In a previous interview with Bored Panda, child psychologists Dr. Annie McNeill, Dr. Sophie Pierce, and Dr. Stephanie Nova Fields answered why kids often blurt out such funny and out-of-pocket things that this list is full of.
Fields explained that the gap between 3 and 6 years old is the prime time for kids to say funny things, mostly unintentionally.
“At these ages, they are learning about the world and about language at a rapid pace,” she said. “Their minds work hard to make sense of the world and to put things together. Their funny comments come about when they don’t get it quite right."
The comic element in their sentences also comes from the fact that they are at the stage of thinking where they take things at face value and don’t yet understand the underlying subtleties we adults employ in our speech or behaviors. “This can also make for some funny comments and behaviors,” Fields adds.
Meanwhile, Dr. McNeill and Dr. Pierce assign funny things that children say to their lack of filter. “If they have a thought, you can bet they’re going to say it out loud. Part of what makes statements so funny and unexpected from children, unlike adults, is that they haven’t yet developed impulse control or the skills to filter their thoughts! Also, more than anything else, children want to make their adults happy, and they sometimes do this through funny behaviors or sayings so they can feel delighted.”
However, children aren’t usually aware that what they’re saying is funny, that is, until someone, e.g., parents, reacts to it by laughing, Dr. McNeill and Dr. Pierce say. “Children are always looking to others to make sense of who they are and the world around them. They pay attention to reactions and can feel the types of responses they are eliciting from others.”
“So, while they may not always know that their responses are funny per se, they can certainly feel and enjoy the reactions they are getting!” Dr. McNeill and Dr. Pierce said. “Children who enjoy this type of attention will continue to engage in behaviors that get the same reaction or laugh from those around them.”
