Developing a Child's Sense of Humor
CHILDREN'S HUMOR
There are a TON OF child development benefits you can give your child by helping him/er to develop a sense of humor, even at a very early age. Across the board humor facilitates a child's intellectual, emotional and social development, and it even boosts immune function and physical development.
One of the greatest meta benefits threaded throughout all of these benefits is the self esteem humor promotes!
Laughter creates "feel good" neuro chemicals in the brain in both the laugher and the laughee, which builds a number of social belonging, bonding and self esteem benefits as it generates a lot of positive feedback from others.
Here are some favorite kid's jokes to help you get into the spirit. With babies just laughter alone is fun, with toddlers anything silly or incongruous (put your shoe on your head? your sock on your ear?) can be made into a joke. Laughing at the incongruities of language is a type of humor that will be with your child forever, so find a couple of "social skill" type jokes that are suitable to whatever your child's level. Make them your "inside joke" whenever you want to enjoy a little spontaneous shared laughter. Kids don't get bored with the "the same old joke" until they reach a much older developmental stage and shift to unexpected or novelty types of humor.
Help him/her memorize them and "rehearse" on you 'til he gets his "schtick" down -- very responsive audience that you are! I'm not talking about building up a stand comedy routine, just creating a few ways that your child can experience directly the pleasurable power he/she has to make others laugh. Heady self esteem building stuff!
KID TESTED FAVORITE JOKES
Q. What kind of button won't unbutton? A. A bellybutton!
Q. Why do sea-gulls fly over the sea?
A. Because if they flew over the bay they would be bagels!
Q. What did the water say to the boat?
A. Nothing, it just waved.
Q. Where did the computer go to dance?
A. To a disc-o.
Q. Why did the birdie go to the hospital?
A. To get a tweetment.
Q. Why didn't the skeleton go to the dance?
A. Because he had no-body to go with.
Q. Why can't your nose be 12 inches long?
A. Because then it would be a foot!
Look for dozens more ways to laugh and have fun with your children in our book, "Children's Self Esteem Activities & Games" - a huge collection for building a child's values, character, capabilities and self worth.
Young babies don't really understand humor, but they do know when you are smiling and happy. When you make funny noises or faces and then laugh or smile, your baby is likely to sense your joy and imitate you. He or she is also highly responsive to physical stimuli, like tickling or raspberries.
---------------
DUI News
Posted by: johnpetersen | November 14, 2008 at 08:12 AM