Some people are just natural born joke tellers. They’re the ones who break the ice and make small talk fun. For others, they have to learn to flex those joke-telling muscles. How does one learn to be funny? Well, it takes practice and is something that can be learned, beginning with how kids learn to tell silly jokes for kids and adults alike.
Telling silly jokes can be a wholesome past time for children. Teaching kids how to tell a joke is essential for helping them learn how to develop a sense of humor.
In fact, telling silly jokes for kids encourages spontaneity and helps children to connect with others. Think back to those natural joke-tellers and how they’re able to spark a smile, inspire a giggle, and get other people laughing with them.
Laughter Is The Best Medicine
Most everyone is familiar with the adage “laughter is the best medicine.” In addition to social benefits, there are health benefits to silly jokes and laughter as well, proven ones as much for kids as adults.
Laughter from a good round of jokes and fun releases endorphins in the brain and helps to eliminate toxins in the body, which in turn aids digestion.
They don’t call it gut-busting laughter for nothing!
How does a kid learn to be funny?
Well, a child’s funny bone is developed in stages. As toddlers, it’s all about the physical humor (think of all those adorable YouTube videos of kids acting wacky and then laughing hysterically at themselves). As they transition to their preschool years, incongruity humor reigns supreme when kids start learning the rhythm and format of a joke, but without the punch line. Finally, once a child is of school age, their humor becomes more sophisticated and they begin to venture into wordplay, exaggeration and silly kid jokes, not to mention good old-fashioned slapstick.
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If you want to help your child develop his or her funny bone and get them telling silly jokes for kids, why not introduce games, gag gifts, and books to help them on their way?
Not too long ago, two moms got their creative brains together and introduced a board game called Silly Street. A board game for kids as young as four years of age, it’s a mix of silliness in the form of improv, imagination, and story telling, and an all-around fun way to practice being silly. It hones in on just the skills needed for kids to learn how to tell silly jokes.
Beyond board games, don’t forget about the throwback gag gifts that were a part of everyone’s youth. Things like silly glasses, snakes in a can, and even a whoopie cushion help kids to understand the absurdity and hilarity of fun surprises and a punch line. These nostalgic gags are wacky, but great for helping kids feel like they’re in on the joke.
Jokes For Kids As They Get Older
As kids get older and the slapstick fades away, why not introduce your child to Mad Libs or search out a joke-telling book for kids. As early as five years old, kids are ready to take on the mother of silly jokes for kids this age, knock-knock and madcap jokes, both of which are great for kids to not only understand the structure of a joke, but how to deliver one as well.
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As kids dip their toes in the world of jokes, it’s important to teach them that there is a time and place for silly jokes. There are certain normative social standards when it comes to being serious or silly, and kids are quick to distinguish between the two once taught the difference. When it comes to how often kids should repeat a joke:
Once is funny, twice is enough, and three times is too much
Beloved children’s author Beverly Cleary
At the end of the day, well-placed and well-timed humor is helpful for kids (adults, too!) to help them roll with the punches. Life’s too short not to laugh, and encouraging a few silly jokes for kids will make life’s merry-go-round all the more merry.
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Photo Credits: Blake Barlow | Ashton Bingham | Janko Ferlič
