How to teach a left-handed child to write: Handwriting worksheets, tips, and activities

Learning to write can be a little tricky for left-handed kids. After all, the very act of writing is easier for those with a dominant right hand: they can pull the pen across the paper rather than pushing it, and they never need to worry about smudging the ink.

Lefties can also find it particularly difficult to learn left-handed handwriting if their parents or teachers are all right-handed. Left-handed writing can look, and feel, very different from the right-handed approach. And as a parent or teacher who writes with their right hand, it can be a real challenge to explain how to create letters with the left.

But did you know that 10% of the population is left-handed? So your child is definitely not alone — even if they’re the only leftie in the family or classroom!

In this guide, we’ll help you bridge the gap between your handwriting experience and your child’s by highlighting potential problem areas to look out for and sharing some solid tips, tricks, and resources to make teaching left-handed handwriting easier than ever.

5 things to know about left-handed handwriting

Before we get into the detail of how to teach a left-handed child to write, it’s worth highlighting a few important insights for parents and teachers alike…

#1. You should let your child decide if they are left-handed

Sometimes young children are ambidextrous and are capable of using both the right and left hands to write with. Encourage them to try out writing with both hands and they’ll naturally favor whichever feels most comfortable for them. Don’t try to discourage them from writing left-handed if that’s what they instinctively do.

#2. Be sure your child knows how to vocalize that they’re left-handed

When they go to school, a teacher might tell them to use their right hand to hold writing tools. Give them the confidence to tell people that they are left-handed. Provide them with their own set of pens and pencils; ones they are familiar and confident with using.

#3. It’s important to get their pencil grip correct from the beginning

The “tripod grip” is best for left-handers, where the pencil is pinched between their thumb and first two fingers. They should keep their fingers about a half-inch from the nib, to ensure they can see the letters without straining their hand or neck.

#4. Left-handed writers form some letters differently — and that’s totally fine!

While left- and right-handed children form many letters in the same way, there are a couple of exceptions: O, T, X, and Y, for example. Right-handed children often start forming these letters on the left, while lefties start on the right. Similarly, they shape their Os as a clockwise circle, instead of anti-clockwise. This video really helps explain these variations.

But don’t get too hung up on different styles. As long as the letters look correct, it’s fine for your child to write them in whichever way is most comfortable for them.

#5. Little tricks can make left-handed handwriting so much easier

As your child masters letter forming and begins to write faster, they’ll need to rotate their paper a little to make sure their wrist and hand are not strained at an uncomfortable angle. Teach them to rotate their page about 45 degrees clockwise, so the top left corner is pointing up.

They may also find that the paper shifts around as they write (a result of pushing, not pulling the pen or pencil as they go). But if they place their right hand on the bottom of the page, the paper will be stabilized.

Worksheets to help you teach handwriting

These worksheets are designed for both left- and right-handed kids, so they’re great for the whole class (or family!)…

Animal-themed Handwriting Worksheets

These fun activities are aimed at kindergarten-age children who need help to practice forming letters. The worksheets in the bundle progressively get more difficult as the student becomes comfortable with each task. On each animal-themed word, they’ll begin tracing the letters and by the end, they’ll be writing them on their own.

Handwriting Worksheets

This worksheet bundle covers a variety of different topics, all with the aim of building your child’s confidence when it comes to left-handed handwriting. It introduces them to capital letters and teaches how to correctly form them. They’ll progress from tracing into just copying words, and the sheets included fun activities writing out rhyming couplets.

Top tips for teaching left-handed children to write

So now you know a little more about left-handed handwriting, and you’ve got the resources you need to get your child started. All that’s left to do is dive in. But remember…

• When your child first starts out, they may naturally be inclined to start their sentences on the right of the page and write toward their left. You can make a little dot at the beginning of each line on their page, to remind them where to begin.
• Try to keep their wrist in a natural position rather than hooking it upward, which can cause hand strain. Often, this hooking happens when they can’t see what they’re writing. Rotating the page a little and keeping their fingers half an inch from the pen nib will make it more natural to keep their wrist straight, below the line they’re writing on.
• Similarly, they should keep their paper on the desk slightly to the left of their body. This will make sure they can easily see everything that they’re writing and will help avoid smudging letters.
• If your leftie is sitting with other kids or adults while learning to write, sit them on the left. That way their elbows won’t clash with a rightie sitting next to them.
• Introduce them to ink pens early. Once they realize what a mess it is to drag their hand through freshly-written letters, they’ll quickly learn and adjust to writing at the correct angle to avoid it.
• Unless it’s recommended to you by an expert, you really don’t need any special equipment. Left-handed children can easily master handwriting just as well as their right-handed friends with the same pens and pencils.

Practice makes perfect!

At the end of the day, it doesn’t make any difference whether your child is left- or right-handed. The main thing is that their posture and grip are correct, and then it’s all about practice! By using worksheets like the ones above, your child will be able to master left-handed handwriting in no time at all.