I love to make jokes with my pre-school grandchildren. I love to read picture books to them.  In fact, when they laugh, that’s when I know that what I had said is really  funny.  Kids know humor and they get it.

Kid jokes are different than grownup’s  jokes from the media or elsewhere, so a grandmother has to learn how to gently tickle the children’s funny bones. Here are some ways to get the children (and others!) to smile:

Playful and Silly:

Suppose you ask your grandchild a question about a friend’s name and he answers “Nothing.”

Your (funny or silly) response can be – “Oh that’s a nice name. Nothing. What is Nothing’s last name?”

“Nobody.”

“Oh wow, so his name is Nothing Nobody! Fabulous name!”

Pretend Crying:

If the child acts rude, a grandmother can pretend to be sad. That way the child gets the message in a non-threatening way (the grandmother’s way of crying might even make the child laugh) that it’s inappropriate to be rude. By the grandmother crying (pretending), the child realizes that his actions impacted someone else.

Saying the Wrong Answer:

If a child comes home and shows his project to the grandparent, the grandparent can play dumb and pretend not to know the answers or information revolving around the project. That will get the child to laugh and to share his own knowledge because he will want to correct his grandmother.

Try these joke techniques and let me know how it goes.

Have fun laughing at every kind of humor, and giggling with the children as well!

Photo Credit of Smiling Child