The Best Tips to Help Left-Handed Children Write Better
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I'm often asked about tips and resources to help left-handed children write. It's an area that I've not worked with much, partly because both my children and all the students I've worked with have been right-handed. So let's look at some of the best Occupational Therapy tips and tools to help left-handed children write better.
Before we begin, I would like to note that hand dominance (sometimes referred to as handedness) is not fully formed in at least 30% of children until 6-7 years old. You may see children switching between their left and right hand for different tasks before this age and that is developmentally appropriate.
If you would like to learn more about hand dominance development, check out my blog post here.
Left-Handed Writing Problems
After some research thanks to Google, here are some common problem areas that left-handed writers face.
- Worksheets and letter formation guides are made only for right-handed children (something I want to remedy on this site!)
- Paper that is misaligned on the table
- Not being able to see what they are writing because their left hand is covering what they have written
- Not being shown how to hold their pencil properly to prevent wrist “hooking” or smudges
- Difficulty writing without smudging the pencil or pen strokes
- Not being provided left-handed friendly writing tools (including grips and scissors)
- Hands bumping into the wire of a notebook while trying to write, causing difficulty with holding their pencil correctly and good posture in the arm and shoulder
- Being shown letter formations for right-handed writers only (again, I am working to fix this on my website!)
- Not enough space to move their left hand and arm freely and not bump into those using their right hand for writing (this would be a problem in the classroom and depends on how desks are set up in the classroom)
Did I miss any problem areas? Let me know in the comments and I'll add them to my post!
Left-Handed Writing Examples
While many letters of the alphabet are formed the same way, regardless of which hand is used, there are a few letters that can make a big difference for left-handed writers.
These letters include: A, E, F, G, H, I, J, T, and lowercase f and t.
When we teach right-handed children these letters, we teach them top to bottom, left to right. For left-handed writers, pulling these letters across from the right can help to avoid smudges on the paper and increase their visibility to see what they are writing.
Here are some examples.
Instead of teaching the capital A like this…
We should teach them to pull the middle line across from the right side, instead of the left, like this.
The same would be true for E, F, G, H, I, J, T, and lowercase f and t.
Left-Handed Writing Posture and Positioning
All children learning to write benefit from good posture. This includes feet flat on the floor, knees bent at 90 degrees, and sitting upright in their chair. In OT speak, we call this the 3 90s, 90 degrees bent at the ankles, knees, and hips.
The specific tips for left-handed writers come in the position of the paper and pencil.
The paper should be placed at a 30-degree angle, aiming the left corner of the paper up and the right side of the paper down. This helps to prevent the wrist “hook” that many left-handed children use in order to help them see what they are writing.
Playing with different surfaces, including a slanted writing board or vertical surfaces like a chalk/whiteboard can be very beneficial for helping left-handed children get the proper grasp on their writing tools. They should always use their right hand to stabilize the paper.
Lastly, holding their pencil 2-3 cm away from the writing tip can improve their visibility while writing. Often we encourage children to hold their pencils right where the handle begins. However, for left-handed writers, moving their fingers up on the pencil or crayon can be beneficial.
Left-Handed Writing Tools
Writing tools for left-handed children will be very similar to right-handed children. I would still suggest small golf-size pencils for preschoolers and break crayons as needed.
The difference comes when providing pencil grips for those who are left-handed. While I don't typically suggest pencil grips to “fix” a grasp, sometimes it is helpful for specific children. You will want to look for left-handed specific grips like the ones below.
Children who are left-handed could also benefit from pencils that have a thicker barrel than typical. I've included a couple of options below.
Using fine-tip or felt-tip pens can also help decrease smudges on the paper. You can also consider providing no. 3 pencils instead of no. 2s for harder lead that will decrease smudges.
- Left/Right-Handed Grips from The Pencil Grip Store
- Left-Handed Training Grips
- Egg-Shapes Pencil and Pen Grips
- Left-Handed Ball Point Pens
Other suggestions for writing tools would be to provide loose-leaf paper instead of spiral notebooks. Or provide left-handed spiral notebooks so that the child's hand does not bump the spiral while writing.
Set up the desks so that there is enough space between a child who is left-handed and their right-handed classmates.
Raised writing surfaces such as a slanted writing board or writing on a vertical surface can help children see what they are writing and support good wrist and hand placement for proper grasp.
To see all my suggestions including left-handed notebooks, slanted-writing boards, and more, you can check out my Handwriting for Lefties Amazon Storefront list here.
References:
(n.d.). Left-Handed Handwriting: First 100 High Frequency Words Worksheets Handwriting Worksheet. Twinkl. Retrieved January 26, 2025, from https://www.twinkl.com/resource/left-handed-handwriting-first-100-high-frequency-words-activity-sheets-handwriting-activity-sheet-t-l-9616
Koscinski , C., OTD, OTR/L (n.d.). Left Handwriting Tips Plus Freebie. Retrieved January 26, 2025, from https://thetherapeuticedge.com/left-hand-writing-tips-plus-freebie/
L. S. (2020, June 20). Left-Handed Handwriting Tips & Guide. Retrieved January 26, 2025, from https://www.lwtears.com/blog/left-handed-handwriting-tips-guide
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (n.d.). Handwriting Advice for Left Handers. Retrieved January 26, 2025, from https://www.nhsggc.org.uk/kids/resources/ot-activityinformation-sheets/handwriting-advice-for-left-handers/
Potterton, J., OTR (2021, August 13). Left Handed Writing Tips. Retrieved January 26, 2025, from https://www.theottoolbox.com/left-handed-writing-tips/
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Heather Greutman, COTA
Heather Greutman is a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant with experience in school-based OT services for preschool through high school. She uses her background to share child development tips, tools, and strategies for parents, educators, and therapists. She is the author of many ebooks including The Basics of Fine Motor Skills, and Basics of Pre-Writing Skills, and co-author of Sensory Processing Explained: A Handbook for Parents and Educators.
Hello Heather. I am an OTR in the school system and I am always addressing the importance of accommodating the left handed students with proper letter formation, left handed scissor and so on. One thing I didn’t know and I learned with you was about the left handed spiral notes, thank you for sharing it! I found some on Amazon and I can’t wait to show my teachers. Regarding the scissor skills, I came across that many left handed kids learn to cut with the right hand and even I introduce the left hand scissor to them, they continue to have success with the right hand so I don’t push it. However, for those in the beginning stages of developing the skills, left handed scissors are live saviors. Thanks for all you do Heather.
Excellent thoughts, thanks for sharing!