What makes kids laugh
By NANCY POSTER for Smart
Your sweet, innocent preschooler has suddenly started laughing uncontrollably at potty humor.
And those cute — but nonsensical — knock-knock jokes your kindergartner has taken to telling over dinner are beginning to wear on your nerves.
What has awakened in your little one that allows him to begin recognizing humor? And is this something you want to encourage?
York psychologist Julie Swope said it’s just brain development and a higher level of understanding.
That development has begun by 5 years of age, she said, but it could show up as early as 3.
“You may have run across kids at 3 and say ‘that’s a funny kid,’” she said. “A lot of comedians at a very young age knew they were funny.”
By 4, a child has started developing toilet humor. At that age, they are mimicking something they’ve seen an adult laugh at. They, in turn, use that brand of humor because they believe “this is something that will please people,” she said.
As in adults, laughter can also be used by a child to deal with unhappiness.
“Sometimes in an abusive situation that (children) have an early traumatic childhood, their sense of humor develops as a coping mechanism,” said Swope, who is the clinical director at Yorktowne Psychological and Addiction Services.
So what makes a kid laugh?
In general, “anything that has dirty words in it” tickles a kid’s funny bone, she said. Or, they may recognize humor in a cartoon that an adult may think is over the top.
“A lot of times, we look at (a cartoon) and think that’s violent,” Swope said. “But to kids, when it happens all of a sudden, they think it’s funny.”
They also laugh at the absurd, like the kind of humor they see on shows like “Sesame Street.”
“It’s educational, but the coming alive of puppets is very amusing and draws them in,” she said.
At 5 or 6 years of age, knock-knock jokes become the rage. At first, the jokes they develop themselves make no sense. As they mature, however, they begin to understand that the joke has to make sense and there has to be a connection between the “knock-knock” and the “Who’s there?”.
By 10 years of age, children begin to understand adult humor, she said.
But parents need to watch for humor being used inappropriately, such as when a child tells a joke to get a laugh and possibly escape punishment.
Swope said she believes parents should encourage joke-telling.
“I think it’s excellent to joke with kids to teach them there’s a funny side of things,” she said.
It’s especially important to joke with an intense and serious child so they can begin to appreciate the social side of humor.
Tickled pinkQ: What color is a burp?
A: Burple!
Q: Why did Tigger look inside the toilet?
A: He was looking for Pooh!
Q: Why was the nose sad?
A: Because he did not get picked!
Q: What’s the most musical bone?
A: The trom-bone!
Q: Why should bowling alleys be quiet?
A: So you can hear a pin drop!
Q: What weighs 6 tons and wears glass slippers?
A: Cinder-elephant!
Q: Why did the banana peel?
A: It didn’t have any suntan lotion on!Q: What makes cows dance?
A: Moo-sicQ: What did the mama tomato say to the baby tomato?
A: Ketchup!
Q: What did the baby corn say to the mama corn?
A: Where's popcorn?Sources include kids.yahoo.com/jokes
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