Hand dominance in children: when it shows and how to help

When hand dominance in children shows up and settles

MedlinePlus, the consumer health site of the US National Library of Medicine, says that hand preference becomes increasingly apparent in early childhood and tends to stay consistent throughout life (MedlinePlus Genetics). The exact timing is less clear than many parenting sites suggest.

A review of the research describes three- to five-year-olds as often showing only a weak, inconsistent preference, with a clear preference sometimes not visible until around age six. Researchers have not agreed on an age at which handedness is as fixed as it is in adults (Scharoun & Bryden 2014). In a study of children aged four to eleven, the four- and five-year-olds had a weaker preference for one hand than the eight- to eleven-year-olds (Hill & Khanem 2009).

How common is left-handedness? A large meta-analysis puts it at about 10.6%, or between roughly 9% and 18% depending on how it is measured (Papadatou-Pastou et al. 2020). In most preschool classrooms, a few kids color with their left hand.

So a preschooler who switches between left and right is in good company. What matters more is how things develop by the time your child starts writing in school.

How to tell if your child is left- or right-handed

You don’t need a test to get a sense of it. Just watch during everyday life, without commenting. Notice which hand picks up a spoon placed in the middle of the plate, which hand holds the toothbrush, which one throws a ball or twists off a lid. A single moment says little. A picture over a few weeks says more.

To make sure your child really chooses, put things in the middle instead of handing them to one side: crayons, forks, scissors, toys. And skip phrases like “use your good hand.” Neither hand is the good one.

Pay attention to the other hand, too. In many tasks it has its own job: it holds the paper, the cup or the string. In Mirror Drawing, both hands draw the same shape at once, and in Ball Figure Eight, a small ball travels around the knees in a figure eight. Both let you see how the hands work together and which one leads more steadily.

If your child’s preferred hand stays unclear, an occupational therapist can assess it with a range of tasks. That’s a job for a professional, not for an online quiz.

Should you correct a left-handed child?

No. For a long time, the left hand was treated as the wrong one. In the twentieth century, many British and American educators, psychologists and psychiatrists urged that left-handed children be forced to write with their right hand, often with harsh methods that included restraining the left hand (Kushner 2012). A large meta-analysis names pressure against left-hand use as one reason the share of left-handers varies between cultures (Papadatou-Pastou et al. 2020).

Health authorities elsewhere are clear on this. Germany’s Federal Institute for Public Health states that handedness develops on its own and should not be influenced (BIÖG, in German). Spain’s association of primary care pediatricians writes that no child should ever be forced to use one side or the other (AEPap, in Spanish).

How much harm switching causes is not well studied. An early theory that it led to stuttering did not hold up (Kushner 2012). But there is no good reason to switch a child, either. Let your child know that both hands are fine. Kids who notice they draw differently from their friends sometimes need to hear that.

Tips for a left-handed child at home and school

A lot of everyday tools are built for right hands, from scissors to can openers. A few things make life easier for a lefty:

• Left-handed scissors: the blades are reversed so your child can see the line they are cutting along. Send a pair to preschool or school if there are none.
• Seating: left-handed children often feel more comfortable on the left side of a right-handed child, says Ireland’s public health service (HSE). That way elbows don’t bump, at dinner as much as during crafts.
• Pens: quick-drying pens and ink smudge less when the hand slides over what was just written.
• Setting the table: if your child prefers the cup and fork on the other side, let them.

When you show your child something new, like tying shoes, try sitting across from them. They see the movement as in a mirror and don’t have to flip it in their head.

When a left-handed child learns to write

Writing from left to right means the left hand pushes the pencil ahead of it and covers what was just written. Some left-handers then hook the wrist over the line to see. Paper position makes a difference here:

• Tilt the paper so the top left corner is a little higher than the right (HSE).
• Encourage a relaxed hand that stays below the writing line rather than a wrist hooked over it.
• Choose pencils and pens that glide easily, so your child doesn’t have to push hard.

Try a few angles together and let your child pick what feels comfortable. Tell the teacher at the start of the school year that your child writes with their left hand, so seating and paper position can be set up the same way at school.

Switching hands at 4 or 5: normal or a reason to ask?

A four-year-old who draws with the left hand one day and the right the next is usually still settling on a hand. Which hand children choose also depends on the task, not just on age (Hill & Khanem 2009). Throwing with the left and drawing with the right does happen.

If the hand switches mainly in the middle of the page, that may have to do with crossing the midline. You’ll find a question about exactly that in Crossing the midline: what it means and 6 activities.

In games with clear roles for left and right, each hand has its own job. In Tap the Color, you call a color and your child taps it with the matching hand. In Two-Hand Path, green pieces belong to the left hand and blue ones to the right, and in Block Beat, both hands tap blocks in rhythm. These games are about left and right and teamwork between the hands. They don’t decide handedness, and they aren’t meant to.

You’ll find more games for both hands among the body and coordination activities.

When to talk to your pediatrician

One situation calls for an early checkup. Spain’s association of primary care pediatricians advises seeing the pediatrician if a child uses one side of the body much more than the other, in a very marked way, before age 2 (AEPap, in Spanish). Your pediatrician can then take a closer look.

Later on, it’s worth bringing up if your child still switches hands a lot after age four and you are unsure, or if no writing hand has emerged by the time school starts. Germany’s Federal Institute for Public Health advises talking to the pediatrician about frequent switching after age four and stresses that the writing hand should be settled before school starts (BIÖG, in German). The same goes for drawing and writing that are much harder for your child than for other kids. Your pediatrician can decide whether an evaluation or occupational therapy makes sense.

You won’t find a self-test checklist here, on purpose. Whether a child needs support depends on how they manage in daily life, and that is something a professional should assess together with you.

Frequently asked questions

Further reading

• Crossing the midline: what it means and 6 activities
• Fine motor activities for kids: everyday ideas by age