Teaching laterality, or the internal awareness of the left and right sides of the body, is an important first step before teaching children to distinguish left and right on objects such as shoes. Make sure to sit or stand next to your child rather than across from them when teaching and use your own body to demonstrate. Left/right discrimination is a difficult concept to learn and can require many repetitions; it is generally mastered by the age of five or six (although some adults I know still struggle with it). Here are some ideas to help your child learn left and right: