Date published: 01.09.08 - not release date

New teaching aid launched for left-handed children

The first ever range of handwriting teaching and practice workbooks specifically for left-handed children are now available from specialist retailer anythingleft-handed.co.uk. The “Left Hand Writing Skills” series by Mark & Heather Stewart marks a significant development in the teaching of handwriting to left-handed children and is an ideal resource for parents and teachers.

Developing a comfortable, clear and efficient writing style is one of the fundamental skills that left-handers find most difficult, as pen control, posture and letter formation are all harder when pushing the pen from left to right across the page – an unnatural direction for a left-hander to write in. Common problems encountered by left-handed children are:-

•Smudging of work
•Over-tight grip
•Poor pencil control, leading to poor letter formation
•Bad posture
•Mirror writing (writing in reverse from right to left across the page)
•Poor ink flow from pens
•Slow writing speed
•Frustration
•Low self-esteem

Adults are becoming increasingly aware that left-handed children require specific teaching to ensure they learn to write efficiently, but have been hampered by limited training and resources in left-handers’ needs.

The Left Hand Writing Skills series addresses this issue, by guiding the child with friendly, entertaining and beautifully illustrated instructions and exercises that reinforce the best writing habits for left-hand writing. These include:

•Icons on every worksheet reminding students how to hold the pen correctly
•Paper position guide on each sheet to ensure the paper is placed at the correct angle.
•Words and pictures positioned so they aren't obscured by the left hand.
•Top-page binding (rather than left side bound) so that the spine does not inhibit the free movement of the left hand.
•Letter formation arrows specifically for left-hand cursive writing where direction differs e.g. forming “t” and “o”.
•A “Top Tip” on each worksheet for teachers & parents, with sound advice on all aspects of handwriting.

The books in this new range are aimed at different stages of writing development rather than age, with a combined publication and CD-Rom version for schools.

Book 1 - Fabulous fine motor practice helps the student to develop basics such as fine motor control and hand-eye co-ordination, and to develop the correct pencil grip for letter formation. RRP £6.95
Book 2 - Funky formation and flow takes the student from letter formation through letter joins and on to complete word formation. RRP £6.95
Book 3 – Successful smudge-free writing introduces the use of pen and ink. Concentrates on developing a confident and clear handwriting style for complete sentence writing in a variety of interesting handwriting contexts. RRP £6.95

Combined edition for schools:
Book (mono, photocopiable) £29.95
CD-Rom (full colour, multiple-user, printable) £35.19

The Left-Handers Club , who work to improve provision for left-handers in schools throughout the UK , found the Left Hand Writing Skills series to be " a unique, much needed resource which will help left-handed children avoid and overcome many common handwriting difficulties. Highly recommended.”

Left-Hand Writing Skills is available online from www.anythingleft-handed.co.uk by mail order on tel: 020 8770 3722 or from the Anything Left-Handed shop at 57 Brewer Street, London W1.

Details of all the books, with sample pages from each, can be viewed at :
www.anythingleft-handed.co.uk/lh-writing-books.html


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For further info, samples of these books or to arrange interviews with Left-Handers Club founders Keith & Lauren Milsom, or the authors of “Left Hand Writing Skills” Mark & Heather Stewart, contact:

Lauren Milsom at the ALH Press Office
Email: lauren@anythingleft-handed.co.uk - Telephone: 020 8770 3722

Picture Editors: High-res images of the Left-Handed Writing Skills series are available to download directly from: www.anythingleft-handed.co.uk/media.html

Notes to Editors:

•Anything Left-Handed is committed to improved handwriting skills for children. Through its association with the Left-Handers Club, the Company provides equipment and free advice to 48,000 Club members, teachers, parents and teaching organizations worldwide.
•Anything Left-Handed provides left-handed products through its famous shop at 57 Brewer Street, London W1 and its website www.anythingleft-handed.co.uk . It is the leading supplier of left-handed products in the U.K. and Europe. This award-winning website is also a huge source of advice and information on all topics relating to left-handedness.
•The products range from the traditional left-handed scissors and kitchen implements, through a host of knives, stationery and computer peripherals to some funky and innovative left-handed pens – there’s even a left-handed boomerang!
•The Left-Handers Club is free to join at: www.anythingleft-handed.co.uk. Formed in 1990, the Club aims to:
- increase awareness of left-handers’ needs
- keep members in touch with research and developments
- improve education, facilities and equipment design.
•The Left-Handers Club is now the largest organization of its kind, with 48,000 members worldwide. Since its formation, the Club has been responsible for a number of product design improvements, the provision of left-handed cheque books by all major banks in the U.K., and has produced a unique training video for teachers and parents of left-handed children. This video was distributed to all teacher-training colleges and a large number of schools in England.
•The Club is responsible for International Left-Handers Day, an annual event when left-handers everywhere can celebrate their sinistrality and increase public awareness of the difficulties and advantages of being left-handed. Visit www.lefthandersday.com for more info.