Fun Stories To Help Children Develop A Sense Of Humour

Take some time to be silly and laugh with your kids. Help them develop their sense of humour and you’ll arm them with a great skill for life.

Laughing is good for us. It releases endorphins that make us feel happy and helps us cope with life’s stresses. Humour can diffuse awkward moments and distract us from pain. Teach your kids to see the lighter side, to laugh at life and at themselves with these playful reads that you’ll both enjoy. And another benefit – funny books are fun, so kids will develop a love of reading too.

Do Not Open This Book

This fun book breaks the third wall, with the character speaking directly to the reader, beseeching them not to turn each page. The little blue character requests, begs, threatens and bribes the reader not to turn each page, which cleverly makes kids more determined to continue. It’s irresistible and kids love it. The illustrations are great fun, using colour, movement and facial expressions to clearly show the character’s range of emotions. See if your child can mimic them. Do Not Open This Book is written by Andy Lee, illustrated by Heath McKenzie and is published by Lake Press.

The Watermelon Seed

This endearing young crocodile in this story loves watermelon. That is, until he swallows a seed and freaks out that he’s going to grow into a watermelon! The text is super fun to read aloud as the crocodile grows increasingly frantic and emotional. Thankfully, he ends up just fine. The book is beautifully designed, with bold pictures in just green and watermelon pink. If you can get your hands on a hardcover, it’s well worth it, as under the dust jacket, the cover is printed to look like green watermelon skin and then opens to endpapers that look like the pink insides of a watermelon with seeds. The Watermelon Seed is written and illustrated by Greg Pizzoli and is published by Disney Hyperion.

The Book With No Pictures

Kids LOVE this book and will ask for it to be read aloud again and again. The book teams up with the child listener to make the reader say ridiculous, funny things that make kids giggle with glee. The reader has to make funny sounds, express mock indignation and even use their best monkey voice! And after a few reads, by some magic, your child will know if you try to skip any words! It’s great fun. The Book With No Pictures is written by BJ Novak and is published by Puffin Books.

Baa Baa Smart Sheep

This book is such fun. A little sheep is so bored that when not-so-bright Quirky Turkey poses a question, the sheep replies with a fib that would be obvious to most but is not obvious to the turkey. And with terrible (but amusing!) consequences. As the story progresses, little readers will implore the turkey to twig to Little Baa Baa’s untruth before it’s too late. Once your child can read, this is a fun book for them to take to aunts, uncles and grandparents asking them to read it together, with the unsuspecting family member reading the turkey’s lines. Baa Baa Smart Sheep is written by Mark Sommerset, illustrated by Rowan Sommerset and is published by Candlewick Press.

Stuck In The Mud

This rollicking, rhyming story sees a frantic mother hen become stuck in the mud trying to rescue her chick. More and more farm animals hear her cry and soon a whole menagerie is stuck. There’s fun animal sounds for young readers to join in making and a brilliant fold-out page reveals a cheeky twist. Stuck in the Mud is written by Jane Clarke, illustrated by Garry Parsons and is published by Puffin Books.