Do Left Handed People Write Slower?

Do Left Handed People Write Slower?  If so, it's understandably why as most writing utensils and tools are designed for right handed people.  So, left handers find themselves needing to adjust to the rest of the world. 

Left handed people face tons of challenges in everyday life. Handwriting can be difficult for lefties, especially if they are taught by a right handed person, as the grip of the pen and formation of letters is different. Common writing problems for left handed people include writing with a hooked or arched hand, smudging words, forming letters backwards, and being unable to use certain pens because of the way they drag across the paper.

Because we write from left to right, right handers pull the pencil, writing away from their body while left handers have to push the pencil, writing towards their body. Teaching left handed people to write the same way as right handed people can make handwriting slow, uncomfortable and messy. This can be a hindrance throughout adult life if not taught correctly as a child.

There are several factors that make it much easier for lefties learning to write, including:

1. the grip of the pen or pencil
2. the arm and wrist position
3. the position of the writing paper

The tripod grip that is taught in school instructs children to hold the pencil with the index finger and thumb, resting it on the middle finger. Although this is easy for right handed children, left handers can find it more difficult. Encouraging left handed children to use the tripod grip can help to prevent them hooking their hand when writing as it strengthens the wrist and aids dynamic finger movements. This will make it easier to control the pen as they get older.

One problem that left handed writers have with gripping a pen is that they need to hold it high enough for them to see what they’re writing and to stop smudging. Another is gripping it too tightly which makes handwriting tense and increases cramp in the hand. Holding the pen about 3cm from the point with a relaxed grip should overcome these problems and enable left handed children to write more efficiently.

Many right handed people angle their paper up to match the natural angle of their arm when writing. Left handers can do the same by angling their paper down. This will make it more comfortable to write along the lines and stop the wrist hooking. Using the right hand to hold the paper still can also be a helpful tip, especially with younger writers who can become frustrated with the paper slipping around. By aligning the paper to the left of their body, left handed writers will have enough room to move their arm and see what they’re writing.

Being left handed doesn’t have to mean messy and smudged. Lefties just need the right tools for the job.

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