Make Them Laugh

Make yourself and your child healthier and happier by making sure that humor is part of your daily life. Here are a few fun family activities.

Laugh Corner

Set aside an area in your home where laughter is a requirement. Put out art supplies and silly picture books. Have your children use the art supplies to create their own silly pictures to decorate the corner. Help your child create funny hats for the whole family to wear as they share funny stories or make comic faces. Remember, the funniest thing for young children is the unexpected: Use nonsense words inside a real sentence; dress up and put on a silly hat; draw a dog wearing sunglasses and lying on the beach as a “hotdog."

Riddle Me

By age 5, most children are interested in riddles. Use them anytime to add to the conversation and keep everyone smiling. Challenge your children to tell riddles, even if the children repeat themselves. They may tell their riddles incorrectly, but they will still laugh and you will, too.

• Why was the baby ant so confused? Because all his uncles were ants!
• What gets wetter as it dries? A towel.
• What flowers do you always wear? Two lips (tulips).

Knock, Knock!

“Knock, Knocks” are some of the best jokes for kids. Here are a few to get you started. Watch out—if you start telling “Knock, Knock” jokes on a long car trip, you’ll never stop laughing.

• Knock, Knock!
  Who’s there?
  Boo.
  Boo who?
  Don’t cry; it’s only a joke.
• Knock, Knock!
  Who’s there?
  Moo.
  Moo who?
  Are you a cow or an owl?
• Knock, Knock!
  Who’s there?
  Cargo.
  Cargo who?
  Car go beep, beep.

Laughter and Poetry

There are many funny books of poetry, silly rhyming, and pictures for children—from Dr. Seuss to Shel Silverstein. These wonderful books span all ages and often tell a great truth within their funny rhymes and stories.

Note: The latest book of poetry by Shel Silverstein was published after his death. It’s called Runny Babbit, a Billy Sook (HarperCollins, 2005) and is filled with word play that makes everyone laugh.