How Tracing Left-hand mode keeps hints clear for lefties

What Left-hand mode is for

Tomorrow Kid’s Left-hand mode is the kid-facing layout control for Tracing. It does not change how hard a glyph is—corridor width, scoring, and Difficulty stay exactly where parents set them. It only mirrors the guidance chrome so a lefty’s hand and arm do not cover hints while they trace.

You will know it is on when the Tracing list header shows an L capsule (with a mirrored hand icon) instead of the default R.

Where the L / R toggle lives

1. Open Tracing from Home
2. Look at the list header—the capsule next to the completed-count chip
3. Tap it once: R (right-hand, default) flips to L (left-hand), and the hand icon mirrors
4. The choice saves on this device (tracingLeftHandMode) and applies the next time they open a glyph, pack, Fun scene, or sequence

No Parental Check gate is required. Grown-ups still own Difficulty under Settings; kids can flip L / R safely whenever the hand covering the canvas feels wrong.

What mirrors on play screens

With Left-hand mode on, play layouts swap the hint bubble and the stars meter:

• Hint guidance moves to the right (out from under a left-writing hand)
• Stars meter moves to the left

The same layout flip applies across lesson play, pack play, Fun traces, and sequence practice. The gray guide path and letter itself stay readable—only chrome moves.

How it differs from Difficulty, Pencils, Fun, and Name/Word

• Left-hand mode — list-header L / R capsule; cosmetic chrome mirror; device-local
• Tracing Difficulty — parent Settings after the math gate; Auto / Easy / Medium / Hard path width (settings guide)
• Pencil styles — kid swatches under the canvas; cosmetic ink only (pencil guide)
• Fun traces & Doodle — come-alive scenes and no-fail free draw (Fun & Doodle guide)
• Trace your name & Trace a word — profile name and picture words (name & word guide)

For the Lines → Shapes → ABC lesson path itself, see the main Tracing guide.

A calm way to introduce it at home

1. Open Tracing together and notice whether your child’s writing hand covers the left-side hint.
2. Tap the header capsule to L before the next glyph—celebrate that hints stay visible, not a harder path.
3. Trace one Lines stroke and confirm the hint bubble sits on the right.
4. Leave Difficulty on Auto and pencils on whatever look they like; Left-hand mode never changes those.
5. Flip back to R anytime if a right-handed sibling takes a turn on the same device.

What to try next

If your child writes with their left hand, leave L on for the week so practice stays comfortable. When you are ready, open Tomorrow Kid → Tracing, tap the L / R capsule in the list header, and start the Next-up glyph with hints where a lefty can see them.