From an Occupational Therapist Perspective
Being left-handed in a right-handed world can lead to some challenges. With a few quick tips things can be much easier for your lefty.

Left-handed writers often hook or flex their wrists while writing. Increasing wrist extension and grip strength can be helpful through fun games with theraputty, darts, lite-brite, games with pincers/tongs, etc.
Having left-handed writers write on an inclined surface like a slant board, can help prevent them from hooking their hand.
To keep from bumping elbows with right-handed eaters or writers at a shared table, left-handers should sit on the left-hand side of the table at the end of the row.
When writing with your left hand it is hard for them to view what they have just written and often the writing gets smudged. To prevent this, left-handers should be encouraged to tilt their page to the right 40 degrees clockwise when they are drawing or writing. There are also quick dry no-smudge pens specifically designed for lefties.
Another way to assist in their ability to see their work and prevent smudging is to have the left-handed writer hold their pencil or pen slightly further up the shaft of their writing utensil.
Left-hander writers often cover up the work that they are copying with their left hand. To prevent this, place what they are copying on the right side of the page.
If your lefty is struggling to leave spaces between words, having them use a popsicle stick or spacer to mark out finger spaces can be helpful.
If your lefty struggles to work from left to right, they may need help with directionality. Place some sort of marker, sticker, or arrow in the top left-hand corner of the page to remind them to work from left to right.
Whenever possible, to prevent frustration, purchase items specific to left-handed people like left-handed pencil sharpeners, scissors, computer mouse, and cooking utensils. There are scissors designed to work for both right and left-handed people, but the ones designed specifically for lefties tend to work best because they can line up the blade and the line they are cutting out.
For a left-handed cutter to see the line they are cutting throughout the task, they need to be encouraged to cut to the left and in a clockwise direction while feeding the page with their right hand.
By Tonya Zimring, MS, OTR/L, ECE
Thrive Baby Therapy
Fairfax, CA
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