That’s so Funny:  5 Fun Ways of Nurturing a Sense of Humour in Your Family

A family where the children and the parents laugh often is likely to provide a great environment for healthy growth and development. According to studies by the Laughter Research Network in Spain, laughter has both therapeutic and preventative value. A sense of humour can indeed keep stress, depression and other diseases at bay. You can in fact start to nurture a sense of humour in your kids and in your entire family today. Here are some fun pointers:

1. Create Funny Family Puns

According to Dr Louis Franzini, author of of Kids Who Laugh: How to Develop Your Child’s Sense of Humour, a sense of humour is not an inborn ability; it is in fact something that can be learnt. Even if you feel that you or your kids are not that funny, just think up something humorous that can entertain the children. Of course that funny act that you choose to display should not be offensive to anyone and it should be age appropriate for it to make sense. You will be surprised that one silly act can become a funny family tradition and can lead to many other funny family jokes.

2. Be Funny Yourself

Lighten up if you really want to have a laughter-filled family. The truth is that children’s sense of humour is often modelled from their parents’ sense of humour. Start using humour early in your child’s life and laughter will come naturally to your children and to you too. In fact, sometimes you can use your sense of humour to diffuse a tense moment between you and your child. For example, if you are in a heated debate with your preteen or teenage daughter, making a funny face in the middle of the argument can make light of the situation and you just might find simple solutions to problems.

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3. Make Age Appropriate Jokes

For you and your kids to enjoy a good laugh, you must understand what works at different stages in your children’s lives. Recent studies by the Stanford University School of Medicine show that age appropriate jokes are more likely to nurture a true sense of humour in children because children can relate to these jokes. As such, your infant will be amused by tickles and funny sounds, your toddler will laugh out at peek-a-boo games and funny sounding words, the preschooler will laugh aloud at funny pictures, and odd things like a goat wearing shoes. School age kids and preteens are becoming aware of their body and they will find jokes about body parts funny. Knock-knock jokes are also hilarious for kids at this age. Teenagers have a complex sense of humour and may enjoy pranks and sophisticated jokes.

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4. Laugh At Kiddie Jokes

Children laugh almost 200 times more than adults do. A sense of humour comes easily to children. To nature a sense of humour in your kids, be sure to laugh at their jokes or at least pay attention at their attempt to make a joke. Children, like adults, feel great when someone finds their jokes funny. Encourage your kids to be funny for example, by buying them funny toys that they can goof around with or asking them to draw funny pictures and stick them around the house.

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5. Hang Out Together Often

Humour is inherently social. The more you are, the funnier things tend to be. Make it a family tradition to hang out together and undertake fun activities such as playing funny games, watching funny movies or TV programs or sharing the latest jokes you have come across. Hanging out together not only offers a chance for belly laughs but also allows you to bond together as a happy family.

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