless of which hand she is using. Of course, her left hand will be a mirror of her right hand. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tsuga Posted July 6, 2018 Share Posted July 6, 2018 My kids switched through K. One is a right, one is a lefty. Actually the lefty is like me and draws and throws with one hand, writes with the other. Now she plays switch in lacrosse. It's a feature, not a bug. ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted July 6, 2018 Share Posted July 6, 2018 On 7/4/2018 at 12:44 PM, Kathryn said: Thank you. I do remember that now that you mention it and I'll pay attention to see if that's what's going on. An easy way to check for crossing the midline issues is to check whether or not they can march properly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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