Psychological features of left-handed children, or school problems of left-handers. "One left" or how to properly raise a left-handed child? Can a left-handed child take a lean anthem

Have you ever wondered why the subway slots for tokens and cards are always on the right side of the turnstile? A lot of things are “sharpened” under right-handers - from scissors to computer mice, from copybooks in notebooks to machine tools in factories. Some firms, however, produce special goods for left-handed people (mainly stationery, work tools and household appliances). But there are few such exceptions. The older our beloved little lefty, the more more things in a right-handed world he has to adapt. AT kindergarten The question is not yet so acute. But at school, problems arise - both foreseen by parents, and completely unexpected for them. After all, the features of the development of left-handed children are not always taken into account there. What are they?

There are things that are initially more difficult for left-handed people than for their right-handed peers.

* For many left-handers, phonemic hearing (the ability to distinguish between different sounds) and the ability to articulate are slowly developing. Therefore, they can speak later than their peers, but already in rather long and complex phrases. Relatives can only be amazed at their "adult" speech. As one mother said, her daughter was silent for almost two years. An unpleasant diagnosis “loomed” on the horizon - “delay speech development". And suddenly, going out into the street in the morning, the girl made a hilariously squeamish face and said: “Fu, how wet it is here!” After that, the parents had only the opposite problems - sometimes it was impossible to appease the "talking" child.

* Difficult relationships in left-handers develop with space and time. Even in junior school age he may sometimes doubt which hand he has is right and which is left. Left-handed children often have disorders or insufficiencies in the development of spatial perception at the visual level, visual memory, and motor coordination. For example, a left-handed child remembers the road in unfamiliar places with great difficulty.

* Sometimes it is difficult for a left-handed child to determine the time on a clock with arrows. He confuses the hour and minute hands, perceives them in a mirror image or displaced.

*Sometimes such children have delayed the development of such an important skill as the formation of rows of words, signs, images, objects. It is difficult for them to remember the relative position of something in space, it is difficult to assemble a mosaic, lay out a pattern in a certain direction. It would seem that such features can prevent a left-handed person from navigating and successfully acting in the world around him. But nature is fair in its own way. And she more than compensates for all these difficulties! After all, it has long been proven that left-handers are amazing people. Every time a left-hander invents, and even in an unimaginable (for others) way, he singles out his way of building and taking over the world of right-handed people ... Without exception, all left-handed children are able to tremendously, almost magically control the course of their mental activity. Often they achieve the desired results as if by an "indirect" way, sometimes finding absolutely unthinkable available and inaccessible means. A little four-year-old left-handed child easily retells entire pages from the book he “read”, and then it turns out that not a single letter is known to him. So who taught him this way of reading? Who taught a child at the age of six to solve digital problems of considerable difficulty, despite the fact that he changed and altered the spelling of numbers similar to each other? Did you subtract the top row from the bottom row, and designate the word “task” itself as “chdz”, that is, by the mirror method, skipping all the vowels? It has been clear to every reasonable adult for many centuries that time is a clock hanging on the wall. But the eternal child, like all geniuses, A. Einstein suddenly saw this as an absolutely incorrect formulation of the question. The result is known to all of us. Although, most likely, he sometimes used the watch for its intended purpose.

Yes, building word rows and memorizing unrelated things and concepts is more difficult for a left-handed person than for a right-handed peer. But if he can somehow “mark” them in his mind, find logical connections and associations, then he remembers them easily and in large volume. And what a non-standard left-handed view of the world, what an ability to find logical and figurative connections, what a desire for something new and original ... According to recent studies, left-handed university graduates earn 13-21% more than their right-handed counterparts. In addition, as the researchers suggest, there are a lot of left-handers among the figures. various kinds arts. For example, among artists, musicians, as well as some categories of athletes. AT certain types left-handed sports - literally "worth its weight in gold." For example, in tennis, fencing, boxing, most martial arts, they are considered the most dangerous and "unpredictable" opponents. No wonder 40% of world boxing champions are left-handed.

"Levoruchka" at school and at home.

In elementary school, left-handed children often encounter difficulties. Don't be scared! This applies not only to your child, but to most left-handers in general. Usually, by the fourth grade, the differences are smoothed out, and the left child normally "flows" into the educational process. But he needs help with this.

When educating and training a left-hander, you should always remember about his increased emotionality and vulnerability. Levshonok is extremely sensitive to external evaluation. Even more than an ordinary child, he needs acceptance, approval, respect, sympathy. Do not be lazy to praise him for a job well done! The task of parents is to develop in him optimism, self-confidence, an active attitude to life. Mental processes take away a lot of energy from lefties. The result is fatigue and exhaustion. nervous system. Therefore, make sure that the student observes a constant daily routine and does not overwork.

Left-handers are slower than right-handed peers to form simple skills that allow us to perform some familiar actions automatically, without thinking. It is more difficult to force a left-handed child to do something according to the rules, according to the established pattern. For example, brushing your teeth at night, changing clothes, coming from the street, etc. How to act here?

