According to the BBC approximately 10% of the world population is left-handed Important tips to help left-handers write neatly are explained below.
Left-handed children can find skills harder because of difficulty using common right-handed equipment such as scissors, cutting knives, tape-measures, pens etc. Children are sometimes labelled as clumsy, awkward, or difficult. Left-handed children may have trouble when starting to learn to write and unless taught the correct skills, it is easy to smudge work and produce slow, non-joined, messy or illegible handwriting
Despite these complications, the 30-step Magic Link handwriting programme has been widely proven to teach neat flowing handwriting to many thousands of left-handed children. Grip and posture is shown. Letter formation and letter direction are taught and emphasis on forming letters in exactly the same direction as right-handers is crucial. Using this clear and structured approach provides confidence and produces fantastic handwriting results.
To help left-handers write neatly the following must be taken into consideration:
1.Comfortable, Triangular Pen/ Pencil
To help left-handers write neatly it is vital for both left and right-handers to use a triangular shaped pen or pencil. This promotes a good grip to makes handwriting neater and easier to control. The triangular barrel helps to keep the fingers bent so they remain in a comfortable position and allow a clearer vision of the page. Recommended stationery is seen on the Magic Link website link.
2. Correct Pen/ Pencil Grip
Another crucial way to help left-handers write neatly is to ensure correct positioning of the fingers; The pen or pencil should be held about 3cm from the point with a relaxed grip to enable left-handed children to write more efficiently. Holding the pencil higher makes it easier to see previous letters and words on the line. The pen or pencil should be held using “frog’s legs” fingers, keeping a slight gap between the 2 fingers and avoiding a wrap-around thumb.
3. Awareness of Paper Position
Many left-handers have issues with smudging and getting ink on their hands. This results in getting covered in ink or pencil- lead, causing writing to become smudged and hard to read. When a left-hander hooks their wrist to write, their hand may become cramped and letters cannot flow easily. If the page is straight the wrist may obstruct vision resulting in the writer blocking out previous words on the line and not being able to proof-read.
In order to prevent the wrist from touching the letters, left-handers must tilt the top left-hand corner of the page slightly clockwise to the right. The change of the paper’s angle enables a better view of the words. Children should try to keep their wrist under the line. The angle that the paper is tilted will vary according to individual children enabling them to see what they are writing.
The paper should be tilted slightly, at around 30 to 45 degrees, not at a 90-degree angle where the paper appears sideways. To allow a clear vision, the wrist should be straight (not bent) and the writing hand should be below the writing line.
The Magic Link programme also advises that the thumb of the non-writing hand i.e. the right hand should always be parallel to the writing hand and placed at the edge of the page. This thumb, sometimes referred to as ‘The Policeman Thumb” has the function of serving to keep the paper in position and prevent the page from sliding around.
4. Direction of Letter Formations
Left-handers must learn how to form their letters in a consistent direction in order to write neatly. Letter formation in the Magic Link programme is taught the same as for right-handers. Instructions are presented in a clear and structured way. Many left-handers have learnt bad habits and are confused about where letters should start and end. They must be taught letter directions right from the start, so handwriting becomes comfortable, neat and flowing.
Common Confusing Letters
The Letter ‘o’
This must be written in an anti-clockwise direction so that the Magic Link ends at the top, ready for joining. If the ‘o’ is written clockwise, the motor movement will not flow and prevent a smooth connection to other letters. This anti-clockwise movement must also be used for capital ‘O’ letters.
The Letter ‘d’
This letter often causes confusion for both right and left-handers due to not knowing where to start. It is essential to start this letter by writing a ‘c’ shape and then go up to the top line. There is often confusion between the ‘b’ and the d’ and clear guidance and instruction on where to start the’ letter will solve this problem.
The Letters ‘t’and ‘T’
Cross the lower case letter ‘t’ from left to right and move away from the margin. This is because the letter flow goes in the same direction as the flow of the other letters. Many left-handers have been taught to cross the ‘t’ from right to left (not left to right) and it is vital that this is re-learnt to make handwriting smooth and fluent. The same rule applies for a capital ‘T’. Write the top part of the letter from left to right to keep the consistency of direction and flow.
5. Clear and Precise Teaching Instructions
Left-handers can learn to write neatly by following The Magic Link programme. The online video course with accompanying colour-coded worksheets to achieve neat, cursive (joined up) handwriting in 30 simple steps. Each letter formation and letter joins are taught clearly and precisely, with no ambiguity. By the end of the 30-steps, clear, fast and legible handwriting is achieved.
Parents who do not wish their children to follow the online course can, find a Magic Link teacher , who will provide face-to-face lessons to guide you through the programme.
For more information see www.Magiclinkhandwriting.com
