Kids Who Laugh : How to Develop Your Child's Sense of Humor [Paperback]

Louis R. Franzini Ph.D. (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2003

While some children are born with an innate sense of humor, for most kids, humor is a learned behavior. Kids Who Laugh is the first book to examine the psychology of humor in children and explore the many benefits that this characteristic has to offer, including self-confidence, coping skills, creativity, self-control, and more. Most important, it offers the actual tools that parents can use to give their child the gift of laughter.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Centenarians often claim that "a sense of humor" contributed to their long lives. People who can laugh can also better endure life's ups and downs, find pleasure, cope with stress, and make life fun for those around them. Developing a sense of humor in kids takes effort, says clinical psychologist Franzini, but it's worth it. Describing how essential it is to nurture a sense of humor, Franzini gives specifics on what's amusing to infants, preschoolers, and older children. Peek-a-boo, for example, is great fun for infants, while second graders think the forbidden (e.g., the word underwear) is hilarious. The author distinguishes between hurtful and healthy humor, and he shows how to use humor in the classroom (while discouraging class clowns). Franzini has served as the president of Laughmasters and Toastmasters International Club. His is a thorough and convincing book. Perhaps readers obsessed with getting their child into the right preschool or moving up the social ladder will take a second look at their priorities. Linda Beck, Indian Valley P.L., Telford, PA
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Describing how essential it is to nurture a sense of humor, Franzini gives specifics on what's amusing to infants, preschoolers, and older children...a thorough and convincing book." (Library Journal )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Square One Publishers (January 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0757000088
• ISBN-13: 978-0757000089
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #521,316 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing - Needed More Practical Tips, February 19, 2009

By 

IIJuan12 (Sugar Land, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kids Who Laugh : How to Develop Your Child's Sense of Humor (Paperback)

I was hoping for more. There were the basics: play peek-a-boo with your baby, try to be silly with your kids, tell jokes, etc. HOW? I've never had a great sense of humor and I've always hated that. I've always wanted to develop my sense of humor but never knew how. I definitely don't want my kids raised that way, so I was hoping for some tips. Unfortunately this book didn't help me. I thought it weighed too heavily on the research (yes, okay, humor is environmental rather than genetic) and not enough on activities I can do with my kids to help them develop a "good" sense of humor.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Humor - A Learned Behavior, July 20, 2002

By 

Roberta W. Lyon (Maitland, FL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kids Who Laugh : How to Develop Your Child's Sense of Humor (Paperback)

This book has information anybody can use. Even if your children are grown or you've retired from teaching. You probably have nephews, nieces, grand kids or neighbor kids.
Incidentally, it's never too late to learn.

This is an interesting, easy to read, informative book. Positive and full of good ideas. It dispels for once and for all the myth that some of us are born with a sense of humor and some are not. The author shows that this is not true. Everybody, especially kids, can learn to develop, and use, their sense of humor. Great examples and practices as well as interesting websites are chronicled. Exceptional children are also taken into consideration. As the author says, "exceptional kids like to laugh too." Don't we all.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally, May 1, 2002

By 

Laura Buss (Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kids Who Laugh : How to Develop Your Child's Sense of Humor (Paperback)

Finally a parenting book that deals with teaching children a skill that will be all-important in any future relationship. It also teaches how to discourage inappropriate humor in a positive manner.

This book would be a wonderful guideline for teachers who want to incorporate humor in the classroom. And as teachers are role models for children this is an excellent place to develop this skill.

Kids Who Laugh is written in an easy and witty style and it is apparent that Dr. Franzini has an excellent sense of humor himself.

I would recommend this book to every parent who thinks that laughter in life is important.