Documenting milestones of your growing child may be one of your greatest joys as a parent. To be able to relive that moment time and again gives you a rush of emotions, no matter how many times you revisit the same memories. Before a child is born odds are placed Left or Right on the gender and once your child is born it is time to bet on whether he will be right or left handed? Which is his dominant hand?
What is a hand dominance ?
When one hand is consistently used more than the other hand, and is more skilled at tasks than the other hand, then that becomes the dominant hand.
Research shows that hand dominance is established when either the right or left hemisphere of your brain becomes the ruling side. As per International Children’s Education about 90 percent of the population prefers using the right hand for fine motor skills.  There are definitely people who are  ambidextrous, or adept at doing things with both their hands. Like Sachin Tendulkar who bats with his right hand but signs autographs and eats with his left hand or Prime Minister Narendra Modi who was born left-handed but turned right-handed through training in childhood. Experts suggest that hand dominance is an inborn trait and advice against training a preferred hand as it hinders the natural development of a child and places stress on his developing brain.
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At what age do kids start showing signs of a dominant hand?
The first clues to which hand your child prefers start to show between 7 to 9 months. But a child’s preference for his dominant hand is clear between the ages of 2 and 4 years.
A good time to look for signs of hand preference in kids is during playtime and while they are performing simple everyday tasks. Here are 10 ways to find out if your child will be left or right handed.
- Observe which arm your newborn raises a lot. Which side does he like turning his head more? These can be early signs to determine hand dominance.
- Try handing a toy to your 6 to 9 months old and see which hand she uses to reach for it. At this age, your child may show a preference for a particular hand.
- When he reaches 12 to 18-months of age, observe how your child plays with his toys. Just when he begins to explore his toys, you will notice him shifting the toy to his dominant hand for a better look or a more comfortable grip.
- By the time your child is 18-months old the signs of dominant hand should be emerging because, at this age, they are doing more complex hand movements. Play catch the ball and observe which hand she uses to catch the ball and throw it back .
- Most kids are able to eat finger foods on their own by the time they turn two. Notice which hand they like to hold the spoon or fork in while eating. Next time you hand over a chocolate to your toddler, see which hand he uses to reach for it.
- Kids at the age of 2 and half years get better at performing complex tasks. For example while opening a bottle they will use the dominant hand for closing or opening the bottle while holding the bottle in place with their non dominant hand.
- Toys like hammering bench, shape sorters, Â stacking blocks can also give you cues to identify whether your child is a left handed or right handed.
- See which hand your 3 year old prefers to hold the crayons in while colouring or tracing the alphabet.
- Take signals from how your preschooler performs everyday tasks like which hand they use for brushing their teeth, combing their hair, holding the milk glass, flipping the pages of a book, opening a box, picking up toys from the floor.
- Try playing a game of darts with your kindergärtner to see which hand he uses to throw the dart.
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Janani S Koushik
KSP Team
Parul Gupta
Kanishka Pariani
