Humour is an important part of nursery life. As well as creating a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere, humour and laughter help you and the children you work with to bond. A nursery with a good sprinkling of laughter is usually a happy nursery.
In most instances, humour is a shared experienced which brings you and the children closer together in other words, you laugh together. In many instances, the focus of the humour doesn't matter; what does matter is that you and the nursery children are relaxed and in tune with each other. Human nature is such that laughter becomes more intense when it is shared.
A nursery can use humour to release tension. You know what it's like when you are nervous, say, in the dentist's waiting room then someone cracks a joke about the dentist and everyone bursts out laughing. It's not that anybody there finds their situation amusing, it's just that laughter provides a socially acceptable way of releasing tension.
The same applies to a young child. He might laugh when he is reprimanded by a member of staff, not because he finds the incident funny but because the reprimand makes him feel nervous.
Bear in mind that humour and laughter are a child's instinctive way of expressing his happiness. Of course, he'll laugh at a funny joke. But he laughs sometimes just because he is happy. Like the time he giggled during the nursery outing at the theme park. There was nothing funny about walking on the grass, and yet he was having such a wonderful day that he just laughed anyway. Laughter is a universal expression of pleasure, across all cultures.
Humorous facts
According to psychological research into the development of humour in children:
- The typical age at which a baby shows his first smile is usually around six weeks. Many parents say their baby smiles earlier than this, but psychologists believe these earlier 'smiles' are simply facial expressions similar to a smile, without the associated emotion.
- Children are more attentive to short stories read to them when the stories contain an element of humour. A joke which is at the level of the child's age and understanding is a positive way to gain his interest and attention.
- Laughter and intelligence are not closely connected. One research study found that although children who had learning difficulties had a problem understanding cartoons, they laughed just as much as children who did not have learning disabilities.
- Boys tend to recognise and respond to visual humour more easily than girls. When young boys and girls are shown cartoons, silly drawings, or even an amusing scenario involving a clown, boys usually laugh sooner than girls.
- When young children use humour, it is rarely anti-social (that is, gets a laugh at someone else's expense), but the situation changes as children grow older. Boys' humour is generally more anti-social than girls' humour.
Funny developments
Humour and the ability to laugh starts at birth and matures throughout the early years. What makes a child laugh at, say, one year old might not even raise a smile when he is three. His humour changes as he changes.
One month. He shows spontaneous pleasure when he sees a familiar face or when he recognises a familiar routine, such as bathing or feeding. If you nuzzle your face gently against his tummy and blow slowly on his skin he starts to giggle.
Three months. He takes great delight in looking at his reflection in a mirror, especially if he can see your reflection in it at the same time. He may also giggle when you show him a photograph of himself.
Six months. He enjoys active play, as long as the movements are not too vigorous and he is held safely and firmly. You can amuse a baby this age by singing nursery rhymes that involve him being rocked gently back and forwards on your knee, or from side to side.
One year. Now the focus of humour begins to shift away from actions involving himself towards other people. For example, when you hide your face behind your cupped hands, then peer out from behind them saying 'peek-a-boo', the excitement of this may make him laugh.
Two years. The typical two-year-old likes humour that involves movement. Play funny action rhymes, such as 'I'm a little teapot' or 'Ring-a-ring-o-roses'. He also enjoys reading books with you.
Three years. He laughs at imaginary situations, so encourage him to use his play people in creative ways. He may, for example, burst out laughing when his toy 'accidentally' falls into water. Or show him a silly drawing, such as a picture of a dog wearing sunglasses.
Four years. He likes the unexpected now, although you need to be sure that he does not become frightened by it. Read him some stories that have unexpected endings or unusual characters. Or put on a funny mask when he is not expecting it.
Five years. Word play becomes a source of amusement. He is able to detect nonsensical word structures. Make some verbal jokes (rather than visual jokes), including deliberate mispronunciations ('pheletone' instead of 'telephone'), puns and riddles.
l
