Don't protect them from failure or set them up to succeed all the time. Seriously, though, anxious and coddled kids are usually not funny. I guess this advice mirrors the "have some childhood trauma" posts, but in a milder way: a kid with a nice childhood and parents who care for them can still be not-coddled.

My mom was a teacher and said humor is usually tied to intelligence in younger kids. They just "get it" and understand what is and isnt funny. Not sure if you can teach it.

Are you and your spouse funny?

Kindness, generosity and hard work doesn’t scream funny to me.

I have no idea how you develop humor but maybe enjoy funny movies together? Practice doing “yes, and..” verbal repartee.
Listen to Monty python sketches.

I'm not sure it can be cultivated? One of our children is hilarious. Pretty sure he was born that way.
The other isn't, but what's sweet is that she realizes how funny her brother is and appreciates it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sarcasm is the lowest form of humor. It's the easiest way to be funny, but it's a slippery slope. If they rely on sarcasm, watch out for them being unnecessarily cruel. And when they are adults, it's not an attractive look.

Unlike the know-it-all serious face above.

DP. It IS a slippery slope though. Many boys who think they’re funny, are actually bullies. I’ve seen karma catching up.

I'm not saying you don't also have to teach kids kindness and boundaries. In fact humor is so often about walking the fine line!

PP here. I’m glad!

Monty Python skits on Youtube.

Why? Because they are just whacky and the kind of thing kids would laugh at. Silly Walks, Confuse a Cat, etc. Just make them laugh at the utter silliness of it all.

If too out of date, than ASDF videos on Youtube, though not for elementary school kids probably as some are a bit out there.

I suggest trying to lead by example. If you and/or your spouse are a naturally funny person, I would think your kids will have a better chance at being funny too. We have this contextual humor dynamic in our house and I definitely saw the kids learn over time how to make and react to jokes, puns, silliness, deadpan humor, mild sarcasm. Some of them get it better than others -- there also is a lot of natural ability involved that you can't teach.