No need to get angry and nervous. But do not expect that the child himself will learn (just by looking at you) to sew with a needle, use scissors, tie shoelaces, make a bed, draw, write letters. It is difficult for a left-hander to learn some skills “at a glance”. He cannot, looking at you, understand how this is still done. He needs the movements, the relative position of the hands, fingers, head to "remember" his whole body. It is better to take his hands in yours and do the necessary action with him several times. If a letter or number is not remembered, let him not just try to copy it, looking at the sample, but circle it several times using a stencil or carbon copy. And then admire the neat, beautiful drawing.

Parent, get ready!

School difficulties relate most often to learning to write and count. The fact is that the basis for primary skills here is visual perception. And it, as we remember, is “limping” in left-handed people.

1. "In which direction is the ponytail?" The child confuses letters and numbers that are similar in spelling (for example, “d” and “b”: one has a “tail” on top and the other on the bottom), adds extra elements or vice versa, does not add elements of letters and numbers. "Mirror" spelling of letters, numbers and graphic elements occurs in 85% of left-handed first-graders. But don't worry: most right-handed children between the ages of three and seven also sometimes write some letters in a mirror image. This is a normal stage of mastering the letter. “Normal”, according to the observations of psychologists, such errors completely disappear after 10 years.

How to help. The left-hander thinks in emotions and integral images. To remember something, he needs a figurative "binding", an association. A classic example: “d” has a tail down, like a woodpecker, and “b” has a tail up, like a squirrel.”

2. The order of the letters. Sometimes (especially in a hurry) a lefty can swap or skip letters in a word. From the “cow”, at best, he gets a “carpet” ... Some left-handers have very persistent dysgraphic errors. Children get confused in the order of letters, forget to leave gaps between words. This is due to the same undeveloped ability to form rows, to distinguish sounds and their sequence.

How to help. Lay out patterns from various elements or mosaics with your preschooler more often. Arrange elements strictly from left to right. First, fold the top row, and then, as it were, “go” to the line below. Conduct visual dictations with your child. To do this, you can use two identical sets geometric shapes- squares, triangles, rhombuses and circles cut out of multi-colored cardboard. A row is laid out from one set. The child examines it and lists it out loud several times from left to right, remembering the sequence: “Blue square, red triangle, yellow circle”, etc. The sample is closed, and the child reproduces it from memory, laying out the figures from the second set. Then you should check the correctness of the execution and "reward" for a good result with a small prize. Such workouts begin with very short rows of 3-4 figures, and then their length increases. It will be useful to offer a left-handed child to compose a story based on a series of plot pictures, again, observing the direction from left to right. To do this, you can use children's comics, if the drawings in them are arranged in that order. Gives good results early learning reading. If a child reads a lot, he simply visually remembers " appearance» words.

3. This terrible handwriting. Large, stretched, uneven letters lean in different directions? Write slowly and ugly? But there's nothing you can do about it - it's not from inattention and lack of effort. A left-hander sometimes puts more effort into calligraphy than his right-handed peer, and the result is worse. For some left-handers, the handwriting evens out by the senior classes, and for some it remains so for life.

How to help. It is worth talking to the teacher, explaining that the cause of problems with calligraphy is the left-handedness of the child, and not his inattention and laziness. It is necessary to remove the psychological pressure at school so that your child does not feel “lagging behind”, “worse” than other students because of poor handwriting. Indeed, in the era of computerization, the skills of speed dialing and searching for the necessary information on the Internet become much more important.

Note to the teacher.

When a left-handed child works at a table, the light source should be on the right side. When seating children in the classroom, it is better for the teacher to seat the left-hander so that the board is to his right. The posture at the desk is standard, but not the right, but the left shoulder should protrude a little forward. The notebook or sheet of paper should be placed in such a way that the upper right corner is slanted to the right, and the upper left corner is opposite the chest. If a left-hander sits at a desk with a right-handed child, it is better to put him on the left, and the right-hander on the right so that they do not interfere with each other, colliding with their elbows.

It's very simple. Observe with which hand the child performs difficult actions. It is known that already at the age of 5-6 months, children prefer one of the hands. But these steps are still very simple. And it is impossible to figure out which of them is leading at this time.

At four years old, the baby already clearly defines the leading hand for himself. Finally, the preference is formed and fixed by the age of five. And when he reaches this age, you can determine the left-handedness yourself by answering a few simple questions.

With what hand does the child draw?
Which hand is holding the spoon?
Which hand throws the stone?
In which hand does he hold toothbrush?
Which hand hammers a nail?
Which hand does he hold the eraser in when he erases?
Which hand combs her hair?
Which hand deals cards?

