All parents would like their child to have a devastating humor. But how do you go about it? Especially if you are already having trouble telling a joke … The advice of a psychologist, a specialist in humor.
Like all parents, do you dream that your little one is funny? Jokes, puns, sense of distribution … Discover how to infuse this state of mind with Bruno Fortin, psychologist.
How does the sense of humor develop in a child?
Humor is first visual. Among babies, it is associated with surprise, relief of a tension and pleasant sensations. By hiding and then appearing suddenly (“Hello, mom did not disappear!”) By raising the child in the air, tickling him, the parent can arouse many laughs. Then with visual acuity, the bright colors will have their effect. After adding the sounds: rhymes and comic names. And then the meaning: a usual broken sequence, an exaggeration (about hygiene in particular), causes laughter. From about 6 years old, the little ones understand that they hold the attention of others in telling jokes through socialization. From 10 years old, humor becomes more varied : taboo subjects, word games, wacky situations of everyday life. Some understand that humor allows you to value themselves in the eyes of others but also to make friends. The most shy will use it to defend yourself and be accepted. The most gifted to charm. Thus humor becomes more and more complex until adulthood.
How to promote your boom?
To laugh, babies must feel safe otherwise how could they appreciate surprises? Later, being surrounded by people who accept us, being protected from prying eyes, allows you to let go. Children must live in contact with kind adults, friends friends, in a relaxed atmosphere : Laughter is contagious and spreads in a climate of confidence. They must have laughter (drawings, books, videos, songs …), participate in parties, group games and attend shows. The presence of an audience stimulates the verbal invention and the buffoonery. The response of other children will play a central role in establishing the habit of being funny and laughing at the humor of others. Children must also have a knowledge base to understand the incongruous character of the situations that are offered to laugh: a banana who speaks, an adult dressed as a baby, a dog who is “Meuh”, etc. And be endowed with a logical spirit to make links, comparisons, in short, identify and create funny situations.
As a parent, should we play the role of “public”?
Yes and no. Yes, in the sense that parents are the guarantors of family rules and that these must define a fairly flexible framework which allows spontaneity, the right from a marginal point of view, the game. But also because only available and receptive parents will make their child want Develop your creativity and presencetherefore his humor. No, because children will enjoy much more funny parents than parents usually severe but attentive from time to time to their humorous tests. Especially if encouragement lacks critical comments. In this case, the child could become a kind of “clownesque monster” whose frequency of bad jokes would only increase … Parents can help the child improve without judging him! And promote the development of empathy in him, this ability to imagine itself in place of the other and to predict his reaction. If the other does not laugh, it is no longer humor, it may be attack. Accustoming his child to predict the consequence of what he does and what he says, we develop the healthy use of humor and at the same time social skills. We can laugh at everything but not in the presence of anyone …
