I always sign up to receive emails from various child sites but never really read them, just skim through the articles or just delete them but this particular one reminded me of my kids.
I found this article from babycenter.com that's called "How to raise a fun and funny child." A childhood filled with fun and laughter can last a lifetime, says development experts who have studied humor. "A sense of humor offers a huge advantage in life," says Lawrence J. Cohen, author of Playful Parenting and a psychologist specializing in children's play. "It's one of the best ways people have figured out to cope with things that are difficult."
A child is more likely to make strong friendships, be well-liked by peers, and as an adult get along with colleagues at work, manage frustration, diffuse conflict, and suffer less from depression when his funny bone can easily be tapped. Intelligence, self-esteem, creativity, and problem solving is usually linked to a sense of humor.
Humor is a form of intellectual play, according to humor expert Paul McGhee. Laughter is initially stimulated by physical play, tickling or very gently rough play, in infants. Babies begin taking pleasure in seeing that known world turned on its head- the very essence of humor, as early as 6 or 7 months.
A sign that your child is developing significant intellectual skills is when he "gets the joke." So, when your infant gurgles with glee over a game of peekaboo, your 1 year old titters madly when you sing "Mary had a little lamb" in a Tweety Bird voice, your preschooler giggles wildly when you hold a shoe up to your ear and say, "Hello?", or your 7 year old pulls off his first prank. This reminds me of my kids because if we (mom & dad) say something funny, my 4 & 2 year olds will say, "Mom, you are just kidding." Or my 2 year old son will say something then he will start laughing and say, "I was just kidding", or "I was just joking."
A baby's earliest laughter, and most humor that follows in childhood and into adulthood, is a main form of social bonding, says Provine. When laughter is engaged with another person, it could be said that humor, a more sophisticated means to evoke giggles or guffaws is a way to re-create that unadulterated joy of childhood.
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If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder, he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the mystery of the world we live in. ~ Rachel Carson
