How to Determine Your Dominant Hand
Practice holding a writing instrument., Write a sentence., Draw several figures., Pick something up., Use eating utensils., Color a drawing., Cut shapes out of a piece of paper using a non-handed pair of scissors., Have a catch., Make a list of...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Practice holding a writing instrument.
A stylus, a pencil, a pen, even a chopstick (with its similar approximate shape) will do.
Make a note of which hand felt most comfortable holding the object. -
Step 2: Write a sentence.
Write a sentence using one hand on a pad.
Once finished, write the same sentence using your other hand.
Make a note of which hand you were using when you wrote the clearer version of the sentence.
When choosing a sentence to write, use copy that you haven’t written before.
Remember that people are often forced to choose a specific hand to write with when young so you may naturally prefer one hand but use your other hand for writing if that is the way you were taught. , Pick a hand and draw a circle, a square, and a triangle.
Draw the same shapes with your other hand.
Compare your drawings, and make a note of which hand produced clearer lines and more accurate shapes. , Find several objects and place them directly in front of you.
Pick it up, without consciously choosing a hand.
This step will likely require several repeats over a period of time to erase accidental bias.
Take note of which hand was used more frequently. , Try bringing food to your mouth with an eating utensil, alternating using each hand.
Make a note of which hand you use to bring food to your mouth most successfully, and if that preference changes depending on which utensils you are using (fork and knife, chopsticks, fork, spoon).
Since most utensils do not have a hand-bias and are simple to operate, you will want to repeat this test until a preference is clear. , Make sure it is a relatively easy figure to draw, but that still requires some fine motor skills to fill in within the lines.
Make a copy of the drawing and color each with a different hand, aiming to stay within the lines.
Make note of which hand you felt the most ease with. , Using scissors designed for right or left-handed people will skew your results and you should seek out a proper pair of scissors.
Cut shapes such as circles and triangles and squares with each hand and compare. , At either a target or a catcher, throw the ball and determine how effective each arm is at aiming and speed.
If you have a catcher, when the ball is returned, make note of which hand you catch with.
You will want to repeat several tosses to determine your accuracy and speed, as well as which hand works best at catching. , Tally the number of times you used each hand in writing and drawing.
Do the same for other manual activities, and take a total. , Your other activities will give you an impression of your overall left or right-handedness.
Which hand you identify as your dominant intuitively is likely to be your overall dominant hand, even if you write with the opposite hand. , If so, you are likely mixed-handed.
You are truly ambidextrous if there was little to no difficulty or change in outcome from changing hands in the other activities.
Standards of what defines being left or right handed are subjective, and it is not as simple as favoring a majority of tasks with one hand. -
Step 3: Draw several figures.
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Step 4: Pick something up.
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Step 5: Use eating utensils.
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Step 6: Color a drawing.
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Step 7: Cut shapes out of a piece of paper using a non-handed pair of scissors.
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Step 8: Have a catch.
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Step 9: Make a list of which hand you preferred in each test.
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Step 10: The hand you predominantly used in writing and drawing will often be how you identify which handedness you have
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Step 11: as it is the most socially relevant
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Step 12: apparent
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Step 13: and distinctive activity impacted by handedness.
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Step 14: Look to see if the number of times you used each hand is equivalent or very close in number.
Detailed Guide
A stylus, a pencil, a pen, even a chopstick (with its similar approximate shape) will do.
Make a note of which hand felt most comfortable holding the object.
Write a sentence using one hand on a pad.
Once finished, write the same sentence using your other hand.
Make a note of which hand you were using when you wrote the clearer version of the sentence.
When choosing a sentence to write, use copy that you haven’t written before.
Remember that people are often forced to choose a specific hand to write with when young so you may naturally prefer one hand but use your other hand for writing if that is the way you were taught. , Pick a hand and draw a circle, a square, and a triangle.
Draw the same shapes with your other hand.
Compare your drawings, and make a note of which hand produced clearer lines and more accurate shapes. , Find several objects and place them directly in front of you.
Pick it up, without consciously choosing a hand.
This step will likely require several repeats over a period of time to erase accidental bias.
Take note of which hand was used more frequently. , Try bringing food to your mouth with an eating utensil, alternating using each hand.
Make a note of which hand you use to bring food to your mouth most successfully, and if that preference changes depending on which utensils you are using (fork and knife, chopsticks, fork, spoon).
Since most utensils do not have a hand-bias and are simple to operate, you will want to repeat this test until a preference is clear. , Make sure it is a relatively easy figure to draw, but that still requires some fine motor skills to fill in within the lines.
Make a copy of the drawing and color each with a different hand, aiming to stay within the lines.
Make note of which hand you felt the most ease with. , Using scissors designed for right or left-handed people will skew your results and you should seek out a proper pair of scissors.
Cut shapes such as circles and triangles and squares with each hand and compare. , At either a target or a catcher, throw the ball and determine how effective each arm is at aiming and speed.
If you have a catcher, when the ball is returned, make note of which hand you catch with.
You will want to repeat several tosses to determine your accuracy and speed, as well as which hand works best at catching. , Tally the number of times you used each hand in writing and drawing.
Do the same for other manual activities, and take a total. , Your other activities will give you an impression of your overall left or right-handedness.
Which hand you identify as your dominant intuitively is likely to be your overall dominant hand, even if you write with the opposite hand. , If so, you are likely mixed-handed.
You are truly ambidextrous if there was little to no difficulty or change in outcome from changing hands in the other activities.
Standards of what defines being left or right handed are subjective, and it is not as simple as favoring a majority of tasks with one hand.
About the Author
Olivia Simmons
Specializes in breaking down complex creative arts topics into simple steps.
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