How to Teach a Child Right and Left

Differentiating left from right is one of the more abstract tasks faced by a preschooler. Yet it is extremely important for skills from handwriting to reading to following directions. Here are a few tips to help teach your child right and left.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Markers

1. Draw an "L" on the child's left hand and an "R" on his right. If you're at home, do the same with his bare feet. Make sure the letters are legible and facing the right way.
2. Stand next to your child and demonstrate this while she follows along: Put both hands in front of you with palms facing away. Point both thumbs toward each other. The hand that makes the "L" is left.
3. Some kids find it easier to learn just one--right or left. If he has already shown a preference for, say, writing with the right hand, he can learn "right" this way. By default he will learn that the hand he doesn't write with is left.
4. Play the hokey-pokey to reinforce the concepts as they are being learned. However, have everyone playing stand in a line rather than a circle so that they do not get confused trying to mirror the people across the room.
5. Throughout the day, ask your child to state which hand she is using, which direction the car is turning, which side of the plate the fork is on and so on. Ask these questions with a sense of fun, not in a testing manner.