“What do you call a cow lying down?”
“Ground beef.”
This type of riddle is typical of what an early school ager would ask repeatedly and find funny every time it’s told. Early school-age children typically like riddles and jokes that are a play on words such as knock-knock jokes.
Children are not born with a sense of humor. A sense of humor is developed, and what amuses them depends on the age of the child. The development of humor starts with an infant’s first giggle, laughing at the peek-a-boo game and eventually playing with words and making others laugh, repeatedly.
Why humor is important
Humor can help children:
- Connect with others
- Cope with challenges
- Manage their stress
- Develop language skills
- Develop social skills
Children with a good sense of humor tend to be happier, more positive and better able to handle situations in their day.
Join in the fun
Keep these things in mind when encouraging your child’s sense of humor:
- Laugh at life when appropriate. Having the ability to view things with a sense of humor helps children develop resilience to things they encounter as they learn and grow.
- Encourage your child’s attempts. A 6-year-old’s joke may not be funny to an adult. Laugh with your child anyway, even if you have heard it several times already.
- Provide your child age-appropriate joke books. Find age-appropriate joke books or comic strips and take turns telling jokes.
- Help establish joke boundaries for your child. You don’t want to encourage jokes that poke fun at others or use inappropriate language. Set clear boundaries as to what jokes are inappropriate, and do not encourage the retelling of the joke by laughing at it.
- Play on words. Encourage wordplay by using nonsense rhymes yourself. Ask if your child would like some peanut “nutter” rather than peanut butter. See how your child responds or catches it and then keep the fun going.
- Get creative. Humor doesn’t have to be spoken; you can create a silly picture together. Draw a funny face and take turns adding features to it as you rearrange where things belong. Maybe the ears are where the eyes go, or the nose is where the mouth should be. Maybe a human face has dog whiskers or frog lips.
- Make time to participate in the fun. Make time to listen and engage in telling jokes and riddles. Mealtime is a great time to laugh together.
Humor can be an enjoyable way to build connection. It does not happen automatically. Be intentional about trying to make your child laugh and delight in the times when they make you laugh as well.
Learn more
- Is my baby laughing at me?
- Good medicine: Easing stress with laughter
- 5 activities to boost your child’s mood
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Posted In Children's, Family Medicine, Parenting
