Knock, knock, who’s there? Why do preschoolers like ‘knock knock jokes’? They like them because they appeal to their very particular sense of humour – which relates to their developmental stage and language understanding. It takes time for young children’s sense of humour to develop but we can observe their ‘funny bone’ at a very early stage, for example, when adults engage with infants in playful interactions they observe the infant giggle and gurgle in response to physical contact. Tickling, hugging, turntaking conversations elicit smiles and happy responses. The child’s own temperament is important to consider here. One child may find sounds or sensations funny, whereas another infant may find it frightening. A trusting bond and great sensitivity shown by the adult facilitates a growing sense of enjoyment. With growing cognitive, physical and emotional development, a 12 month old may engage in games such as handing over objects or withdrawing them, punctuated by sounds, gestures and language. Toddlers appreciate physical humour, especially the kind with an element of surprise (like peek-a-boo or an unexpected tickle). With growing language skills, they are likely to find rhymes and nonsense words funny. This being the time when children rapidly accumulate new vocabulary and learn the meaning attached to words, this is the perfect time to experiment with words. One side-effect and benefit for parents is Laughing out loud! By Katina Beauchamp About the author Katina Beauchamp is an Early Years (0-8) teacher, with a background and special interest in language, literacy, and additional languages. Her position as education specialist with the ECC involves policy advice and research, as well as designing education content and delivering relevant information to ECE professionals throughout New Zealand. that they may find that funny language games are a great way of sidestepping toddler tantrums. It is around this time that many children start trying to make their parents laugh. Your child might deliberately point to the wrong facial feature when asked "Where's your nose?" or put on your shoes and clomp around the house, having a whale of a time. Preschoolers A preschooler is more likely to find humour in a picture with something out of whack (a car with square wheels, or a pig wearing sunglasses), simply because at that age the child is cognitively able to discern that there is something that does not correspond with reality. Incongruity between pictures and sounds, for example, a horse that says moo, is also funny for this age group. Here, too, it signals quite a sophisticated level of observation and understanding. Knock knock jokes and/or puns may make many adults groan. However, we ought to appreciate these jokes for what they show, i.e. the child’s mastery of language structure. In order to use language in an ‘incorrect’ way, the child has to understand language very well in the first place. Engaging in riddles or semantic games requires confident use of linguistic patterns. Younger children simply cannot understand silly word games, where words are replaced or inferred, as they still operate on a very literal basis of language. Picking up on ‘mistakes’ and finding delight in them, a keen sense for physical slapstick humour, an awareness of bodily function and the ability to see the funny side in it are the hallmarks of preschool humour. They signify a growing command in cognitive understanding, communicative ability, and language use, providing the child with increasing opportunities for interacting socially. Nobody can resist a smiling infant, which encourages the adult to continue interacting with the child. Likewise, almost every adult would find a toddler hooting with laughter adorable, ensuring a response and affirmation. We may observe preschoolers sharing a funny joke and laughing hysterically and be completely mystified why they find it funny. However, we may observe how friendships are established or friction is dissolved. Laughter is powerful. Humour allows humans to connect and share social space, humour is said to be good for our mental and physical health and a social lubricant. As Maya Angelou said, “Laugh as much as possible, always laugh. It’s the sweetest thing one can do for oneself and one’s fellow human beings.” December 2021 { 36 }
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