Kids Alive! World: Having a laugh

The Kids Alive! team explores the benefits of laughing and how the Bible is full of joy.

• Share this article with children in your family or your children's worker at your corps so they can pass it on – you may find the advice helps you too!

The benefits of laughter

People have different types of laughs. You might have a loud belly laugh or a cheeky chuckle. Whatever type of laugh you have laughing is good for you! Laughing makes you feel good, not just in that moment but in the long run too! When you laugh, your body sends out signals to different muscles and nerves to relax, calm down and ease pain.

Go ahead and give it a try! Let out a little laugh, even if it feels like you’re forcing it. How are you feeling? Do your muscles feel less tense and do you feel more relaxed? That’s the natural wonder of laughter.

Cultural comedy

Did you know that people around the world find different things funny depending on where they’re from?

British people are known to have quite a dry sense of humour, making fun of everyday things while looking quite serious. On the other hand, Americans are good at using their faces and bodies to create comedy. Puns are very funny to people from Japan … or should that be Ja-pun!

One thing that is universal is that laughing, especially with others, is a wonderful thing!

Joy in the Bible

Laughter and joy are mentioned all the way through the Bible. In Ecclesiastes 3 we’re told that there is a time for everything – including a time to laugh. Jesus tells us how important it is to laugh and have fun thanks to the joy that comes from being his friend.

As you can see laughter is a great thing but it’s important to know what isn’t funny. You shouldn’t laugh when the person you’re laughing about doesn’t find it funny. Not all humour is appropriate, so it’s important to use your judgement to decide if it’s a good joke or a hurtful one.

Share the joy and let the jokes begin!

Since laughter is so good for you, why don’t you help others to laugh?

You could start a joke jar. Get people to write a joke on a piece of paper and put it in the jar. Next time someone needs cheering up, you can grab some jokes and tell them.

You can also check out Giggle in the Middle on pages 8 and 9 of each Kids Alive! magazine for some jolly jokes!