The Giggle Bag to Cheer Up and Entertain

Is there anything better than laughing with your children?

Laughter really is an amazing stress release and a feel-good therapy for all! Not only are there scientific studies that indicate that laughter truly is a great medicine, but we all know from experience the endless feel-good benefits of a fantastic belly laugh.

Here are just a few reasons to encourage smiles:

1. Release Stress

Teach your children to cope with daily tensions and ease conflicts with giggles and laughter. Problems will always come our way in life, but laughter helps us cope with problems and gives us perspective to take a step back and ask ourselves, “Is it really that bad? How can we find a solution?”

2. Stay Healthy

Research proves that laughter releases endorphins that can actually temporarily reduce or relieve pain. When your child falls and skins her knee, why not try to make her giggle and smile to forget the blood and pain? It also helps relax the mood and ease anxiety.

3. Build Relationships

We all could use a playful way to communicate and build relationships. Laughter is an amazing way to strengthen family bonding and teach your children to build healthy future relationships filled with good humor.

Telling jokes is a fantastic way to encourage smiling, and that’s why we have created a “Giggle Bag.” My kids love the “Giggle Bag” – it cheers them up, acts as a boredom-buster, and is just a fun family activity! The bag is portable and a fantastic tool to bring along during vacations, family outings, trips to the doctor, and more. Or you can just keep it in a safe place at home.

HOW TO CREATE YOUR GIGGLE BAG

What you will need: Jokes that can be printed or hand-written on plain pieces of paper. A simple pouch, Ziploc bag, etc.

Step 1. Gather the jokes. There are many books and websites with great jokes. For example, visit http://www.ducksters.com/jokesforkids/ for fun, non-offensive jokes. Or just collect good ones from friends and family. Click these ready- made templates to get you started with some of our favorites –  Giggle Bag template 1and  Giggle bag template 2  Visit www.thesmartplaybook.com for more ready-made templates.

Step 2. Place the jokes in a bag. I like to create a cute little pouch that can be thrown into my bag and brought out as needed. Or you can just use a simple jar to keep at home.

Step 3. Share a joke. Reach into the jar and share a giggle!

Step 4. Refresh the jokes. Continue to update your giggle bag with new jokes to keep it fresh and fun.

I hope you all enjoy a summer full of laughter and giggles with your children!

Do you have any good jokes to share?