Could one side of the human brain be far superior than the other? Scores of books, pamphlets, CDs and even enrichment classes have been designed based on the task of developing the preferred dominant side of your child’s brain with the belief that our thoughts are what dictate our actions and eventually, our future success and happiness. What can we really make out of this? Find out here…

What controls what

The right side of the brain is in charge of creative or expressive tasks such as the expressing of emotions, color identification, music skills and intuitive learning. A healthy right-brain child is very sociable and relates to others naturally and easily.

The left side of the brain on the other hand cultivates abilities such as sequencing, language, mathematics and rational thinking. It is tasked with linear forms of thinking, analytical skills and logical thinking. This side of the brain helps your child learn languages, develop critical thinking, learn numbers and reasoning. Left-brain children are mostly introverted but logical, systematic and display the ability for abstract thinking.

The brain’s right hemisphere controls the muscles on the left side of the body, while the left hemisphere controls the muscles on the right side of the human body. When you wink your right eye, it’s really the left side of your brain at work. Because of this criss-cross wiring, damage to one side of the brain affects the opposite side of the body.

Does your child take to scribbling, drawing and doodling like they were born for arts? Or is he or she constantly complaining that they can’t even draw a decent stick figure? Children who would rather experiment instead of listen to instructions as well as children who have a tendency to wear matching clothes are actually showing signs that the dominant side of their brain is taking over his or her decisions in day-to-day life. If left that way for too long, a child that is too dependent on either side of the brain will not be able to tap into the full potential of their mind.

According to child specialist Glen Doman, most children begin their childhood as right-brain dominant. However, as they begin to learn using their right hand to hold objects, write and eat on a daily basis, they will eventually progress in their life journey as left-brain dominant.

Some of these children then grow up to become permanently left-brain dominant and potentially lack the ability to tap into the creative stimulation hidden in the right brain.

Can You Be Too “Right”?

While maturity of the left-brain is important for the development of rational and critical thinking, most enrichment programs highlight right-brain mastery as it’s believed to encourage creativity as well as divergent thinking. This form of intellectual ability encourages children to view things from different perspectives and triggers creative solutions to traditional problems. After all, Albert Einstein once said that, “Imagination is more important than knowledge” because while knowledge is finite, our dreams and ideas are boundless and without limits!

However, it’s worth to keep in mind that an exceptionally creative child will also need assistance in strengthening his or her usage of the left-brain, especially in the aspect of organising, analysing and researching skills. It is also wise to note that children who are too dependent on right-brain thinking are also less likely to perform well academically as they cannot sit for very long periods in formal settings. Instead, they tend to study better with a group of friends and are much more responsive in a casual environment.

At the end of the day, the objective shouldn’t be to steer your child towards a left-brain or right-brain thinking, but rather to encourage the use of both sides of the brain to its full potential!

Why Does Brain Dominance Happen?

Brain dominance occurs when a person (adult or child) automatically leverages on one side of their brain more than the other. It is actually a natural tendency in all of us. For instance, an artist may be much more right brain oriented whereas a mathematician may be much more left-brain inclined.

There is no such thing as a person who depends solely on either the left or right side of their brain, though! As you can already guess, both sides of the brains are used simultaneously at all times.

We are encouraged, hence, to achieve equal usage between the left side and right side of your brain to unleash our maximum potential.

The Left-Right Brain Quiz

Take this quiz below to find out which side of your child’s brain is dominant:

1. Your child is better at:

a) Recognizing faces

b) Remembering names

2. Your child is more inclined to be:

a) Neat and organized

b) Spontaneous with a tendency to be messy

3. Your child loves stories that are:

a) Similar to real life which makes sense to him/her

b) Fantasy based (e.g. tales of dragons, witches, prince and princesses)

4. Your child solves day-to-day problems with:

a) Logic

b) Intuition

5. Which form of assignments does your child prefer?

a) Well-structured tasks

b) Open-ended tasks

6. Your child is better at remembering:

a) Words/Languages

b) Objects/Pictures

7. Your child considers him/herself to be:

a) Lacking of creativity

b) A creative person

8. Which dominates your child’s mind the most?

a) Serious thoughts

b) Humorous thoughts

9. When reading a book, your child is usually interested on:

a) All the details and actual facts

b) The main idea and overview of the story

10. Your child learns better through;

a) Systematic planning

b) Discovery and exploration

Quiz Answers

If you answered mostly B’s to the questions above, your child is more likely to be right brain oriented. She/he is probably artistically inclined and will excel in music, drawing, painting, singing, poetry, dancing and expressing emotion. Your child will most likely enjoy working with shapes, colors, art projects and hands-on activities.

If you answered mostly A’s to the questions above, your child is more likely to be left brain oriented and is probably talented in learning new languages, numbers, reasoning and critical thinking. He or she will most likely prefer to work alone and love to discover new facts.