Watch how the child performs special tasks designed by psychologists to identify the dominant hand. Here are some of them:

1. Have your child build a match well. The hand that most often performs active actions is the leading one.
2. See how the baby applauds. If a child beats with his right hand on his left, then he is right-handed, if vice versa - left-handed.
3. Older children can be invited to interlace their fingers. It is believed that the leading hand will be on top. The so-called "Napoleon pose" works on the same principle.
4. You can give the baby the task of winding the clock. If he works with his left hand and holds his watch in his right hand, then he is left-handed, and vice versa.

A more detailed list of questions contains special questionnaires that will help parents find out if their child is left-handed, right-handed or ambidextrous. Ambidextrous is a person who is equally good with both hands, without a pronounced preference for one of them).

Are left-handed people born or made? Both statements are true. The fact is that there are two types of left-handedness.
The first is natural, hereditary. It is genetically determined. Among the relatives of such a child, as a rule, there are left-handed or ambidexters.
The second is pathological. In this case, left-handedness is the result of trauma, pathological pregnancy, damage to certain brain centers during childbirth.
Right-handed children may also prefer the left hand after an injury to the right hand. For example, after a painful fracture of the right arm, a child remembered well that it was painful to perform actions with it. And he tries to work with his left, although it is harder for him. And this is just the case when it is advisable to retrain a child to be right-handed. And the sooner, the better. But about retraining a little later.

Development of a left-handed child

A left-handed child has some developmental features. The baby develops phonemic hearing more slowly, he is worse oriented in space. Or even perceives space differently.

Yes, there are many lefties talented people. This is as true as the fact that left-handed people often have trouble getting ready for school. And the task of parents is to make sure that the baby does not lag behind their peers, so that all skills and abilities are formed in time.

It is well known that for the correct formation of speech, it is useful for a child from the very beginning. early age read books. Experts believe that reading aloud has a positive effect on the development little man. At the same time, the reader must clearly pronounce all the sounds, do not rush. The listener must be able to understand what is read.

Try to talk more with your child. In this case, you also need to clearly pronounce all the sounds. Say the words slowly so that the baby can absorb the information. Do not swallow syllables, pause.

After 3-4 years, the crumbs already want to talk to their heart's content. Do not dismiss the child, find time for detailed discussions of everything that worries the baby.

1. Stretch your lips into a smile.
2. Pull out the lips with a tube.
3. Stretch your lips in a smile, then stretch them out with a tube.
4. Close and open your mouth.
5. Pull the tongue out of the mouth in the form of a "shovel".
6. "Collapse" the elongated tongue with a tube.
7. Talk tongue up and down.
8. Try to touch the tongue to the tip of the nose, and then to the chin.

Nothing prepares the hand for writing like exercises that develop fine motor skills. Give the baby the opportunity to manipulate small objects: teach him to sew, embroider, string beads together, collect mosaics, make all kinds of panels from natural materials. Even sorting out beans or cereals is useful. Buy special books with developing exercises. It is very useful to draw by dots, to shade shapes, to color pictures.

Dancing, rhythmic gymnastics and other sports will help develop coordination of movements, attention, perseverance, so necessary at school.

It is important to develop in a child correct technique letters. After all, this is done with the left hand not quite the same as with the right. Moreover, you can explain to him how to hold the pen correctly, without waiting until they teach him this at school. When writing, the child, of course, should sit straight, without touching the table with his chest. Legs bent at the knees at a right angle with the entire surface of the feet should rest on the floor. The head is slightly tilted to the right. The left hand, holding the pen, is turned to the surface of the table and rests on the lower part of the palm and the nail phalanx of the slightly bent little finger. The light source is on the right side.

How should you write with your left hand?

The pen is placed on top of the nail phalanx of the middle finger. The thumb holds the handle, and the index finger is placed on top of the handle at a distance of 1.5-2 cm from the ball.

There are two the right way write with your left hand.

1. The brush with the handle is located above the line. This method is intuitively discovered by many left-handed children. However, in this case, the student has to twist the brush.
2. The left hand with the pen is under the line. The notebook is tilted to the right. The lower right corner of the page on which the child writes is directed towards the middle of the chest. The child does not have to twist the brush. It can target the pattern and does not cover the newly written text. Some disadvantage of this writing technique is the slope to the left. True, a left-handed child should not write with an inclination to the right.

Why is it dangerous to retrain a lefty?

Now lefties fields in kindergartens, nor in schools are not retrained. However, there are still educators and teachers who are sure that this is necessary. Yes, and grandmothers sometimes say too insistently: "Take a spoon in your right hand!" However, this should not be done. Why?

When forcibly converted to right-handedness, children may develop sleep and appetite disturbances, headaches, fears, enuresis, nervous tics, lethargy, apathy or increased excitability, irritability. Psychologist Olesya Sysak explains: “The work of the right hand is controlled by the left hemisphere of the brain, and the left hand is controlled by the right. The left hemisphere is responsible for logical, analytical and abstract thinking, language abilities, reading, writing, remembers facts, dates, names. This hemisphere is able to understand only the literal meaning of the words.

