Why do kids write some numbers and letters in mirror image?

Question

I’ve been practicing the ABCs and 123s with my son and notice that certain letters (J N P S Z) and numbers (4 6) he always writes backwards/mirror imaged. I’ve seen other kids, and even my own writings as a child, have the same quirk. Is this pretty much universal?

In: 1018

Answer 1

When I was a kid, I wrote letters reversed because I genuinely couldn’t remember which way they should go. Took me well into elementary school to finally remember which way 2, S, Z, and L go, specifically. Wasn’t an issue if I could see it on the page, though.