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Overview of Children’s Laughter/Sense of Humor |
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Children under three years old generally find that basic incongruities, predictable “surprise” and absurdity bring them joy or cause them to laugh. Several forms of physical humor such as slapstick, rhythms and gentle tickling are enjoyed as well. At this age, developing your kid's sense of humor mostly involves you raising the importance of laughter and fun their eyes. Humor is a way that young children learn to manage anxiety. The surprises and incongruities can be frightening, but once they understand that nothing bad happens, they can laugh at the situation. Then, playing out the scenario repeatedly reinforces that it’s okay to feel anxious and just because something is a little bit scary doesn’t mean that it won't be okay and maybe even be fun (just like roller coaster rides or horror movies for older ages). So as you watch the Discoveries in our videos, take note of your children’s facial expressions that are sometimes mildly fearful and how those reactions change to laughter, sometimes even giggles of relief that there’s nothing to be afraid of after all! Parents are the best teachers for managing anxiety, because children feel most safe with parents, have the highest degree of trust with their caregivers and so can tolerate new, sometimes scary situations better than anywhere else. So it’s important to use surprise and incongruity in your interactions with your child as they help your child acquire this valuable skill! The Discoveries clearly inspire the kids in our videos laughter but don’t worry if your child doesn’t respond in the same way. Your child is unique and your relationship with him or her is unlike anyone else’s. So while you watch the Discoveries, think about what things you already know make your child laugh. Look to see what your child laughs at spontaneously in the video, those are good clues as to what he or she will find funny. Also consider what you know about your child’s personality and interests. Some babies love being on the go, moving, climbing, jumping. If that’s your child, try some of the more physically active techniques. If your child loves to explore and figure things out, he or she will likely enjoy techniques that involve incongruity that stretch what they know about the world. Maybe your baby is more serious and studious, taking time and wanting to understand new situations before responding or getting involved in them. If that’s the case, you might want to try techniques that build on things you already do with your child. Finally, YOU are important! Your child is going to respond more to you and the feelings you model than to the particular activity. So with that in mind, watch for Discoveries you find amusing or appealing. Think about your own personality and what sort of silly spontaneity is comfortable for you. You want to add laughter-inducing activities to the unique relationship you already have with your child. Consider what activities (play and care-taking) you do now and what types of emotional interactions occur naturally. For example, if you really enjoy kid-centered activities that focus on learning (like reading books, building with blocks), then you might feel most comfortable starting with the object-based Discoveries. The main point is this: If you're having fun with what you're doing, your child will have fun, too! |
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