The right hemisphere is responsible for imaginative thinking, emotions, processing of non-verbal information, musical and artistic abilities. Thus, it is generally accepted that left-handers have more developed creativity, while right-handers have more logic.

When parents want to retrain their child from the left hand to their usual right hand, they are guided by an internal motive, which they themselves do not understand, since it is formed at the level of their own upbringing. Indeed, at one time their parents were very painful about the fact that the child suddenly began to perform actions with the left, and not with the right hand. This meant that he was already somewhat different from other children. And to differ from the general mass of people was simply unacceptable before. And until now, these remnants do not allow some of us to feel free, to allow ourselves and our child to be the way I want to be, and not the way others want to see me.

Sometimes a child, seeing that he writes differently than everyone else, will wonder why he is like that, or even want to learn how to write "like everyone else." In this case, parents need to convince the baby that it is not necessary to write with the right hand, but he can try if he wants. You need to show him your love, sensitivity, understanding, once again say: "You are the very best!", "We love you!". “Absolute acceptance is important for a child, and then there will be no obstacles on the road of life,” explains O. Sysak.

Give your child more time, give warmth and attention. Work on improving his self-esteem. Say that he is the most, best, beautiful and beloved in the world. Your love will help him get through any trials and overcome all difficulties.

Comment on the article "A left-handed child in a right-handed family"

About left-handedness .. ... I find it difficult to choose a section. About his own, about a girl's. Discussion of questions about the life of a woman in the family, at work, relationships with men. Didn't find what you were looking for? See other discussions: Left-handed child in a right-handed family.

He writes, draws, eats with his left hand. If up to 2-3 years he still alternated hands, now everything is already obvious. So I’m thinking, I don’t demand it, but will they be retrained to write characters correctly at school? Mine, in principle, normally cope with objects from the right-handed world ...

learn to write with the left hand?. - get-togethers. About his own, about a girl's. learn to write with your left hand? The topic is not passive, but entertaining, we chew seeds and place bets! The right one really succeeds, at least slowly, but finely and correctly.

Left-handed child in a right-handed family. For example, after a painful fracture of the right hand, a child remembered well what to do with it. Why is it dangerous to retrain a left-hander? Now they don’t retrain in kindergartens or schools.

Left-handed child in a right-handed family. Observe with which hand the child performs difficult actions. Left-handedness defines only the dominant hand, while left-handedness is a complex characteristic that reflects a large one. Thus, if your child ...

Left-handed child in a right-handed family. Averyanova Vasilisa. Is your child left handed? Left-handed child in a right-handed family. Is your child left handed? And when he reaches this age, you can determine the left-handedness yourself by answering a few simple questions.

Please advise what to read on this topic: how should left-handers write correctly, how to put a notebook, should they observe the slope or not? well, everything on this topic. My son is handicapped: he writes with his left hand, but, for example, he holds scissors in his right hand.

the daughter writes with her left hand, eats with her left, but with a knife she cuts sticks with her right. He is a 100% right-handed child, he cannot do anything with his left hand, etc. (never even tried). How to properly raise a left-handed child. Why am I left-handed and other children are not?

But he writes with his left hand, the neurologist then told us that in no case should we be retrained. Left-handed child in a right-handed family. The development of a left-handed child. How should you write with your left hand? Among the relatives of such a child, as a rule, there are left-handed or ...

how do lefties write? My daughter is left handed, 5 years old. learned printed letters, at first, by points, it seems, she circled the way I showed, but now, when she writes on her own, she writes each letter from right to left, for example, she starts writing the letter M from the second vertical line ...

It is inconvenient to write with the left hand from left to right, but writing in Arabic with the left is just more convenient, because from right to left. Effective in retraining in case of fixing the wrong stereotype. Left-handed child in a right-handed family.

So that you don’t twist your hand, so that the ink doesn’t smear with your hand, so that you hold the notebook correctly? Left-handed child in a right-handed family. The child balked on his own, did not want to hold a pen in his left hand, became hysterical, wrote only with his right hand.

and who has a hereditary left-handed child?. parent experience. A child from 3 to 7. Education, nutrition, daily routine, attending a kindergarten and relationships with caregivers, illnesses and physical development A left-handed child in a right-handed family. Averyanova Vasilisa.

How to teach left-handed writing? Left handed child. Child psychology. But he himself leans to the left, so he is told not to touch and accept the choice of the child. Left-handed child in a right-handed family. How to teach to write left-handed?

3. Slowness of left-handed children, because for full perception or understanding they need a longer phased study of the material. Left-handed child in a right-handed family. How to recognize a left-handed child.

Egor(5,3) writes block letters and numbers from bottom to top, i.e. not in the usual way? Give the child any children's copybook to copy - it is better to turn two pages of copybook for preschoolers, which it will be interesting for the child to fill in with their own icons.

