Knock! Knock!

Around the time that my twin niece and nephew, Jason and Leora, turned 6, they both decided to become stand-up comedians.

“Hey, Uncle Eric, why didn’t the chicken cross the road?” Leora asked, after a series of jokes about why it did. I hadn’t a clue. “Because he’s a chicken!” she laughed. “Get it? He’s scared!” Her brother would not be outdone.

“How do you make a tissue dance?” Jason chimed in. Stumped again. “You put a little boogie in it!” he happily informed me. Of all the riddles they told me that day, I remember those two in Sophie: “It’s right there.” Teacher: “That’s right. Now Elena, who discovered the United States?” Elena: “Sophie!” particular because of how surprised I was to fi nd the twins telling jokes that involved wordplay. I had no idea that double entendre was in their repertoire.

In fact, as silly as their jokes were, they made me realize how mature the kids were becoming. “Parents may not think of it this way, but a child’s sense of humor can actually tell you a lot about his stage of development—as well as his confi dence, coping skills, and creative thinking,” says Louis Franzini, Ph.D., author of “Kids Who Laugh: How to Develop Your Child’s Sense of Humor.”

At 5 or 6, experts say, children start appreciating jokes with puns and wordplay more than the slapstick humor they found hilarious when they were younger. “Kids this age have begun to absorb the rules of language, and jokes show them how those rules can be violated—with very funny results,” says Joseph Michelli, Ph.D., author of “Humor, Play & Laughter: Stress-Proofi ng Life With Your Kids.” He adds, “The ambiguity of human speech and the incongruity of two ideas—like jokes with
two meanings or surprise endings—become the key to their humor.” The
other thing that really cracks them up, of course, is bathroom humor.
“You wonder how many times in a row they can possibly say ‘poopy’ and
laugh, but the fact that they love bathroom jokes makes sense
developmentally,” Dr. Michelli says. Their laughter is the anxious
release that comes from fl irting with a taboo. In addition, because 5-
and 6-year-olds have only recently learned to use the potty (and some
still have accidents at night), their silliness may refl ect their
lingering nervousness about controlling bodily functions.

Children
take great pride in their ability to tell a joke—it’s a real boost to
their self-esteem. At home, jokes give children a moment of undivided
attention from adults and older siblings, points out Sharon Carnahan,
Ph.D., a professor of psychology at Rollins College, in Winter Park,
Florida. “When a joke works and everyone laughs, it’s a moment of pure
joy for a child.”

People often assume that a sense of humor is
something you’re born with (or without), but experts insist it’s a skill
that any kid can learn and master. Parents who joke around with their
children, share funny incidents from their own day, and generally try to
see the humor in life’s day-to-day challenges are more likely to raise
children who like to laugh and can roll with the punches.

PINT – SIZED PUNCH LINES

Why do seagulls fly over the sea? Because if they flew over the bay, they’d be called bagels.

What is gray and blue and has a long nose? An elephant holding its breath.

Why did the chicken cross the playground? To get to the other slide.

What do you call a cross between a lemon and a cat? A sour puss.

Ten cats were chasing a little mouse. What time was it? Ten after one.

What do you call a dog who likes to get her fur washed a lot? A shampoodle.