Mark Stewart on Supporting Left-Handed Children

Mark and Heather Stewart run a small independent online store from Worcester UK – LEFT ‘n Write – specialising in the advice and provision of everything left-handed, with a focus on helping left-handed children excel at handwriting.

They have co-written the ‘Left Hand Writing Skills’, designed a ‘Writewell’ mat and co-authored ‘So You Think They’re Left-Handed?’, a book of discovery or confirmation for parents, carers and Early Years practitioners designed to confirm the laterality of children.

Mark and Heather also initiated the formation of http://www.left-in.org , a global interest group formed in 2021 with the aim of improving the information and education available to the educators of left-handed children around the world.

Mark has recently contributed to the ‘Writing Framework’ published by the DfE in July this year, to update the advice for supporting lefthanded children.

Discover practical strategies for supporting the 10% of children in your setting who are left-handed, from recognising early signs to creating inclusive environments that help them thrive. Mark Stewart, who runs a specialist left-handed store and recently contributed to the DFE’s writing framework, shares decades of expertise on why proper support matters and simple changes that make a real difference to children’s learning and confidence.

In this episode you’ll:

• Learn the surprising early signs of left-handedness that appear as young as 18 months – well before the commonly cited age of three
• Discover why some children appear “clumsy” and how cross-laterality (mixed hand-eye dominance) might be the real culprit
• Find out simple classroom adjustments like seating arrangements that cost nothing but prevent daily frustrations for left-handed children
• Understand the critical difference between left and right-handed scissors and why “ambidextrous” scissors are often misleading
• Explore why some left-handed children naturally want to read and write from right to left, and how to support their learning journey

Watch this essential episode to understand how small changes in your practice can make a huge difference to left-handed children’s academic success and self-esteem.

Episode Links:

https://www.leftshoponline.co.uk/shop-2/left-handed-children-a-guide-for-teachers-and-parents

https://www.leftshoponline.co.uk/shop-2/so-you-think-theyre-left-handed-book

https://www.leftshoponline.co.uk/?s=HANDBOOK

Social media:

https://www.instagram.com/leftshoponline

https://www.facebook.com/Leftnwrite

http://www.left-in.org

https://www.nhs.uk/baby/babys-development/height-weight-and-reviews/baby-reviews

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/68bec95444fd43581bda1c86/The_writing_framework_092025.pdf

https://www.early-years-reviews.com/play-matters