10 Curiosities About Left-handed Children

In a society in which most things in every area of ​​life are designed for right-handed people, it is necessary that as parents of left-handed children, we help them as much as possible to awaken and stimulate their laterality.

If your child is left-handed, you should undoubtedly pay more attention to his learning and development. Both in school and in extra-curricular activities, it is very common to see that the right side is stimulated more than the left.

With this in mind, it is your task to help your little one to cope better with his dominant side. Patience during the time you learn to write is also vital to your growth.

Gone are the scenarios in which left-handed children were forced to write with their right hand in schools.

In fact, nowadays, it is very common to hear phrases such as: “Are you left-handed? Wow, how cool! ” Not counting the countless list of professional artists and athletes who are noted for their sinister ability.

Scientists say

Delving deeper into the matter, we discover that, Scientists have not yet established the true causes of why our little ones become left-handed.

Many believe that it is the consequence of an evolutionary process of the nervous system, others say that it is due to hereditary factors, excess testosterone and even stress during birth.

In what they do agree, is that being left-handed is a neurological issue: it is controlled by the brain and depends on the “latelarity” of our children.

What you should know

In our brain we find two hemispheres: the right, this directs the movements of our left side of the body, and the left, commands the movements of the right side.

In lefties, the dominant hemisphere is the right, this is what makes our children handle better with the left side of their body, making them very different from right-handers.

10 curiosities about left-handed children

What is clear is that, at least once in our lives, we have been interested in knowing why this is. Here are some fun facts about left-handed children.

1. It is estimated that between 10 to 13% of the world’s population is left-handed. This percentage has remained constant since Prehistory. The reason? Many claim that due to cultural pressure to be right-handed, parents ignore their children’s left-handedness and encourage them to use their right hand.
2. Lefties have an extra advantage in certain sports like boxing, soccer, and tennis. According to studies, this is because they have better spatial vision.
3. The percentage of left-handed boys is higher than that of girls, being 11% and 9%, respectively. The causes are yet to be determined.
4. Left-handed children tend to have a greater creative capacity, because their right hemisphere – that of creativity, inspiration and artistic capacity – is more stimulated and has more activity.
5. Numerous cases of twin brothers have been discovered, in which one is almost always left-handed, however, there are few cases in which both are left-handed.
6.  Most left-handed children tend to draw cartoons, figures, or people who look to the right.
7.  80% of left-handed children have a left-handed ascending relative.
8. Some scientific studies reveal that dyslexia and stuttering would be more frequent in left-handed people, because the little ones were forced to use their right hands.
9. Researchers found that the links between the left side of the brain and the right are made faster in left-handed people, making them more mentally agile and think faster.
10. According to research by the Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, left-handed children find it more difficult to cope with and process their negative emotions.

It depends on the parents

The truth is that our little ones do not have to go through those unusual scenarios where they were considered “strange creatures”, just because they wrote with their little left hand.

Rather, it is up to us to stimulate and adapt to them, so that they feel comfortable and free when using their left hand.

We must not make the socio-cultural mistake, of wanting to force our children to be skilled, but to help them to develop their laterality and grow in harmony.