See other discussions: A left-handed child in a right-handed world. And my right-handed friend, on the contrary, had to be retrained as a left-handed child in a right-handed family. Is your child left handed? Usually left-handed parents are mentally prepared for the birth of a baby, ...

Left-handed child in a right-handed family. BUT YOU MUST DO IT!!! Are there any lefties here? I read a book by M. M. Bezrukikh "A left-handed child at school and at home." There is a lot of useful information, tests for determining. leading hand, exercises for classes with children and ...

Retraining. The child is left handed. Child psychology. A left-handed child in a right-handed world. Consequences of forcible retraining to the right hand of those 15% of left-handers who have speech centers are located in (Itself retrained - the left hand does not work at all.

And yet, how to correctly determine left-handed or right-handed? If a child from the age of 1 held a spoon in both his left and right hands, and then his grandmother began to constantly give a spoon in his left hand (grandfather is left-handed), and now my child writes only with his left. A left-handed child in a right-handed family.

Primary general education

Preschool education

paths

Psychology and pedagogy

If the child is left-handed, what should I do?

“I have a left-handed child, what should I do about it?” - the question can be found on forums and social networks. The simplest answer to this question would be a short one: "Nothing", but this recognition of the absolute normality of the phenomenon lacks recommendations.

Left-handedness does not mean that the child is more comfortable, it is not just a preference, but a different brain algorithm - in a person with a dominant left hand, the functions between the hemispheres are distributed quite differently. Psychologists and educators say that left-handedness is not a habit, not the result of a teacher's mistakes in the process of preschool training (yes, such accusations do occur), by no means a disease. This is a normal way of development of the organism, which may also depend on innate genetic characteristics.

What kind of left-handedness exists? Connection with other phenomena

Social left-handedness arises as a result of forced relearning. P The teaching of the language to a left-handed child can lead to a significant deterioration in the mental and physical condition. Such a process was called "dextrastress" - a psychophyseological stress, very painful for a child, arising from pressure on the left-handed "right-handed environment". Direct consequences: the manifestation of neurology up to depression, stuttering, increased fears.

How to determine the dominant hand in a child?

When does a child develop a dominant hand?

Methods for determining the leading hand

Put a few boxes in front of the child (even matchboxes will do). Put a button or stick in one of the boxes and invite the child to find it. The leading hand is considered to be the hand with which the baby will open and close the box.

Tie a few knots on a thick cord, invite the child to untie it. The leading hand is considered to be the hand with which the child pulls and unravels the knot (the second simply holds the cord).

Place a few vials or vials with easy-to-screw tops in front of the child. It is the leading hand that will twist the cap, and the second will hold the bottle.

Play ball with your child, offering to catch and throw it with one hand, without naming which one. The child will independently choose the hand that is more convenient to perform active actions.

Set the table together: have the child place napkins next to each plate. He will distribute with his leading hand, and hold the pile with the second.

One of the most simple ways- ask the child to clap his hands (the leading hand is on top), interlace the fingers of the hands (the thumb of the leading hand will be on top), cross his arms over his chest (the hand of the leading hand is on the forearm of the other hand).

The baby can be asked to stroke soft toy- actions are performed with the leading hand while the second holds the animal.

He puts the details of the designer into the holes, winds the clock, carries the typewriter over the surface - all this the child does with an active hand.

How to improve learning efficiency in left-handed children?

About the features of interaction with children with different learning styles, see our infographic in social networks .

Have the children press their lips together and frown their foreheads to create a sense of tension. In this state, they throw the ball to each other, ending the phrase "I protest ...". For example: "I protest against twos!", "I protest against an uncomfortable form." In this case, the child must actively articulate and pronounce the phrase loudly in order to release negativity and emotions.

2. Games "Fyr-fyr" (from 6 years old)

Prepare cards in advance with simple syllables: “mu-mu”, “wow-wow”, “fyr-fyr” or “boo-boo”. The child takes a card and pronounces the syllable written on it with a certain feeling that you tell him. For example: “boo-boo” - joyfully, “fyr-fyr” is displeased, “mu-mu” is thoughtful.

3. Game "Fold the picture" (from 5 years old)

This game aims to develop the ability to cooperate in a group, using visual materials for this.
The educator or teacher takes several pictures of animals, cutting them into pieces: you can use squares, like in puzzles and cubes, you can - by parts of the body (from head to tail). Children receive one part each, after which it is necessary to restore the original picture. It is important that the "leadership" is not taken by one child, but each put his part on his own.

1. We learn to express our point of view and go out to meaningful experiences.

Left-handed people in modern society are perceived absolutely calmly, in contrast to Soviet times, when they were considered “abnormal”, subjected to pressure and retrained. Today, a left-handed child is the same kid as any other, just working hand he, unlike most children, left. The training and development of such a man has its own characteristics, but first you need to make sure that he is a true left-hander. How to find out which hand is leading, how to interact with a left-handed child, teach him to write, what are the differences from right-handers - you will read about this in this article.

