My child is left-handed. Is writing Arabic harder for them?

Question

Bloomtivo Academy · Accepted Answer

Often it is easier. Arabic is written from right to left, so a left-handed child’s hand moves away from what they have just written, with less smudging than in English. Tilt the paper slightly clockwise, hold the pencil a little higher up, and let them practise big letters first. Parents of left-handed children sometimes worry about Arabic writing. In practice, many left-handed children find it comfortable.Why right-to-left can suit left-handersIn English, a left hand moves over freshly written words, which smudges them.In Arabic, the left hand moves leftwards, away from the written text, so there is less smudging and the child can see what they have written.Set-up tipsTipWhyTilt the paper slightly clockwiseMatches the natural angle of a left armHold the pencil about 2–3 cm from the tipLets the child see the line they are writingSit with light coming from the rightThe hand does not shadow the pageSit on the left side of a shared tableAvoids bumping elbows with a right-handed siblingPractice orderBig letters on a whiteboard or in a sand tray.Single letters on wide-lined paper.Joining two letters, such as بب and لا.Short words.Watch forA tight, hooked wrist. Gently encourage a straighter wrist with the paper angled instead.Letters drawn in an odd stroke order. Ask the teacher to show the usual direction for each letter.Teacher’s tip: never switch a left-handed child to the right hand for Arabic. Their natural hand will give the neatest writing.Related: Should my child learn to write Arabic?

Tip	Why
Tilt the paper slightly clockwise	Matches the natural angle of a left arm
Hold the pencil about 2–3 cm from the tip	Lets the child see the line they are writing
Sit with light coming from the right	The hand does not shadow the page
Sit on the left side of a shared table	Avoids bumping elbows with a right-handed sibling

My child is left-handed. Is writing Arabic harder for them?

Why right-to-left can suit left-handers

Set-up tips

Practice order

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