- So did you hear about the colt with a cold?
He's a little hoarse.
- How about the pig with a rash?
He needed a little oinkment.
If these jokes get a laugh at your dinner table, we're guessing you have a school-age child.
Orange Ya Gonna Laugh?
Around age 6 or 7, kids start to understand language well enough to know that words can have two (or more) meanings. As your child develops this cognitive ability to grasp different meanings, riddles, jokes, and puns start making sense and will be a top source of enjoyment for the next 3 or 4 years.
Kids this age delight in their newfound ability with an insatiable appetite for jokes of all stripes. Don't be surprised if it feels like you're living with Jay Leno, with every meal an opportunity for a monologue. What your child is really doing is enjoying the ability to make these connections and to finally be the insider, the one with the info and the answers.
What Else Is Soooooooooo Funny?
General categories of humor that kids this age often find funny include:
So this sponge lived under the sea in a pineapple… Kids love nonsensical situations, especially when they involve grown-ups. The Amelia Bedelia series of books are favorites because the main character has such silly responses to rational requests (when asked to "draw the drapes," she draws a picture of curtains, for example).
Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk! Whether it's eyes getting poked, heads getting hit by hammers, or an anvil falling on the head of Wile E. Coyote, kids often find violence to be funny. (Itchy and Scratchy on "The Simpsons" have made a running joke out of this for years.) It's OK if they find these antics funny, but be sure they understand that these situations aren't real and shouldn't be imitated.
The old boutonniere trick. Slapstick and practical jokes can be very funny for school-age kids. Watching someone get sprayed in the eye with water or jumping out and yelling "boo" might have kids rolling in the aisles. But teach the difference between a good-natured practical joke and one that hurts someone physically or causes hurt feelings.
As kids get older, they may deal with anxiety by laughing or making inappropriate jokes. A friend tripping or falling down or a sibling being punished may cause laughter. Some kids also can't help laughing when they're in trouble with a parent or teacher. In both cases, laughter is a way of relieving fear or anxiety.
Why Does Humor Matter?
The ability to see and understand humor is increasingly important as kids move into school. As early as preschool, those with a strong sense of humor are better liked by their peers, and have more friends, higher self-esteem, and a more positive outlook on life. They're better able to deal with their own quirks and are more tolerant of others.
Most important, kids who can smile at their own mistakes are better equipped to handle teasing, bullies, and the adversities of childhood, both big and small.