When should ds start understanding how jokes work?

[crochetdiva]

DS is 5 1/2, and just lovely - but he doesn't understand how jokes work - I've taught him the knock knock ... doctor who - type jokes, but he obviously doesn't get the concept of how they work, as this is his favourite variation ..:

DS: Knock Knock
me: Who's there
DS: Fireman
me: Fireman who
DS: Hahahahahaha, you said it ....

When will he understand how jokes work? Am getting a little worried about this ... Is the fact that he's bilingual English - Welsh have any bearing on it, do you think?

Sort of on the same topic, are there any good joke books for kids, so I can at least vary the jokes he's telling ...

Give him untill he's 7.

Unless it's to do with poo.

I rememeber my sister telling this joke for years ...

A man walks into a bar ...

and asks for a pie.

and everyone would howl with laughter.

Feel much better now you've given me an age to work towards ... and you're right - he loves anything to do with bodily functions - finds it all hilarious (mind you, that phase never really passes, does it?!)

my five year old doesn't get them either.

Unless it's blatant silliness, like "Ohhhh Ds1, I think I'll stay away from that bee, it might sting my bottom!!!"

Cue fits of sillygiggles

disenchanted - makes me feel totally relieved ... won't let ds know that joke - I could see him using it on everybody!

someone told my ds (4/6)that banana jokes are funny so now we get...

Why did the banana cross the road ?

Because he had silly feet.

Hysterical laughter from ds and dd (2/10)

ds 5.5 used to love these 2.
What did the hat say to the scarf? You hang around and I'll go on ahead.
What did one tomato say to the otehr tomato? You go on ahead and I'll ketchup.
Both had to be explained to him but once he got them he loved them.
Also liked "what is the difference between a teacher and a book? You can shut a book up". But he totally didn't get this, as he always used the punch line "You can close a book".
However, he also does the saying something (totally unfunny) then falling about laughing.

DS1 tells jokes, he has heard. He has NO idea why they are funny (or not) we laugh instinctively but he gets them wrong.
fav of the moment
what do you call 2 robbers?

a pair of knickers..

Banana jokes ARE funny.

DD: knock knock
Me: who's there?
DD: banana
Me: banana who?
DD: knock knock
Me: who's there?
DD: window
Me: window who?
DD: knock knock
Me: who's there?
DD: orange
Me: orange who?
DD: orange you glad I didn't say banana?

We have NO idea where the window came from, and the whole thing is enhanced by her saying 'blana' rather than 'banana'.

Am relieved to find that ds is normal ... he has told me the ketchup joke, but didn't understand it - I like the hat and scarf joke though!

Will continue pretending to find his ~(non)-jokes funny!

don'tcallmebaby ... - I like it - especially the random window section!

and the robbers joke

DS has just turned six and is only now getting the point of jokes......

he gets things like "What do you call a deer with no eyes?"...."No eyed-deer"

and "What do you call a blind dinosaur?"....."A Doyouthinkhesaurus"

you get the picture, but anything more sophisticated or subtle, he just doesn't get at all.

He's getting better though.

My Ds 6 has jut started getting jokes. He adores Dinosaurs so we have come up with a few between us and he tells them to relatives now. Ahem -

Q - What do you call I dinosaur with no eyes?

A - Doyouthinkhesawus.

Q - What do you call a dinosaur who sat on a leaky pen?

A - Inkysaurus (Inky sore ass)

dinosaur jokes would be a good development - I think he'd like the doyouthinkhesaurus one!

I remember going to some show with ds1 and a man was going around with a microphone asking for people to tell jokes. So ds1 aged 4 sticks up his hand and the man comes over and ds1 says "why did the man slip on the banana skin?" "I don't know" says the man "Because it was slippy" says ds1. Cue silence apart from me and dh who were creased over laughing!