How to Use Humor to Calm a Child

When a child gets worked up because of fear, pain or anger, it may seem impossible to calm her down. One of the best ways to get a child to relax is to distract the child with humor. Silliness simply comes naturally to children and it is difficult for them to resist a good giggle. Laughter is the best medicine for a child in distress.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

1. Develop your own sense of humor by finding comedy in books, magazines, TV and movies that appeal to you.
2. Create a positive rapport with the child. This will enable you to joke and tease without offense. Understand what is humorous to a child by watching popular kid's channels, movies or reading children's books.
3. Calm a child experiencing fear or anxiety by making a joke or fun game out of the situation. A child afraid of the dentist may benefit from silly dentist jokes or goofy faces while in the dentist's chair.
4. Overexaggerate when a child is crying in pain, but is not severely hurt. Wail in dramatic fashion about how the paper cut surely means an early grave.
5. Mimicking an angry child can result in the child laughing or becoming angrier, so read the situation carefully before proceeding. Make a pouty face and whine until their anger breaks and you have a chance to discuss the problem.

Tips & Warnings

• Never underestimate the power of a silly dance.
• If it seems humor isn't working, try another tactic and don't push the child further into his tantrum.
• Don't use humor when it comes to naughty words. Children need to know their boundaries.