Teaching With Laughter

Teaching With Laughter – Episode 360

Just thinking about teaching with laughter makes me smile. I stumbled across this recently when I tried this technique first-hand. It worked! I can’t wait to share the details with you.

Thanks to our sponsor – Overcomer the Movie! In theatres at the end of August 2019 but guess what? The video is available afterward as well. This is one of the must-see movies for families (who love sports) of the year.

Sponsor! Overcomer Movie

Trailer URL for Overcomer Movie:

Site URL for the Overcomer Movie

We all love to laugh. Often we read things on social media that are so funny we share them with our friends. Laughter makes us happy, it reduces stress. Laughter crosses culture, all over the world people laugh. Babies even laugh before they can speak. It is a form of communication.

Teaching with Laughter has benefits!

Research shows that that laughter:

Increases blood flow
Decreases stress
Triggers endorphins
Promotes well-being

The use of humor in an education setting is beneficial and I found this out the other day. When I was working on a reading program, I found my student (aka grandson) was becoming stressed. We were pushing it to right under his frustration level in order to create new neuro-pathways. This is one of the ways to teach a child who may struggle in a specific area. We don’t want the child frustrated, so it is under this frustration level where a child will say it is too hard.

I decided to use humor to defuse the tension so I began with all the jokes I had on hand – believe me, I’m not the best teller of jokes.

What time is it when the elephant sits on a fence? (Time for a new fence)
Why did the man throw the clock out the window? (To see time fly) etc.

It was wonderful – he began telling me jokes and we laughed, went back to our work and they were able to get a bunch done!

Telling jokes or teaching using humorous antidotes does encourage a healthy learning environment. While humor in itself does not cause learning it does affect the brain. It causes the brain condition to fire up and get ready for learning.

You may not be a comedian – very rarely do our own kids think we are funny; we can use humor as a tool.

To get your kids attention.
To defuse bad behavior.
Help to get their neurons to fire up.
Help pave the way to learn difficult subjects.
Makes learning fun.
Encourage your kids to participate.
Helps the kids remember the information
Soothes anxiety if the child has difficulty with a subject
Causes relaxation.

It is a good tool for laying groundwork for learning. But, if you are not funny – then what?

You can use the child’s names in a book you are reading. Switch out the character’s names with your children and watch them sit up and listen.

Set up a Pinterest Board –

Use funny memes. (Look up.)
Use video just search for funny video for kids

You are not going to use humor all the time otherwise it does not become effective.

Special Thanks to Our Network Sponsor -Overcomer Movie

Life changes overnight for coach John Harrison when his high school basketball team’s state championship dreams are crushed under the weight of unexpected news. When the largest manufacturing plant in town suddenly shuts down and hundreds of families begin moving away, John must come to grips with the challenges facing his family and his team. Urged by the school’s principal to fill-in and coach a sport he doesn’t know or like, John is frustrated and questioning his worth… until he crosses paths with a student struggling with her own journey.
Filled with a powerful mix of faith, a twist of humor, and a ton of heart, the Kendrick Brothers return to theaters with OVERCOMER, their newest feature following FACING THE GIANTS, FIREPROOF, COURAGEOUS, and the #1 box-office hit, WAR ROOM. The inspiring family film stars Alex Kendrick, Priscilla Shirer, Shari Rigby, Cameron Arnett, and introduces Aryn Wright-Thompson.

Opening nationwide on August 23, OVERCOMER dares to leave you filled with hope, inspired to dream, and asks the question: what do you allow to define you?