Laughing Through Lessons

If you are like most people, you probably did not enjoy learning when you felt pressured to do so. The idea of being tested, timed, or called out can create anxiety rather than curiosity. Accountability and pressure are, to some extent, unavoidable in a school setting. Tests must be taken, rules followed, and progress tracked. However, the real problem arises when learning becomes synonymous with stress. After years of associating education with pressure and performance, many of us forget that learning can actually be enjoyable.

This is where children have something to teach us. They are naturally curious, constantly exploring the world around them. They ask questions that range from the scientific to the wonderfully strange: Why is the sky blue? How many sequins are on that dress? Why do bears sleep all winter? And perhaps most telling of all, “Why do I have to learn this?” The truth is, many children do enjoy learning, but only when it’s on their terms. The challenge is that their interests don’t always align with what we are required to teach them.

So, how should we respond when faced with a student who resists or questions the material? There are two options.

Option one: Encourage them through control

As adults, whether parents, teachers, or caregivers, we often take charge. We can require students to sit through a lesson. We can call on them even when their hands are down. We can insist they copy grammar rules or memorise vocabulary lists. But when we rely solely on control, we risk turning English or any subject into a chore. Instead of building curiosity, we unintentionally build resentment. The students might learn out of fear or habit, but the spark of interest is lost.

This method might bring short-term results, but it rarely builds long-term motivation. A child who studies out of obligation is unlikely to engage with the language outside the classroom. Once the tests are over, the knowledge often fades away.

Option two: Make them laugh and let them play

There is another way, one that brings joy back into the learning process. Make them laugh. Engage their sense of humour. Turn learning into a game rather than a task. When students are having fun, they are relaxed. When they are relaxed, they are more open to absorbing information.

Most students love anything with a competitive twist. A simple game like a spelling bee is often far more engaging than a traditional spelling test. Movement-based activities, even as basic as standing up to act out vocabulary words, create energy and excitement. Silly grammar practice like, “Would you prefer to eat a spider or sleep in a toilet?” gets laughs, but it also gets remembered.

Even the most mundane classroom routines can be transformed with a little creativity. Take attendance in a funny voice. Pretend to get vocabulary words wrong and let the students correct you. Use their favourite cartoons or characters in writing exercises. Suddenly, grammar becomes a puzzle to solve, not a rule to memorise.

The long-term impact

When students laugh, their brains release dopamine, a chemical linked to memory and motivation. That means they are not only enjoying the moment; they are also more likely to retain what they learn. And beyond just remembering, they start to build a positive association with the subject.

In my own classroom, the students who thrive in English are not always the ones who study the most or sit the stillest. The best learners are the ones who are having fun. They joke in English, they sing, they roleplay, and they ask questions. English becomes something they choose to use, not just something they’re told to learn.

So the next time your student rolls their eyes at grammar or groans at a new unit, consider what would happen if you made them laugh instead of lecture. Fun might just be the most effective teaching strategy we have.