GRAND Magazine - Winter 2023 - 6

humor
Excerpts from 5 Stages of Humor Development in
Legacy of Laughter: A Grandparent Guide & Playbook
Peek a Book Stage (birth- 2 years old)
* Rock and Read, Read, Read!
* Have continuing conversations. You can tell
them anything and they will appreciate listening to
whatever you have to say.
* Fill a small plastic bowl with water. Add some
plastic pieces. Enjoy the splashing!
* Sing songs and share fingerplays.
* Crack an egg. Have a wipe ready to wash their
fingers before they put them in their mouth.
Knock-Knock Stage (2 years-school age)
* Read silly rhyme books.
* Have fun with boxes. Use appliance boxes for
dramatic play.
* Enjoy nature. Watch birds and find insects.
* Fingerpaint with shaving cream on a cookie
sheet.
* Play instruments. You can make drums from
boxes and containers.
Riddle De Dee Stage
(early elementary years)
* Introduce jokes, riddles, and comic books.
* Have riddles ready when they arrive. Hide the
answers in the house.
* Play games: Blurt and Apples to Apples are
favorites at our house.
* Cook and bake.
Pun Fun Stage (pre-teen years)
6 GRAND Winter/Spring 2023
* Enroll in art classes together.
Experiment with different art materials.
Paint rocks with positive messages and
plant them in parks.
* Make a snow fort and have a snowball
fight. Foam snowballs work indoors!
* Flashlight fun: Study the night sky
and light the stars. Try a night hike.
* Ask about their events and text
positive messages. Attend if possible.
Joy Flow Stage (teens to adults)
How do you find the funny?
Share with your teen and be sure
that you play every day.
* Become REAL swingers! Note-we have 5 wellused
swings in our yard.
* Practice gratitude.
* Keep and share a FIND THE FUNNY journal.
How will your grandchildren remember you?
The positive loving support that comes from close
relationships is vital for the optimal development
of a child. Grandparents have an extraordinary
opportunity to make a ginormous (grandson,
Isaiah's word) impact on the lives of their grandchildren.
When you purposefully engage in playful
activities with your grandchild, you generate
a lifetime of memories and create your very own
Legacy of Laughter.
MARY KAY MORRISON
Mary Kay Morrison is an educator who has taught at
virtually every level of the educational spectrum, facilitating
keynote presentations and workshop sessions for the past
40 years. She is the founder and past president of the AATH
(Association of Applied and Therapeutic Humor) and is the
recipient of the 2016 AATH Lifetime Achievement award.
Her new book, Legacy of Laughter: A
Grandparent Guide and Playbook has
received positive reviews worldwide.
Additional information and free
resources are found on her website.
Mary Kay's Book, Legacy of Laughter a
Grandparent Guide and Playbook was
written with her 12 grandchildren.
Free grandparent resources are on her
web site
www.questforhumor.com/resources
GRAND Magazine - Winter 2023

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