Recognize Lefty preschool age in Everyday life You can, by carefully observing how the baby manipulates objects: he takes a spoon, combs his hair, closes the door, draws, turns on the water.

Keep in mind that until the age of four, children are able to use both hands equally effectively. In addition, with heterochronous formation of the brain, interhemispheric connections can be established at the age of 12-13 years, and the student will spontaneously change his working hand.

More on how to identify a left-handed or right-handed child 4-5 years old:

• Offer to whisper something in your ear;
• Let me study a kaleidoscope, look through a microscope, a peephole;
• Ask to jump on one leg;
• Keep your kid busy with creativity: contour cutting, coloring, drawing;
• Hand out a toothbrush for self-cleaning teeth;
• Give a hand for greeting;
• Ask to build a turret;
• Throw a ball to each other.

In most cases (6-8 tasks out of eight), the left-handed child will use the left eye, ear, arm, leg to perform the given actions. Approximately 1% of people use both hands equally well. If your 5-6 year old offspring belongs to this unique category, then he will perform half of the manipulations on the right side of the body.

What else can you do to finally understand that the baby is left-handed:

• Play drawing with two pens at the same time. The task is to draw a circle, a square, a triangle, holding a pencil (felt-tip pen) in both hands. The figure drawn by the dominant hand will be more even, neat. Left-handers usually start drawing lines from the middle of the sheet - with the right handle from left to right, with the left handle from right to left.
• Show your baby how to interlace your fingers by aligning your palms. The thumb of the dominant hand will be located on top.
• An identical task is crossing the arms. The active handle will cover the passive one.
• The game "Crocodile" will demonstrate which part of the body the baby uses more actively for gesticulation, non-verbal communication.

It is desirable to identify left-handedness before the start of school in order to immediately understand that the child has features that teachers need to keep in mind. A timely conversation between parents and teachers will help establish contact, ensure effective interaction between adults, aimed at the harmonious development of a little left-hander.

Understanding the reasons

The anatomy of most living organisms implies some asymmetry, a different degree of development of the two sides of the body. The human brain is divided into two halves, each of which, relatively speaking, controls the opposite half of the body. From 10 to 17 percent of the world's population are special - the right hemisphere of the brain dominates in them, which means that they are more prone to abstract, imaginative thinking.

Why is it so? The following factors influence which hemisphere will dominate:

• Features of development in utero, the presence of stress in the life of a pregnant woman, complicated childbirth, anomalies in the formation of the fetal brain;
• The presence of left-handedness in the family;
• Trauma to the skull, as a result of which the brain was damaged;
• Temporary disability of the right hand (gypsum) - in half a year the child is able to adapt to the "left-sided" lifestyle;
• Repetition after someone for whom the left hand is the main - close friend, relative.

Regardless of the cause of left-handedness, this rare individual trait does not require correction, correction or eradication. The main task for parents is to help the baby adapt to various activities, study, creative activities, get comfortable in the world of right-handed people, feel confident.

Consider physiology and psychology

What is the difference between a left-handed child - the features of his psyche, the ability to learn, process information really differ from right-handed children. These differences are much deeper than the ability to write with the left hand, they are based on the difference in the way the world is perceived.

Left-handers have the most developed right hemisphere of the brain, it bears the main load and responsibility in interaction with the environment. Such a dominant means the predominance of figurative thinking, well-developed intuition, creativity, to the detriment of the ability to build logical chains, analyze, “dismember” and collect information.

Researches of scientists have shown interesting results that can be used as a kind of clues for the competent construction of educational and teaching processes:

Parents and teachers who are familiar with the specifics of the manifestation of the mental processes of left-handed children understand that if a left-handed child has difficulty in mastering a skill, this is due to the unusual functioning of his brain. The success of teaching such children largely depends on the ability of adults to find the right approach, change the system a little, adjusting it to the student, and giving him the opportunity to comprehend science at his own pace.

Learning to read and write

If drawing, modeling and other creative activities do not cause any particular problems for left-handed children, then writing with the left hand at school can be really difficult: you need to adapt well to hold the pen, your own hand covers what you have written, the body prevents you from continuing to write. When reading a text, a "right hemispheric" student can start from the middle or end of a sentence, it does not matter to him.

Modern teachers do not have the question of whether it is necessary to retrain a child - in no case are left-handed people retrained either in kindergarten or at school. However, the learning process can be made easier. By following these tips, adults will help your child learn reading and writing skills and successfully overcome difficulties:

We remember what cannot be done, and what must be done

The basic rule for teaching and raising a child with a dominant left hand is to accept this feature as an unchanging reality. Attempts to "reshape" the baby, to teach him to use his right hand, punishment, pressure are absolutely meaningless and even harmful. Since left-handedness is not a whim or a choice, the demand to "become normal" has no chance of being fulfilled. Moreover, relearning will slow down development and can cause serious somatic disorders.

