Left Handers Learning to Use Computer

The mouse should be able to be used on right or left side. Wire is not that short. If wireless pick up and move. My left handed grand kids never complained one way or the other so I guess they used left hand or right hand and it was no big deal.

I am left handed, and use the mouse in my right hand. I find it extremely awkward to use it in my left hand...... my movements are much more jerky and such.

Also, the buttons are placed wrong to use a standard mouse left-handed...... I know you can buy a left-handed mouse, but if they can adapt and use it in their right hand, that's all the better.

I'm a lefty who mouses right. It never occurred to me to do otherwise. For me mouse usage is not like sports; I don't feel there is a handness to it. In contrast when I play sports it feels weird immediately and the left hand issue is an issue. In a right handed world there is a bias for righties and I believe in rolling with it for the most part.

I have a few bits of food for thought. Mousing right handed lets me still write with my left hand which is awesome and causes envy among my right handed colleagues. Second I can count on one hand the number of left handed mouse set ups I have seen. As a right handed mouser I can walk up to any work station and be working instantly. I don't have to pause to make it left hand friendly which is convenient and it lets me be just another person in the room instead of special. Finally in college there were no left handed accomodations of any variety so being able to go with the flow came in handy.

I am sure the school would make whatever accomodations are needed but give some though to the long term implications of being a left handed mouser in a right handed world.

They can switch the mouse easily to the other side, either with the cord being plugged into the other side of the computer (most have multiple ports) or by having the cord wrap around to the other side (it's long enough on purpose). I think going to the dominant hand makes sense. Send a quick email to the classroom teacher or the technology specialist if there is one. No point in them learning it the hard way!

I am in the classroom a lot as a substitute and I have never seen any of the children switch the mouse. I've never thought to observe that but since you mentioned it, I will observe that with our lefties next time I am in the classroom!

It is surprising how well they do with keyboarding at such an early age.

I am left handed. I use the mouse with my right hand - although that kind of mouse seems to be being replaced by a touch pad. Which I also use with my right hand.

Assuming a mouse isn't specifically shaped for a right hand, you can use it on either side and there should be a 'left hand' setting - it basically switches right clicking vs left.
My husband is 'ambi-mouse-tress' - he's been known to use 2 mice in both hands on 2 computers at the same time.
He's a natural born multi-tasker!

My 7 year old son is left handed. He taught himself how to use the computer and has no issue with using a right-handed mouse. We tried switching the buttons around for him as a leftie but seeing as it isn't that way in school he became used to just using his right hand.

I'm left-handed and learned to use the mouse on the right because when mice were first introduced, that was the only choice. However, now that it's easy to switch, I just move the mouse to the left. It's much, much easier for me having it on the left. I would make sure they know they can move it and if any special help is needed to do that, the school provides it.

Don't make them deal with things the right-handed way. My school never had enough left-handed scissors, so I had to learn to cut with my right and I hated it (although I became decent at it out of necessity). Imagine if we expected the same of right-handed people?

Switch the controls on the mouse through the computer system. I accidentally did that once and it was soooo hard!

My daughter is left dominate and she uses her right for computers. Its easier and she prefers that. If they are uncomfortable with it then move but let then decide without you makingtthem stitch if they are good uusing their right hands for computer time

I used to move the mouse to the left and switch the buttons for my daughter. She found it awkward and uses it on the right if she has one available. My dad has always used it with his left hand but never really had to use public computers, just his own at work and home. Honestly, it's kind of a pain since she'll be faced with right-handed mouses (mice?) at school so if she doesn't care, I wouldn't mess with it.

My little lefty-2nd grade as well does great using ride handed mouse. I think at this point if I tried to change it, it would totally confuse him. Kids are amazing and they pick things up so quickly as you're already aware. I'm sure your kiddos are just fine using a righty mouse.

If she has learned to use the mouse right handed, then I wouldn't intervene. I know right handed people (my DH) who use a mouse left handed for funsies. Unless they also swapped the button control, your DD would still be working "backwards" with a mouse simply moved to the other side. You can try it at home and see if it makes a difference before mentioning it to the school.

I would ask the school to provide a few left handed set up computers (if they have labs for computing) including a lefthand keyboard and mouse. If in a classroom setting I would probably just send in a left handed usb mouse for my kid's personal use. They are under $10.

Left handed mouses (mice?!) are set up so that the primary "click" button is located at the index finger. Just switching the mouse makes it reversed for lefties...which of course they can use just fine but why make them?

I am ambidextrous. I can write with both hands, and do most things with both hands, but in most daily activities, I seem to prefer left hand.

In my office, I moved the mouse pad to the left side. No one else could use that computer, so it always stayed that way. At home on the family computer, I used to move the mouse pad to the left side (and *forget* to return it), but my husband and right-handed kids would move it back to the right. After a while, I'd get lazy and just leave it on the right hand side and use it that way. I seemed to adapt very quickly and just stopped moving it.

Now, most of the time, I use the mac book air and notice that I use both hands to scroll and move the cursor. Same with texting.

Since your kids are so young, they will likely adapt even easier than I did as an adult (there were no computers when I was in elementary). Especially if they are reporting no problems, they will likely develop this dexterity without even thinking about it, and it can be a very advantageous skill in a mostly right-handed world!

J. F.

I have two left handed cousins. They both not only use the mouse with their right hand, they also use the touch-pad that replaces the mouse on their laptops with their right hands.

My whole family is left handed but we live in a right handed world. My kids do everything but write, right handed. They were taught that way and it was never an issue. We just made it a matter-of-fact thing.

I have 2 left handed kids, both use a right handed mouse.

My husband and sister-in-law are left handed... They both have absolutely no problem using the mouse to the right.

My hubby and 3 out of 4 children are left handed. They all use a right hand mouse. My husband's thought process has always been that its a right handed world so he had to change his way of doing things to fit into it. It carried over to our children.

My two lefties are right handed mousers. I have seen people use their left over handed to mouse on top of the keyboard. Hope that makes enough sense.

I am right handed but can use my mouse perfectly with both my right and left hands. I have a wireless mouse so I can move it to either side of me. It took a little practice but I mastered it out of necessity because I always had a nursing or sleeping baby or a cat on my lap or was eating with one hand and using the other to take care of something on the computer.
Using a computer mouse isn't the same as writing. It is more important to write with your dominant hand than it is to use a computer mouse.