Have you ever asked a child to “raise your left hand” only to see them pause, look at both hands, and guess?
For some children, telling left from right seems to come naturally. For others, it can be surprisingly difficult. This is not necessarily because they are not paying attention. Understanding left and right is actually a developmental skill that involves body awareness, memory, visual perception and spatial understanding.
What Is Laterality?
Laterality is the awareness that our body has two sides - a left side and a right side - and being able to recognise and distinguish between them.
Children first need to become aware of their own bodies before they can consistently understand directions in the space around them.
For example, a child may first learn:
“This is my right hand.”
Later, they need to understand:
“The toy is on my right.”
And eventually:
“The person facing me has their right hand on the opposite side from mine.”
Each of these requires a little more spatial understanding.
Why Can Left and Right Be Difficult?
1. Body Awareness
Children need a good awareness of where different parts of their body are and how they move.
Activities such as climbing, crawling, jumping and balancing help children develop this body awareness through movement.
2. It Requires Memory
Left and right are abstract concepts. Children have to remember which side is which.
This is why some children use little tricks, such as making an “L” with their thumb and index finger to identify their left hand.
3. Spatial Awareness
Once children understand left and right on their own bodies, they need to transfer this knowledge into the space around them.
“Turn left” is very different from simply knowing which hand is the left hand.
4. Bilateral Integration
Children use both sides of their bodies during everyday activities. Coordinating the two sides of the body - known as bilateral integration - helps children develop an understanding of how the left and right sides work together.
Activities such as catching, throwing, crawling and climbing provide opportunities to practise this.
5. Visual-Spatial Skills
Left and right also become important when children work with things they see.
Reading, writing, copying from the board, finding objects on a page and understanding where things are positioned all involve spatial concepts.
When Should Children Know Left From Right?
Around 6 years of age, children are generally expected to begin consistently identifying left and right on their own bodies. Before this age, it is common for children to still confuse the two sides.
However, knowing left from right is not something that develops overnight. Children first need to develop a strong awareness of their own bodies before they can confidently apply left and right to objects, people and spaces around them.
For example, a child may first learn to identify their left hand, and later develop the ability to understand instructions such as “turn left” or “put the book on your right.”
If a child is still frequently confusing left and right beyond this stage, it can be helpful to provide additional opportunities to practise body awareness, bilateral integration and spatial awareness through movement and play.
Fun Ways to Practise Left and Right
You don't need special equipment. Try these simple activities:
Simon Says
“Simon says touch your left knee!”
“Simon says jump to the right!”
Movement Directions
Give children simple instructions while moving:
“Take two steps to the left.”
“Jump to the right.”
“Turn left and clap.”
Draw With Directions
Ask children to draw something on a specific side of the page:
“Draw a sun on the left.”
“Draw a tree on the right.”
Hide and Find
Place a toy somewhere and give directions such as:
“Look to your left.”
“Walk to the right.”
“The toy is on the left side of the chair.”
The Takeaway
Learning left and right is more than simply memorising two words. It develops alongside body awareness, spatial awareness, bilateral integration, memory and visual-spatial skills.
So, if your child still mixes up left and right, don't panic. Give them plenty of opportunities to move, explore and practise these concepts in a fun and meaningful way.
Sometimes the best way to learn left and right is simply to get moving!