Don't treat the left-hander as an all-round gifted person. There is no need for developing classes, special training programs, in-depth study of subjects - for him this can become an unbearable burden.

Remember that a left-handed child is quite vulnerable, sensitive, emotional, avoid screaming, harsh punishments, rigid discipline.

Do not fight for the beauty of handwriting - it is useless. Most likely, your left-handed offspring will choose a tear-off letter with the letters slanted in left side. Do not be afraid that there will be problems with school grades - guidelines The Ministry of Health forbids teachers to reduce marks for left-handers for uneven handwriting.

How to support a left-handed child?

• Encourage passion for music, creativity. Tell him that he is extraordinary by nature, but everything is in his hands;
• Be patient, attentive, accept and love your unusual child, praise him;
• Make his life comfortable workplace, lighting, household items, stationery);
• Give the child to a circle, a studio, a sport where even use of both hands is required (sculpting, knitting, water sports, basketball, piano class);
• Let's rest after 15-20 minutes of doing homework to avoid overwork;
• Immediately talk to caregivers, teachers, make sure they are familiar with the peculiarities of working with left-handers.

Left-handed children, however, like all others, need acceptance, understanding, respect, and trust from adults. When teaching and educating a left-hander, remember that he is different from most of his peers, and these differences are due to his natural features of development. Let the child show his individuality, be his support and support - then he will be able to overcome all difficulties.

Alexander the Great, Napoleon Bonaparte, Albert Einstein, Pablo Picasso, Charlie Chaplin, Ludwig van Beethoven, Alexander Pushkin… All these great people were left-handed. You involuntarily think: maybe those who consider left-handedness a manifestation of genius are right? Either way, according to researchers different countries, today from 5 to 30% of people in the world are left-handed, and every year there are more and more of them. How to help them accept their peculiarity, whether they need to be retrained and whether there are features in the preparation and adaptation of such children to school, we understand in the article.

Why does left-handedness occur?

Left-handedness is not a diagnosis, but a developmental feature, an individual version of the norm. Left-handers use their left hand much more often than their right hand, but this is not their only difference from right-handers. The brain of left-handed people is also arranged differently. In right-handers, the left hemisphere predominates, which is responsible for the right side of the body, as well as logic and analysis. In left-handers, the opposite is true: the right side of the brain, which is responsible for the left side of the body, imaginative thinking and imagination, is more strongly developed.

Researchers identify several causes of left-handedness. Firstly, it may be a genetic feature, a hereditary trait. Secondly, left-handedness "occurs" as a result of compensation that has arisen due to a birth injury or pathology of pregnancy in the last stages. Also, the development of left-handedness can lead to an injury to the right hand received in the early childhood. In some cases, left-handedness is a matter of habit: the child repeats after one of the left-handed parents and gradually gets used to the primacy of the left hand.

Left-handedness should not be confused with left-handedness - a specific type of nervous system (primarily the brain), in which the left hand, left foot, left eye and left ear are leading.

Left handed or right handed?

If a child actively uses his left hand, for example, holds a spoon in it, you should not immediately say that he is left-handed. In children, left-handedness is often a temporary phenomenon and only indicates that the development of interhemispheric interaction has not been completed and the dominance of the left hemisphere, and, accordingly, the right hand in providing motor functions(while eating, while writing or drawing, etc.) is not fixed. In this case, with a gradual increase in the functional resource of the left hemisphere, a “miraculous transformation” of a left-hander into a right-hander often occurs. It is possible to say one hundred percent that a child is left-handed only after 5 years - by this time the right hemisphere is maturing.

True left-handers - those who rule the ball not only with the left hand, but also with the left eye and left ear - will be brought to clean water a simple test: ask your child to hold the alarm clock with both hands and listen to the ticking of the clock. The ear to which the child will bring the alarm clock will be the “leading”. To calculate the "leading" eye, roll a sheet of paper into a tube and ask the child to look through the "spyglass" at the objects around him. If a child brings it to his left eye, he is like a little left-hander.

Features of left-handed children

As studies by neuropsychologists show, true left-handers have a more perfect brain organization than right-handers. They have a well-developed corpus callosum - a special zone that is responsible for the interaction of the cerebral hemispheres. They also have symmetrical speech zones, while in right-handers they are mainly localized in the left hemisphere. Thanks to all this, true left-handers process information faster, adapt more easily to the right-handed world, and are often talented in various fields.

Another thing is when left-handedness is a consequence of a birth injury. In this situation, the right hand turns out to be weaker than the left and obeys worse, so the child has to use the genetically non-leading left hand. Unlike true left-handers, compensatory ones are more difficult to learn: delay in speech and mental development- frequent diagnoses-companions of such children. In compensatory left-handers, the brain is working literally “for wear and tear”, they need neuropsychological help. Interestingly, in contrast to true left-handers, who cannot be retrained in any case, compensatory left-handers, as a result of specialized training, may well change the leading hand and “redirect” to the right.

