LIFE WITH LAUGHTER IS BETTER: HOW TO FAVOR CHILDREN'S SENSE OF HUMOR

Laughter, more specifically the sense of humor, in addition to being something that provides joy and well-being per se has important implications for the optimal emotional development of our children. I tell you how it develops and how we can enhance children's sense of humor at home. Long live the laugh!

Benefits for children of having a good sense of humor

The benefits of a good sense of humor in children (and adults) are countless. Some of them are:

Promotes learning, as indicated by the APA (American Psychological Association)
It favors the development of creativity.
It promotes better self-esteem.
It helps to take perspective and therefore to better manage negative emotions or make decisions.
It reduces stress.
It helps to make new friends (it favors socialization).

Is there anything more wonderful for parents than to see their baby smile? And when they laugh out loud? The laughter of our children is music to our ears, right?

The development of a sense of humor in children

The sense of humor is not something with which we are born "already finished" but it is something that we are developing as we grow. We have the ability, such as walking or talking, but as with them, the passage of time and the "help" of the parents is key to reach full potential.

Yes, humor is evolving: what for a baby of 11 months is the monda lironda it can be the most roll roll for a four year old, and if we talk about teenagers ...

From newborn to 6 months: laughter without humor. The first laughs are usually by imitation and by the contagion effect of adult laughter (they respond to our joy). A little later, babies respond intensely to physical stimuli: noises, tickles ... and those nonsense we do without stopping adults. Since they still do not control their emotions and behavior much, it is common for them to go from laughter to hysterical laughter and even to crying. Did you notice that?
Between 6 and 9 months: the cucu-tras. In these months the sense of permanence of the object develops, hence it makes them so funny that we cover our faces and then appear as a surprise. Oops, mom has disappeared. Oh no, it's there! This is the way! With dad and mom and other representative people they continue to laugh: it is social laughter.
Between 9 and 12-15 months They already have established rules about things, how they work, where they are put or what routines we follow with them, hence the fact that, for example, Dad tries to “eat” a shoe, makes them funny. The unexpected surprises them, and that makes them laugh. At this stage they also begin with physical humor, I can make noises, what fun! and there you have them, bumping with the spoon as if there was no tomorrow.
From 2 years old: as they develop the language it becomes part of the sources of humor, puns, animal sounds, etc. They continue with the physical: jumps, dances ... Here they understand that they can make us laugh, and they put all their effort into it, they become care comedians.
Between 3 and 4-5 years old: the visual, the humor in images begins to be his favorite (books, drawings ...), especially when there are incongruities like a horse that is mounted in a car and the car is carried by the farmer (it's so funny!). At this age that stage begins So wonderful of the eschatological humor: we enter the field poop pee fart ass and derivatives (at all times, in all places, right?).
Between 5 and 7-8 years: language is your tool, it is the age of the joke ... and the swear words. And also in a loop: grace, for them (not for us, suffered parents) is to repeat things again and again, and again and again ...

In any case, take into account everything that has to do with the development of the children, we must consider it as approximate time arcs, that is, not all children reach the same milestones at the same time, some will have things of a stage and things on the other ... and that does not mean anything bad happens to them. As always, peace of mind.

How to foster a sense of humor in children

With babies: practically from the first weeks we can start by tickling and those noises that we know infallible to cause a laugh. As it is also impossible not to laugh with them (you want to eat them) our laugh will serve as a model and they will imitate it, with which we enter a wonderful loop.
First months to the year: nobody is going to free you from the cucu-tras, but it will not be any problem as soon as you hear him laugh. Let your imagination fly and give new and crazy uses to everyday objects: the breakfast bowl can be an elegant (and tricky) hat, for example.
Language: after two years, as I said, language begins to be key in the development of the sense of humor. Word games are an inexhaustible source of laughter: a crocodile that behaves weird? A crocodile! And so all day ...
Books, comics, movies ... : Fortunately today we have a huge amount of material in which humor is a fundamental piece. ¿Examples? Two books: I'm going to eat (from 3-4 years old) or The dove needs a bath (From 4 years).
Follow them: the jokes that your son tells you may not be to take them to the comedy club but for him they are the fine Filipino humor, so laugh with all your desire.
And of course laughing a lot, taking our lives with humor: as I always tell you, we are the models of our children so if we want them to see the fun side of life, if we want them to develop a fine sense of humor, the best we can do is precisely be a little kids Y laugh even at our shadow. As an extra, we also have to reduce our stress and improve our mood: humor is all advantages.

In addition to all that has been said there is a maxim that I always follow: life with humor is better, so ... To laugh!

Video and photos: Youtube; Pixabay.com

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