Hand Dominance

Children start to prefer using one hand over the other when they are toddlers. At the age of 2-4, you will see a child start to gravitate towards one hand and show an emerging preference. Around the age of 5-7, children will develop an established dominant hand.

When a child continuously switches between hands for activities, they are developing a small amount of strength and dexterity in each hand. We want to encourage a child to use their dominant hand as much as possible to allow full development of strength in that hand. This will make it easier and more effective for the child to participate in various school-related activities.

What you can do

• When you see a child constantly switching between their right and left hands, it could be due to when the object they are holding is placed prior to picking it up. If a marker is on the right side of the table, they will likely pick it up with their right hand. Try presenting items to the child in the center of their body. This will promote them to reach for the item with their dominant hand.

• Encourage the child to do an activity laying on their stomach. They will naturally lift their body and support using their non-dominant hand. Doing this will allow the child to only use their dominant hand. Once they have started the activity with their chosen hand, encourage them to finish with that hand.

• When you see the child fatiguing and switching hands, offer breaks in the activity to rest the hand. The child can work on hand strength (and endurance) by engaging in fine motor activities at home and at school.