Many teachers assume that left-handed people can be taught to write using the same techniques that work for right-handed students. This viewpoint is incorrect.

Teaching left-handed students to write requires special techniques and procedures. Many teachers make the mistake of treating left-handed students the same as right-handed students when teaching handwriting.

The proper handwriting techniques to teach left-handed children are not difficult, but some teachers believe that what works for their right-handed students works for southpaws as well. Knowing how to teach proper penmanship techniques to all children will help them keep a neater handwriting style throughout life.

Teaching left-handed children the proper techniques also makes it less likely that they will write in a hook-handed fashion. A hook-handed writing style occurs when a person writes holding his hand parallel to the writing plane. (This allows the person to see what he is writing rather than it being covered with his palms.)

Things to Remember About Left-Handed Students

The major problem that a left-handed person faces with handwriting is that he or she must push the writing implement across the paper. This often results in ink getting on the hand and the writing itself being smeared or smudged. In the most natural hand position, it also means that a left handed person will not be able to see what he or she is writing.

Teaching Handwriting to Left-handed Students

Penmanship is an art that is dying, but it remains an important skill for younger students as electronic devices are expensive and typing is not usually taught until a student reaches middle school. This may one day change, but for now, elementary school students must still learn to write.

The first thing a teacher can do to make sure the left-handed student's handwriting is neat is to have the student tilt the paper to the right at a comfortable angle. The second problem which can help avoid creating hook-handed writers is teaching the child the proper way to grip a pencil.

Proper Pencil Grip

Many left-handed students grasp a pencil so close to the point that they cannot see what they are writing. Giving these students pencils with harder lead will ease part of the problem, but to make sure the student writes most legibly, he or she must learn the right way to hold a pencil.

The Handedness Research Institute, which contains a wealth of information on how to deal with left-handed students as well as making sure designers remember that left-handed people exist, recommends having the student hold the pencil two and a half centimeters back.

Thing to Remember about Teaching Left-Handed Handwriting

A language that is written from right to left results in the left-handed person having to put more effort into his handwriting. Languages that are written from right to left, like Hebrew, cause fewer problems for a left-handed person learning to write the letters for the first time.

The teacher must understand that left-handed people do face different problems than right-handed students when learning handwriting skills for the first time. The techniques mentioned above will help, but even better are the books written on the subject.

With a little consideration and planning, a teacher's left-handed students can learn handwriting with only slightly more difficulty than their right-handed counterparts. Until all assignments are done on computers, penmanship will always have a place in the schools.

Resources:

Improving Messy Handwriting

Handwriting Tips for Left Handers

Teaching Left-Handers to Write. M.K. Holder, PHD. The Handedness Research Institute.