Hand Preference Development: Is Your Toddler a Lefty or Righty? Only Time Will Tell!

Hand Preference Development: Is Your Toddler a Lefty or Righty? Only Time Will Tell!


While your child was still an infant, he was probably ambidextrous, able to use both hands equally well. However, as he reaches 18- 24 months old, you may notice him starting to use one hand more than the other. That’s right, he may be settling on a hand preference!

Let’s back up a moment, to think about how he got there.

As a child grows, he works on bilateral coordination, coordinating the left and right sides of his body to complete different tasks. Initially, a child’s hands may work together on the same action, such as lifting a teething toy to his mouth or clapping his hands. This is known as symmetrical movement.1

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As a child’s coordination continues to develop, his hands may perform different roles. In that case, one hand can be thought of as the Worker Hand, which performs the task or holds a tool.2 The Helper Hand will keep things steady and stable.2 For example, the Helper Hand may hold a piece of paper while the Worker Hand draws on it with a crayon. This is known as assymentrical bilateral coordination; both hands are working on one task, but they each have their own role.

To complete certain tasks, and eventually develop handedness, a child must be comfortable with crossing the midline.1 This is when one hand crosses to the other side of the body, such as when the left hand colors on the right hand side of a paper, instead of just using the right hand for the job. This type of coordination lets the right and left halves of the brain communicate.3

So, back to your child! He may be settling on a hand preference now, though some children take until they are three, or even a little later, to settle.4 Most likely he will be right-handed–90% of the population is4–but if you or your partner are left-handed, the odds are much greater that he’ll be a lefty. Just note that there’s no advantage to one hand or the other being the dominant one. This is important to keep in mind, as forcing a lefty to use his right hand (or a righty to use his left) will just cause him frustration.4

Play Tips:

Do you want to know how you can support your child’s development of these Small Muscle Movement and Dexterity skills at this age? It’s easy! Read on for some simple tips to incorporate into your daily play time together.

  1. Offer your child the opportunity to explore a variety of fine motor activities.At this age, he is developing the fine motor muscle memory and coordination that will enable him to do many intricate tasks. Many of these same activities will give him practice crossing the midline. Encourage him with playtime that includes dumping water in and out of different sized cups, hammering blocks, putting together large pop beads, lacing shapes on cards, placing pegs on boards, stringing large shape beads, sorting shapes, and solving simple puzzles.6
  2. Sing finger play songs that incorporate simple hand motions.4 Children’s favorites such as “Itsy Bitsy Spider,” “Pat-a-Cake,” and “Where Is Thumbkin?” help develop your child’s finger and wrist muscles and his bilateral coordination while keeping him entertained and engaged.
  3. Try some activities that encourage handedness.7 If you are still waiting for your child to show a preference for one hand or another, try some activities that cause him to use one hand as the Worker and the other as the Helper. For example, a child will push a car or train on the floor with his dominant hand, using the other to stabilize his body. Scribbling, especially on a small piece of paper, will cause your child to use his Helper hand to hold the paper. This will also happen when using lacing cards, tracing, or putting stickers in a book.

Developmental Milestones:

Has your baby achieved the following Small Muscle Movement and Dexterity developmental milestones yet? If yes, check off all the skill(s) he has already mastered to date using Playful Bee’s developmental milestones tracker. It’s absolutely FREE and easy to use, just click HERE!

  • Begins to show hand preference.

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Sources:

1le Roux, Tracey. How Does Handedness Develop? OT Mom Learning Activities. Retrieved February 26, 2014, from http://www.ot-mom-learning-activities.com/ handedness.html.

2Alberta Health Services. Hand Dominance. Alberta Health Services. Retrieved September 30, 2014, from http://www.albertahealthservices.ca/4831.asp.

3Jamieson, Ellie. Crossing the Midline Helps Kids Learn. Kids First Children’s Services. Retrieved October 2, 2014, from https://toogoolass.eq.edu.au/Calendarandnews/Newsletters/Newsletters/2013%20Newsletters/Newsletter-2013-07-31.pdf.

4Jana, Laura. When Will I Know Whether My Baby Is a Righty or Lefty? BabyCenter: Expert Advice. Retrieved February 5, 2014, from http://www.babycenter.com/404_when-will-i-know-whether-my-baby-is-a-righty-or-a-lefty_6716.bc.

5Washington State Department of Early Learning (2012). Washington State Early Learning and Development Guidelines: Birth through 3rd Grade.

6Maryland State Department of Education (2010). Healthy Beginnings: Supporting Development and Learning from Birth through Three Years of Age.

7Lippincott, Carrie (2004). Activities to Encourage Hand Dominance. Make the Grade Occupational Therapy. Retrieved September 30, 2014, from http://makethegradeot.com/Activities%20to%20Encourage%20Hand%20Dominance.pdf.

Playful Bee

Education Team at Playful Bee
Playful Bee is an e-Preschool that delivers inquiry-based preschool learning from the classroom to your home. Our preschool curriculum was created by our talented team of rock star teachers. With years of hands-on preschool and Kindergarten teaching experience, they've developed a high-quality preschool experience that is convenient-to-use and easy-to-teach by you, grandparents, or your nanny at home.

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