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Funny Literacy: The Certified Laughter Reader Literacy Program

Using Humor to Help Kids Enjoy Reading

 

“Almost all children love funny books, it's what helps hook them into the reading habit.”

~ Michael Rosen, U.K. Children’s Laureate

      Learning, Humor, Laughter, and Health

 

      • Human emotions, such as anxiety, depression, fear, joy, and laughter, profoundly impact psychological     
        and physiological processes. These emotions form a set of basic, evolved functions that are shared by
        all humans.

 

      • Health care providers and educators may take advantage of powerful emotions to improve health and
        enhance learning.

 

      • In the classroom, laughter promotes genuine learning, discovering, and creativity by motivating students
        to engage with new and puzzling events.

 

      • Humor also develops a more constructive relationship with students and encourages positive feelings about     
        teaching and learning.

 

      • Humor can initiate social interchanges and conversations with difficult students and inspire them to respond
        in a positive way both socially and academically.

 

      • By creating a positive emotional and social connection, humor may lower defenses and establish rapport,
        and students may be better able to focus and attend to the information being presented.

 

 

      (B.M. Savage et al, Advances in Physiology Education. 2017 Sep 1;41(3):341-347. doi: 10.1152/advan.00030.2017.)

 

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CERTIFIED LAUGHTER READER ADVISORY COMMITTEE

 

Don Baird

Psychology & Humor Literature

 

 

Paul McGhee, PhD

Psychologist, Researcher & Author

www.laughterremedy.com

 

 

Mary Kay Morrison

Humor & Education

www.questforhumor.com

 

 

Mary Mullen

Beth Park, PA, Library

 

 

Dr. Joel Schwartz

Child & Adolescent Psychiatry

www.stresslessshrink.com

 

 

Wendy Shepherd

Children’s Literacy Expert,

Strategic Advisor

www.alfabservices.com

Everything that has to do with children, including this project, must have room to grow. The purpose of this project is to encourage children to read by introducing them to the naturally attractive phenomena of humor and laughter. Children can grow in significant ways through opportunities to explore their own humor, laughter, and mirth. These topics bring variety and freshness to the classroom and the school culture, promoting eager interest, emotional resilience and self-confidence. The FUNNY LITERACY project capitalizes on the observation that effective teaching techniques must be balanced with humanity and spirit in the form of “a radical performance indicator, namely, laughter.”

      Goals:

      To provide incentives for kids to love reading by having them complete activities based on reading humorous

      books; to encourage kids to embrace their own sense of humor and laughter; to promote positive expressions

      of humor.

 

      To promote laughter and humor as a feel-good factor when reading, by encouraging reading together and to

      discover the pleasure of funny books in families, schools and libraries. This in turn will reinforce the message

      that reading together promotes family well-being, and that embracing one’s sense of humor promotes

      personal well-being.

 

      To draw attention to funny books as readable and enjoyable books. We hope that the FUNNY LITERACY

      project will enable these books to gain a profile that makes them more credible and accessible to children

      and young people. The FUNNY LITERACY Project will work to achieve this through a range of activities

      supported by libraries, teachers and parents.

Kids who complete a prescribed reading activity, e.g., 1 hour per week of funny books, in fifteen minute intervals, during April, plus a follow-up-activity, e.g., tell a joke, write a poem, or draw a picture, will receive the designation of Certified Laughter Reader. Qualification requirements will be decided locally.

 

Studies by neuroscientists and psychologists have shown that laughter increases the release of endorphins — those awesome chemicals in the brain that make us feel good. But laughter isn't just about feeling good because we find something to be funny. Laughter actually boosts the immune system, lowers blood pressure, reduces tension and can improve cognition.

 

Reading funny books together is always a great way to spend productive time together, but who would have guessed how many benefits laughter can really bring to our lives? No time like the present to get started.

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all content © 2016 National Humor Month

About
Funny Literacy
Resources
Projects

      Learning, Humor, Laughter, and Health

 

      • Human emotions, such as anxiety, depression, fear, joy, and     
        laughter, profoundly impact psychological and physiological
        processes. These emotions form a set of basic, evolved
        functions that are shared by all humans.

 

      • Health care providers and educators may take advantage of
        powerful emotions to improve health and enhance learning.

 

      • In the classroom, laughter promotes genuine learning,
        discovering, and creativity by motivating students to engage
        with new and puzzling events.

 

      • Humor also develops a more constructive relationship with
        students and encourages positive feelings about teaching
        and learning.

 

      • Humor can initiate social interchanges and conversations with
        difficult students and inspire them to respond in a positive way
        both socially and academically.

 

      • By creating a positive emotional and social connection, humor
        may lower defenses and establish rapport, and students may
        be better able to focus and attend to the information being
        presented.

 

 

        (B.M. Savage et al, Advances in Physiology Education.
        2017 Sep 1;41(3):341-347. doi: 10.1152/advan.00030.2017.)

 

Support Materials
Pilot & Participating Programs
About
Funny Literacy
Resources
Projects

Learning, Humor, Laughter, and Health

 

• Human emotions, such as anxiety, depression, fear, joy, and laughter, profoundly impact psychological and physiological processes. These emotions form a set of basic, evolved functions that are shared by all humans.

 

• Health care providers and educators may take advantage of powerful emotions to improve health and enhance learning.

 

• In the classroom, laughter promotes genuine learning, discovering, and creativity by motivating students to engage with new and puzzling events.

 

• Humor also develops a more constructive relationship with students and encourages positive feelings about teaching and learning.

 

• Humor can initiate social interchanges and conversations with difficult students and inspire them to respond in a positive way both socially and academically.

 

• By creating a positive emotional and social connection, humor may lower defenses and establish rapport, and students may be better able to focus and attend to the information being presented.

 

 

(B.M. Savage et al, Advances in Physiology Education. 2017 Sep 1;41(3):341-347. doi: 10.1152/advan.00030.2017.)

 

   Goals:

   To provide incentives for kids to love

   reading by having them complete

   activities based on reading humorous

   books; to encourage kids to embrace

   their own sense of humor and laughter;

   to promote positive expressions of humor.

 

   To promote laughter and humor as a

   feel-good factor when reading, by

   encouraging reading together and to

   discover the pleasure of funny books in

   families, schools and libraries. This in

   turn will reinforce the message that

   reading together promotes family well-

   being, and that embracing one’s sense of

   humor promotes personal well-being.

 

   To draw attention to funny books as

   readable and enjoyable books. We hope

   that the FUNNY LITERACY project will

   enable these books to gain a profile that

   makes them more credible and accessible

   to children and young people. The FUNNY

   LITERACY Project will work to achieve this

   through a range of activities supported by

   libraries, teachers and parents.

Support Materials
Pilot & Participating Programs