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Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>Right/left handed-can't figure it out
Country Kids 10:02 AM 12-05-2012
I have one I have been meaning to ask about and remembered during the kindergarten readiness post.

I have one that can't figure out which hand they are and they are getting extremely frustrated when doing projects.

They are constantly switching hands during anything we are doing (painting, eating, drawing, coloring,etc.) and one hand doesn't seem better then the other one. Still dumps alot of food off of spoons/forks. Child is going to be 4 very soon.
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Blackcat31 10:18 AM 12-05-2012
It is very common for kids to be ambidextrous up until age 5. Don't try to force use of either hand as it is perfectly fine for them to practice fine motor skills with both hands and can actually be beneficial later.

Let them use whatever hand they want to use. The dominant hand will eventually win out and they will become lefties or righties all on their own.
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SunshineMama 10:31 AM 12-05-2012
Originally Posted by Blackcat31:
It is very common for kids to be ambidextrous up until age 5. Don't try to force use of either hand as it is perfectly fine for them to practice fine motor skills with both hands and can actually be beneficial later.

Let them use whatever hand they want to use. The dominant hand will eventually win out and they will become lefties or righties all on their own.
I second this
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Willow 10:36 AM 12-05-2012
My son at 8 is still ambidextrous. Although he does most of his handwriting with his right hand in school because all of his friends do I often catch him at home also using his left. He uses his left almost exclusively for coloring, painting, eating etc.

I thought it was incredibly bizarre until a couple of his teachers pointed out it's really not a big deal at all.
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Country Kids 10:38 AM 12-05-2012
No, I wouldn't force a hand to use. Its just frustrating for the child because they can't or it takes foever for a project to get done because they really have no cordination with hands I guess is what I'm saying. There isn't a stronger hand over the other. All my others have it down on which hand they use but this one. Its almost like the hands are weak.

The still do alot of grasping with the hands when holding things (markers,pencils, paintbrush, utensils, etc.) but when you try and have them hold it correctly they just have no cordination with it and the frustration starts.
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itlw8 10:45 AM 12-05-2012
try rolling a ball and see which foot they kick it with. or hand them a paper towel tube and see which eye they look through. not fool proof but it can point out a dominance.
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Country Kids 10:52 AM 12-05-2012
Originally Posted by itlw8:
try rolling a ball and see which foot they kick it with. or hand them a paper towel tube and see which eye they look through. not fool proof but it can point out a dominance.
Did this! They looked through and kicked with the same side. I know not fool proof but this is the hand they have the least cordination over.

Also, when they went to kick they kinda stumbled like they were trying to figure out which foot to use.
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laundrymom 10:52 AM 12-05-2012
Just remember Hand dominance and eye dominance aren't always the same. I'm right handed, bowl right, kick right, but shoot bow, rifle& handgun left.
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