Silly Animal Jokes
Humor is so important during childhood. For me, it’s simply important because it’s a fun time to share with one another, whether you are sharing fart jokes or just tickling each other. People who worry about child development—usually unnecessarily, I might add—might be more interested in the fact that humor is also useful in the development of language arts skills, literacy, math skills, and more, depending upon the jokes used. Humor is also important in interpersonal relationships. So if you need an excuse to tell your child a joke every day, there it is!
We recently picked up a book from the library’s 25-cent sale section called Silly Animal Jokes by Gary Perkins. It is a brief, 32-page joke book printed by Watermill Press that includes little zingers that children will likely enjoy—and parents may simply roll their eyes over. For example, did you know that a rabbit’s favorite song is “Hoppy Birthday”? Groan! But that’s okay; the point is to get your child involved in the joke exchange and, of course, laughing!
Don’t be upset if your child wants to repeat the same joke over and over again. (Isn’t this what Uncle Phil does during every Thanksgiving anyway? Your child is already passing him up!) This repetition will help him or her master the language associated with the joke, as well as the delivery of the punch line. His or her confidence will also improve as he or she learns to tell the joke well. Just keep in mind that you will likely be the test audience over and over again as well, so try to keep laughing. Just think of how cute your kid is while he or she is holding back laughter and you’ll be laughing in no time.
He or she may also want to create his or her own jokes after becoming inspired by a joke book like this. They also may not make any sense at all! (Though you would be surprised at the clever things kids can come up with, too.) Whether it makes sense or not, and whether it’s funny or not, just laugh and play along. Don’t worry about the actual joke itself; the results and exchange are what matter. Clarity in the creation of a joke will come later.
Finally, keep in mind that kids love to joke about things like burping, farting, and other bodily functions. It can be helpful to let them indulge in these jokes, but if you have an issue with them being told around certain people, be sure to let them know in advance. You might want to prepare them with an alternative, “cleaner” joke for such an occasion.