Why your child needs more laughter in their life

Today is World Laughter Day!

Everybody knows that laughing feels good, but few realise how valuable these simple tools can be in improving our everyday wellness and wellbeing. Laughter cannot heal or solve anything, but it can help to heal and dissolve everything. That’s what World Laughter Day is for!

The power of laughter to relieve stress is just one of the many reasons why it is such an essential element of a child’s development. A sense of humour is essential for building self-esteem, learning to problem solve, and polishing social skills.

One of the many tasks of motherhood that might lead your child down the proper path in life is to help them develop a decent sense of humour.

Learn how you may help your child develop a sense of humour and laughter so that they can appreciate the many advantages of laughter therapy at any age.

Golden nugget: It is never too early to begin establishing a sense of humour in your children. So be a good humour role model for your children and help them benefit from having a well-developed sense of humour.

Self-esteem and humour

A sense of humour aids in the development of self-esteem, problem-solving abilities, and social skills in children. People with a good sense of humour tend to develop friendships quickly, which helps them feel better about themselves and enhances their self-esteem because humour is a desirable personality feature.

Children can learn the healing effect of laughter at a young age. When they try to make unhappy friends and loved ones laugh to cheer them up, they also demonstrate important social skills such as empathy and sympathy.

Furthermore, humour helps adults cope with unpleasant life experiences and can help children develop resilience, protecting them against mental health issues such as anxiety and depression. Children who can laugh at their mistakes are more inclined to realise that no one is perfect and continue trying.

Play and humour

Activities that make you and your children laugh are entertaining and help everyone in a variety of ways.

Laughter for physical wellness

Laughter is extremely good for your child’s physical health. When a child laughs, the ventromedial prefrontal cortex of their brain is activated. As a result, they can experience the following health benefits of laughter:

• Reduced stress, anxiety, and depression
• Improved sleep
• Improved circulation
• Increased oxygen consumption
• Improved digestion
• Improved immune system
• Increased pain tolerance

Golden nugget: Laughter and humour relieve stress, making them an important aspect of child development. Laughter and humour also increase resilience, allowing children to better adapt to adversity, anxiety, trauma, tragedy, and threats.

How to make your child laugh –  no matter their age

Children can develop a sense of humour at an early age. However, what children find amusing varies depending on their developmental level. Depending on your children’s age, try some of these activities to help them laugh.

Babies

Babies don’t comprehend humour, but they can tell when you’re happy when you laugh and grin. They are also particularly sensitive to physical stimulation, like tickling and blowing raspberries on their bellies.

Here are some ways to make newborns laugh:

• Play “This Little Piggy” and tickle softly.
• Play “Peek-a-Boo,” changing your expression each time you show your face.
• When your baby spills something on purpose, say “Uh oh” in a goofy voice.

Toddlers

Toddlers enjoy physical humour with a surprise element, such as “Peek-a-Boo” and tickles. They enjoy rhymes and meaningless words and making their parents giggle.

To make your toddler laugh, try the following:

• Sing and speak in rhymes and meaningless words.
• Make silly faces and encourage your child to mimic your expressions.
• While crawling after your child, say, “I’m going to get you,” and cuddle them when you grab them.

Preschoolers

To make your preschooler chuckle, try these:

• Encourage your children to dress up in your clothes and pretend to wear theirs.
• Make amusing food shapes, such as smiling faces and animal faces.
• Sing songs from your childhood with goofy choruses.

School-aged children

To make your school-aged child giggle, try these:

• Slapstick humour, wordplay, and exaggeration grow more amusing when children enter school.
• Children will also begin to discover the joy of telling jokes at this age.

Older children

To make older children laugh:

• Watch funny television series and movies.
• Dress up in amusing clothes.
• Put on hats for your pets.
• Hold a family skit night or talent show to see who can create the most amusing routine.
• Organise a laughing contest.
• Play enjoyable games such as Twister, Charades, and Pictionary.
• Look at amusing family photos.
• Read hilarious novels and joke books, and share your favourite jokes with them.