5 Easy Ways To Teach Right Left Discrimination

Here are 5 ways to teach right versus left:

1.  Verbal Reinforcement:  Every opportunity you have verbally state right from left.  For example, when dressing a child say "put your right arm in the sleeve".  When turning left in a car or walking on the street say "let's take a left here".

2.  Visual Reinforcement:  Have the child hold his/her palms down in front with the thumbs touching.  The left hand makes the letter 'L".

3.  Body Awareness Games and Activities:  Dance the Hokey Pokey and play Simon Says again reinforcing right and left sides of the body.  Do lots of bilateral coordination activities like jumping jacks, jumping rope, cross crawls, crawling, etc.

4.  Obstacle Course:  Set up a fun obstacle course that includes right and left directions i.e. have the child go to the left of the desk, to the right of the chair and under a table.

5.  Use Tactile Reinforcement: With gentle but firm pressure, touch the right side while saying the body parts on the right side.  Repeat on the left side.

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