One in 10 people is left-handed. Yet many of our youngest left-handers can face unnecessary challenges in early years settings simply because the world is designed for the right-handed majority.
We can tackle this issue in three parts: identification, action and ongoing monitoring.
When it comes to identification, there are some specific issues for us to consider in view of the young age of the children we’re working with. Babies are neither left- nor right-handed, using both hands equally and often swapping. Typically, they’ll simply use the hand that’s closest to the object they want to pick up.
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As children move through the early years foundation stage, most will establish their dominant hand between the ages of 18 months and 5. That means careful observation is important. You might regularly put items - such as a cup to drink from or a brush to paint with - at the child’s midline (directly in front of them, in the middle) so they can choose which hand to use.
If they regularly choose the same hand, it’s reasonable to assume that’s the hand that is becoming dominant. Discussions with parents and carers are helpful, too - we need to draw on their insights and also demonstrate that we are noticing something about their child that’s important for their development.
EYFS: Identifying left-handed children
Identification is important so that we can take action in two areas.
Firstly, it is important to affirm a child’s choice and to be positive about them being left-handed. Traditionally, left-handed people have been stigmatised in many societies and forced to use their right hand.
Secondly, we need to take practical action to support young left-handed children, such as:
- Ensuring that children can access appropriate tools, like left-handed scissors.
- Being thoughtful about seating; for example, at snack and mealtimes: a left-handed child sitting next to a right-hander might find they keep knocking elbows when they both reach for their cup.
- Making sure that adults know what an appropriate pencil and pen grip looks like for a left-hander, so they can provide the same level of support that’s offered to right-handed children.
- When teaching handwriting in Reception, using a bespoke approach for left-handed children.
- During physical play, remembering to throw balls and bean-bags to the child’s left-hand side.
Ongoing monitoring is important, too. Some children don’t finally establish their dominant hand until they are 5, so our observations will need regular checking.
Where a child is left-handed, there may be times when they need a little extra support, encouragement or understanding: the world is set up much better for right-handers, and this can be frustrating for young children.
Without our active acknowledgement and support, left-handed children might feel they are “clumsy”, always dropping things and not good at using tools like pencils, cutlery and scissors.
There is no national assessment data to compare the outcomes of left- and right-handed children. But schools could monitor this internally, starting with the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile, to ensure that left-handed children are receiving the support they need.
The EYFS Framework requires a commitment to “ensuring that every child is included and supported”. Thankfully, schools and early years settings have long since stopped oppressive practices like forcing left-handed children to write with their right hand.
However, supporting left-handed children is about more than passive acceptance, it’s about recognising their unique needs and helping them thrive in a right-handed world. We must actively champion left-handed children in the EYFS.
Julian Grenier CBE is the co-author of Putting the EYFS Curriculum into Practice