By themselves, the concepts of right and left are quite difficult for children to understand. The child does not immediately understand what it is. But by the time he enters school, he must not only know where the right and left hand are, but he must also be able to apply these concepts. Otherwise, it will be difficult for him to understand the teacher, as well as learn to read and write.
Knowing your own body
For a toddler, the phrase “go left” does not mean anything. First, he needs to remember where the right and left sides are on the example of his own body. To make it easier for your child to remember this, you can, for example, tie a string around the wrist of the right hand. Now the baby will have a reference point: where the thread is, there is the right hand. Try to give your child instructions in play and in life as often as possible, using the concept of right, while suggesting that this is where the thread is. For example, when shoeing a child, ask him to move his right leg.
The very first games for memorizing the sides of the body are very simple: raise your right hand, close your left eye, show your left ear, etc. First, the baby must show all this on his body. Indeed, on the body of another person standing opposite, right and left are reversed; it will take a baby a long time to figure this out. Therefore, it is better to play such games, standing next to the child or with his back to him.
"Right" and "left" as movement in the desired direction
For a slightly older child, you can come up with more complex games. In such games, he will need not only to remember where the right and left are, but also to move in that direction. It is possible to combine training in directions of movement and counting. For example, you can ask your child to turn around and / or take a certain number of steps in the desired direction with their eyes closed. Then the kid must also guess where he ended up with his eyes closed. This game is great to play with a child of about three years old. If he does not know the count at all, you can simply ask him: “turn left, step, step, turn right”, etc. In such a game, the child not only remembers where the right and left are, but also learns to navigate in space.
Orientation on the sheet
Only after the child has learned on his own body, where are the right and left sides, can you teach him to navigate on a piece of paper. You don't have to come up with complex and intricate games. Just when the child sits down to draw, ask him to draw something on the right or left of the sheet. At first, it is better to use only one concept in the instructions: "draw the sun on the right side." Only then you can attach the concepts of top / bottom and give more complex instructions: "depict the grass at the bottom left of the sheet," for example. You can buy special exercise books for your child. Choose one that is appropriate for his age. In them, you can not only complete the existing tasks, but also come up with your own. For example, ask to paint over the rightmost item on the sheet.
To make it easier for the child to navigate the sheet, before starting to draw, ask him to put his hands on the edges of the sheet and remind him where the right and left hand are. At the same time, let the child guess that the right side of the sheet is where the right hand is.
Graphic dictation
Another way to learn right and left is graphic dictation. It is better to spend it with a child 5-7 years old. It will be too difficult for a younger child to do the dictation.
The essence of the dictation is that the child needs to draw a line along the cells with a pen or felt-tip pen according to the instructions. The result is a pattern or pattern. First, give your child some very simple patterns. For example, 1 cell up, 1 to the right, 1 down, 1 to the right, etc. When the child understands the essence of what he needs to do, you can complicate the instructions.
With the help of graphic dictation, you can draw various animals, fortresses and anything you like. You can find drawings for graphic dictation in special notebooks for school preparation or come up with yourself. It is important to always use checked paper. The size of the cell in this case depends on the age of the child: the older he is, the smaller the cells. Another fundamental point: before carrying out a graphic dictation, do not show the child the drawing that he should get as a result.
