Child Development & Guidance
Organizer:
- Organized by
-
-
Laughing Lessons: Bonding young learners with humor
-
Laughing Lessons: Bonding young learners with humor
-
I once had a little boy who was angry because he did not want his dad to leave the center to go to work. I used jokes to help redirect him through laughing he was able to self regulate and was ready to safely engage in the classroom with the other children.
-
Jessica, your use of humor to help a child regulate his emotions and engage with the classroom is commendable. It shows the positive impact of lighthearted moments on the classroom atmosphere.
-
-
I tend to use humor in the classroom when one of my kids is upset or having an emotional day. I try to make them laugh by using silly voices or silly faces. Even sometimes I will do something funny just as a distraction so that they can focus on laughing vs them being sad.
-
I love to sing with the kids, even though I can’t really carry a tune. The kids always love the “Itsy Bitsy Spider”….when we add the “Teeny Tiny Spider” and the “Great Big Spider”. You do a tiny high voice for the tiny spider and a gruff voice for the big spider. The kids always giggle and laugh when I change my voice and this gets them participating too.
-
Joy, incorporating humor through singing engages children and fosters participation. These lighthearted moments create a joyful and inclusive classroom atmosphere. Great approach!
-
-
It is an absolute must to bring smiles and laughter to the classroom environment. I daily add ways to engage children in their work while also supporting their social and emotional growth through silly songs, funny stories, and big smiles. I have a child with ASD, this child can often cause disruptions and hurt feelings, I am quick to support the child or children that are struggling with the other child’s behaviors and emotions with silly song, funny story, or just a big smile. I also use a silly song to bring the classroom back to order after a disruption.
-
Trisha, your use of humor to support social and emotional growth and manage disruptions in the classroom is commendable. It’s clear that your lighthearted approach positively impacts the classroom atmosphere.
-
-
I love reading stories with the children, especially ones with several characters or animals. As I’m reading, I have each character speak in a distinct voice which gets the children chuckling. As the story progresses and the children become more acquainted with the character and its particular voice, the laughter grows and usually by the end we are all rolling with laughter. It helps build relationships with each other and it feels so good to have a good belly laugh !
-
Elinor, using distinct voices for characters in stories is a great way to connect with children and create a lighthearted atmosphere in the classroom. It fosters relationships and brings joy. Great approach!
-
-
When a child was upset because he had an accident, and I helped him out. I asked him some silly questions and he started laughing. He forgot about his feelings of embarrassment while I was helping him clean up. We sing some silly songs, and he made up some words too.
-
Maryfil, your use of humor to help a child through a difficult moment shows great emotional intelligence. Creating lighthearted moments can foster a positive classroom atmosphere and help children feel supported.
-
-
I’m an admin and often get called to the classroom to help when a child is having a meltdown over something. One day there was a four year old girl who was upset with a friend and went to a corner and hid under a blanket and the teachers couldn’t get her to come out. I came down to her level and joked about it being nap time and asked to share her blanket. After a couple minutes of being silly with her she was ready to rejoin the group.
-
One memorable experience I had was when I was teaching a STEM lesson to a group of fifth graders. We were diving into a challenging concept—building simple machines using basic materials like pulleys, levers, and inclined planes. Many of the students felt a bit overwhelmed by the complexity of the task. To lighten the mood and help them feel more at ease, I decided to bring in some humor.
I introduced the lesson by pretending to be a “mad scientist,” complete with a lab coat and an exaggerated, deep voice. I made goofy sound effects as I dramatically “unveiled” our experiment materials. When one of the students asked how a pulley worked, I acted as if I was perplexed and said, “Well, you see, pulleys are a bit mysterious… much like why my socks always disappear in the laundry!” That small joke got a big laugh from the class and immediately broke the tension.
By using humor in the STEM classroom, I helped build a sense of community where students could feel comfortable, have fun, and embrace the excitement of learning. It not only made the lesson more enjoyable but also fostered a safe, supportive environment where students were eager to participate and experiment, knowing that they could make mistakes and still be part of the fun.
-
Becky, your use of humor to create a lighthearted atmosphere is a great strategy! It’s impressive how you made a challenging lesson more engaging, helping students feel comfortable and motivated to learn.
-
-
My students are 2.5-3.5 years old, so they will laugh at almost anything! During our Spanish lessons, we start by singing “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes” in Spanish. After the first round, we always do another round very slow. I make silly faces and say the words extra silly to get everyone giggling. It is one of my favorite parts of the week!
-
I love to play a game with the kids where we all pretend to be magic rocks that can be turned into different things by the teacher. I will ask them to pretend to be anything from animals, superheroes, to even a tree. I always get smiles and laughter when they see me joining in with them, doing silly things like jumping like a frog or doing a silly dance with them.
-
I find it easier to be funny with preschoolers than with older students. I think that its because you do not have to do a whole lot for them to find things funny. I remember a little child was nervous about his first day. He walked around carrying his backpack the whole morning. The next day he left his bag in his cubby but was still not to sure. I put on some music and got the kids to start dancing. It was a song that required us to freeze and dance using silly motions. When he saw that I was being silly with the other students he slowly started to join in. I used this song for the first days and it allowed him to slowly ease into the joining in the activities of the classroom.
-
What a wonderful example, Chloe! Using humor and fun activities like dancing helps ease children’s nerves, builds connection, and creates a welcoming, lighthearted atmosphere in the classroom.
-
-
In our classroom currently we joke and laugh with the kids all the time and it really makes the hard days with It. One time us teachers and the kids were all making each other laugh and having a good time and those moments are why I’m happy to be a teacher.
-
It’s wonderful to hear how humor helps build connections and lift the mood in your classroom, Molly. Those moments truly create a positive and engaging environment for both teachers and students!
-
-
During events like Halloween, Christmas, and pajama days, I dress up in funny costumes and have fun. Then, all the kids come up to me and we start laughing and having fun.
-
Definitely singing silly songs. I take a song that the children all know and change the words to something funny. This never fails. They laugh and say, “Miss JAN! Your being silly”. That I am my friends.
-
This one time the water jug fell and spilled all over the floor in the classroom. Instead of getting frustrated, we all started laughing and saying well that just made our day. We made a game of cleaning it up. It wasn’t so bad after that. We all cleaned it up and laughed about how silly that day was.
-
Great insight, Jennifer! Using humor to turn a mishap into a fun learning experience not only lightens the mood but also fosters teamwork and resilience in the classroom.
-