Why not retrain a true left-hander?

AT Soviet time With regard to left-handed children, neither parents nor pediatricians even had any doubts: there was only one recipe - to retrain. But still, physiologists and psychologists have proven that it is not worth retraining left-handed children. The imposition of skills contrary to their nature leads to stress and negatively affects the psychological and physical well-being. The consequences of relearning can be: physical development, violation of speech and thought processes, dyslexia and dysgraphia, sleep and appetite disturbance, sudden mood swings, irascibility and irritability.

In the book of the famous physiologist, psychologist, doctor of biological sciences, professor, academician of the Russian Academy of Education, director of the Institute of Developmental Physiology of the Russian Academy of Education Maryana Mikhailovna Bezrukikh “The Left-Handed Child”, it is noted that left-handed people who are retrained often have more severe conditions:

• asthenic syndrome, the symptoms of which are increased fatigue, exhaustion of the nervous system, a sharp decrease in efficiency. Written homework is done with particular difficulty: the handwriting is unstable, the letters are of different sizes, different inclination, the line is not respected, there are many additional strokes, corrections, and repeated rewriting only worsens the results;
• school fears- fear of failure written work. Even nightmares are described that haunt retrained children;
• obsessive-compulsive disorder- it occurs in families where parents are anxious about left-handedness and believe that it can serve as an obstacle in later life;
• neurotic enuresis(urination), which causes the child to feel guilty, fear the inevitability of punishment and adds trouble with learning;
• neurotic stuttering- it intensifies after the intense performance of written tasks with the right hand;
• neurotic tics- involuntary blinking, licking of the lips, wrinkling of the forehead, twitching of the nose, which others often mistake for antics, tomfoolery;
• hysterical neuroses, which may appear as different symptoms: hysterical blindness, vomiting, psychomotor seizures, etc.

How to help your child learn

Left-handed children often experience difficulties during preschool preparation and directly studying. It is more difficult for them to complete tasks: they write and read slowly, they, like no other, need an individual approach to mastering educational material- such that the educational system fully provides " elementary School 21st century". When teaching left-handed children to read, parents encounter violations of spatial perception, for example, the child rearranges letters in places, jumps over a line, and even reads the text in a mirror. Handwriting in left-handers is unstable, with changing slope and uneven strokes, one of the frequent problems is mirror writing.

(from the book by M. M. Bezrukikh “The Left-Handed Child”)

1. Adults should never, under any circumstances, show left-handed child negative attitude towards left-handedness.
2. Try to adhere to a single tactic of relations with the child. Discord in the family and inconsistency in the requirements of parents to the child always complicate the situation.
3. It is necessary to learn to carefully observe your child, to see and distinguish his states, to know the reasons for his sorrows and joys, to understand his problems, to help him overcome them.
4. Remember that left-handedness is an individual variant of the norm, therefore, the difficulties that a left-handed person has are not necessarily related to his left-handedness, the same problems can be found in a right-handed child.
5. It is not recommended to “try” to teach a child to work with his right hand, let alone insist on it. Retraining can lead to serious health problems.
6. It is advisable to determine the leading hand at 4–4.5 years and not change it, even if the quality of writing and drawing does not really satisfy you.
7. Teach a left-handed child to sit correctly at a desk, hold a pen correctly, and position a notebook. Remember, the light when working should fall on the right.
8. When teaching writing, use "Recipe for left-handed children." Remember, the technique of continuous writing is not applicable when teaching left-handed children.
9. Do not force a left-handed child to read if he himself refuses, even if you are sure that he knows all the letters. Put letters together from their elements, write letters, play with letters - this work will make it easier for the child to recognize letters and the process of learning to read.
10. Your child needs special attention and approach, but not because he is left-handed, but because each child is unique and inimitable.

Loving parents should first of all accept the peculiarity of their child and remember that the dominance of the left hand is associated with the functioning of the brain. It is categorically impossible to try to convert a child into a right-handed person, make excessive demands on him or compare him with other children. Here are some more recommendations from psychologists and neuropsychologists for left-handed parents.

1. So that the child does not feel like a black sheep in the circle of peers, do not focus his attention on the fact that he is left-handed.
2. Remind your child often where his right hand is and where his left hand is. A bright bracelet can help to distinguish between left and right - put it on your child, for example, on his right hand.
3. Teach your child to use both hands. Particularly well in this help are ball games, modeling, and playing musical instruments.
4. Properly equip the child's work area: the light should fall on the right. And at school, ask the teacher to put the baby on the left at the desk - so the right hand of the neighbor will not interfere with him.
5. During the preparation of the child for school, to facilitate the memorization of the material, use visual aids, as the left-hander thinks figuratively.
6. While reading, invite your child to use a bookmark, a ruler, or even a piece of paper. It can be difficult for a left-hander to follow the lines in the text, and the ruler will help not to get lost and not jump over the line.

Maria Berezovskaya