Serious benefits of silliness
There’s just something about being silly that transports you immediately into a fun zone – even if just for a few seconds. Kids, in their innocent wisdom, have an easier time connecting to this. Almost anything slightly out of the ordinary is silly to them. Wearing a sock on your head can bring on knee-slapping, belly-heaving laughter from a kid while a grownup stares straight-faced. But even grownups, though jaded by the trials of adulting, are not immune to silliness and the joy that seeps in through it.
So this week, we will share three digital resources that will immediately infuse some silliness (that happens to also be educational) into your home. But first, did you know that being silly with your kids has some serious benefits?
Silliness with your kids is important
Being silly is fun and who doesn’t like fun? But there are other real benefits to being silly with and around your kids that you may not be consciously registering. Take stock of some of these and feel even more accomplished when you let loose and make a fool of yourself.
Being silly with your kids tightens their sense of connection with you
We’ve evolved from the days when connection meant you wouldn’t be left to fend for yourself when a saber-toothed tiger attacked. But humans are still social beings and at any age, connection is key to our sense of safety and well-being. This is especially true for kids who don’t have power and independence yet. Remember when you were a kid? How cool was it when your parent did the latest dance move or something unexpected that you thought serious grownups didn’t do?
Being silly with your kids is one way to make them feel like “we are all on the same plane”. Most of the time, they probably feel that you are miles apart (you probably feel it too). Being silly together gets at that primal need for connection. It is more than just fun.
Being silly together breeds cooperation
One of the ways that a feeling of connection shows up is in a desire to cooperate. When you’re feeling good about someone, you want to do things for them. This can even be true for things you don’t particularly like doing.
Being silly with your kids can have this wonderful effect of putting everyone into a temporary kumbaya zone. Try this and see. Before you ask your child to do something that you know they probably don’t want to do – like brush their teeth – find a way to connect over something silly. It may not get you a saintly walk to the bathroom but cooperation is generally higher. And this cooperation doesn’t just go one way. You will find yourself more willing to cooperate too! If little Kennedy says, “Yes, I’ll brush my teeth but may I have 5 more minutes please”, guess who would be feeling more generous. You, that’s who!
Silliness helps the kids learn
It’s almost as if having fun helps to distract kids from the fact that they’re doing something they consider ‘Ewwww’ like learning. Fun is a powerful tool to convey skills that may otherwise be boring or tedious to learn. You can’t help rattle off the elements in the periodic table if it’s in a silly rap. Happy and relaxed goes with being engaged and retaining.
Silly resources to use now – get some of that joy (and education too)
The combination of silly and educational is the kiddie version of doing good while feeling good. So now that we’ve made you read through all the whys, here are the three resources we promised.
Four on the floor The number 4 and its multiples are literally dancing on a dance floor as they teach the 4 times table. The visuals help one actually grasp how the 4 times table is literally groups of 4. The beat is so catchy that you will find yourself humming it.
Storybots Dinosaur raps Using beats from rap songs popular in the 80s and 90s, dinosaurs break it down and tell you about their habitat and scientists’ best theories on how they lived. You will end up humming the tunes here too. And dinosaur lovers will go bonkers.
Water cycle rap from GoNoodle Family dance-along time! Three Fresh Prince of Bel-Air look-alikes fully inform on the water cycle while doing ridiculously adorable dance steps. Doing this dance with your kids leaves everyone with side-splitting giggles
Now, go forth and be silly. You’re welcome.
