Raising a Left Handed Child

[bdelene]

Hi everyone. I'm new to the Parenting.com community, so please forgive me if this topic has been mentioned.

I have a 2&1/2 year old boy who is left handed, and I realize I am going to have issues when school starts. I was wondering if anyone could recommend a website to buy left handed products, or if anyone is in LA and knows a left handed store.

Thank you!

-Beth

[cay8099]

You could try stores like Staples or Office Max for left handed supplies. Notebooks can always be turned upside down.

[luvlavande]

Both my children are lefties. At two years old we needed no special gear. When it was time to hold a pencil I went to the teacher supply store and bought pencil grips. They helped my kids learn to hold pencil and improved neatness. My son is in 5th grade now and gets an "A" in penmanship, so lefties CAN learn to print neatly!

Another piece of advice given to me was to sit across from your child and demonstrate...they see you as a mirror image and can mimic your hand motions properly.

You probably know this already, but kids generally dont "finalize" their dominant hand until age 5. The teacher recommended this site, but we didnt end up needing their products. http://www.starfall.com/

[bdelene]

Thanks so much! The idea of sitting opposite him is great! I know the possibility is there that he could switch, but he's so dominant with his left hand I don't know. I just wanted to start getting thoughts together so if and when the time comes I'm not running around clueless.

Once again, thanks!!!

-Beth