TeachersFirst Finding Humor (Habit of the Mind) Resources
If you've ever watched a classroom completely transform after a well-timed joke or a shared moment of laughter, you already know that humor isn't just entertainment—it's a learning tool. The Habit of the Mind - Finding Humor goes beyond cracking jokes; it's about cultivating the ability to notice what's delightfully absurd, not taking ourselves too seriously, and using laughter to build connections and resilience. When students can laugh at their own mistakes or find the quirky side of a challenging concept, they're actually developing emotional flexibility and creative thinking. In the classroom, humor is so much more than just a well-timed joke; it’s a powerful tool for reducing tension during a tough exam, finding the delightful "absurdity" in a complex math problem, or using a clever pun to make a vocabulary word stick. In this collection, discover tools to cultivate finding humor from educational comedy videos to joke collections to comic strip creators, comedic picture book lists, improv games for the classroom, fun historical facts or quirky science trivia, playful brain breaks, meme generators, satirical news and current events, AI tools to create puns, and more. Let’s encourage our learners to look for the lighthearted side of life, proving that a quick smile can be the best way to clear the path for a big breakthrough!
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Laugh Out Loud- Funny Books for Teens - Sno-Isle Libraries
Grades
7 to 12
tag(s): graphic novels (5), humor (20), independent reading (84)
In the Classroom
Have students choose a book from the list (or another funny book they know) and write a short review explaining why other students should read it. Compile the reviews into a class slideshow using Genially, reviewed here to share with other classes or the school library. Have students read a selection from one of the books and look for techniques authors use to make readers laugh, such as exaggeration, wordplay, awkward situations, or unexpected events.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Funny Books for Middle Grades - Palo Alto City Library
Grades
4 to 6tag(s): graphic novels (5), humor (20), literature circles (6), reading lists (77)
In the Classroom
Set up a book tasting using several titles from the list. Place different funny books at tables and have students rotate every few minutes, reading the back cover and first page. Have students record which books make them laugh, seem interesting, or feel relatable. Show students several book covers from the list and read short summaries aloud. Have students vote using Mentimeter, reviewed here on which one sounds the funniest and explain their reasoning. After reading a funny book from the list, have students write their own short humorous story or comic strip using Free Comic Strip Maker by Adobe, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Make Me Laugh: The Epic Librarian List of Funny Books for Kids - New York Public Library
Grades
2 to 6tag(s): blogs (82), book lists (162), classroom management (143), humor (20), teaching strategies (77)
In the Classroom
Introduce a lesson by reading a short, funny passage from one of the recommended books and asking students why it is funny. Have them identify the words, actions, or situations that make the story humorous. Create a classroom humor book bin using titles from the list and allow students to choose one for independent reading time. Students can keep a reading log in which they write down their favorite funny line or scene. Hold a "Make Me Laugh" book talk activity where students recommend a funny book to the class and explain why others should read it.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Using Humor in the Art Room - The Art of Education University
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): classroom management (143), humor (20), podcasts (167), teaching strategies (77)
In the Classroom
Start a lesson by intentionally making a funny mistake during a demonstration, such as using the wrong color, holding a tool incorrectly, or pretending to forget a step. Ask students to catch the mistake and explain how to do it correctly. Use lighthearted class discussions about appropriate humor, asking students when jokes are helpful and when they might hurt someone's feelings. Try a teacher-student improv activity where students quickly add a funny detail to a drawing, story, or idea the teacher starts.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Why Can't Teachers Be Funny in School? - Trainers Warehouse
Grades
3 to 8tag(s): blogs (82), classroom management (143), humor (20), teaching strategies (77)
In the Classroom
Use content-based humor activities like Mad Libs, limericks, or funny captions related to the topic you are teaching. For example, students can fill in missing words in a paragraph about the lesson or write a humorous rhyme using vocabulary terms. Begin a lesson with a funny introduction activity, such as having students introduce themselves using emojis, memes, or silly voices. Incorporate movement-based humor activities like funny walks, freeze poses, or short dance breaks.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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How to Easily Infuse More Humor into Your Classroom - Beginning Teacher Talk with Dr. Lori Friesen
Grades
K to 8This site includes advertising.
tag(s): classroom management (143), humor (20), teaching strategies (77)
In the Classroom
Start the day with a joke or a funny daily announcement to create a positive classroom mood. Use silly writing prompts or creative challenges connected to your lesson. For example, ask students to write a story funnily using vocabulary words, such as "What would happen if a dinosaur became the principal?" Create a class mascot, puppet, or character that gives directions, asks questions, or leaves notes for students. The mascot can review content, introduce lessons, or offer hints, making learning more memorable and increasing student engagement.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Emoji Kitchen - Benjamin G. Garrison
Grades
3 to 8tag(s): creativity (87), emotions (72), figurative language (19), narrative (16), symbols (19), themes (16), vocabulary development (102)
In the Classroom
Students can use Emoji Kitchen to create a sequence of emojis that tell a story. They can then write a short narrative based on the emojis they selected, individually or in pairs. Have students choose a theme from a text they are studying and create emojis representing the central theme or message. Students then explain how their emoji combinations symbolize the theme and support the story's meaning. After reading a passage or book, students use Emoji Kitchen to create emojis that represent new vocabulary words. Students create emoji combinations representing key characters from a story. After making their emojis, students can write a brief analysis explaining why they chose those emojis and how they reflect the character's personality, traits, or actions. Use Emoji Kitchen to represent Idioms or other forms of figurative language.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Stuff You Should Know - Josh Clark & Josh Bryant
Grades
8 to 12In the Classroom
Include podcasts from this site to engage learners when introducing new lessons or to enhance your current instruction. Use MagicSchool, reviewed here to generate questions based on podcast episodes using the YouTube link to any episode. After listening to several episodes, challenge students to create podcasts featuring interesting trivia about current classroom content using free podcasting tools such as Buzzsprout, reviewed here or Spotify for Podcastors, reviewed here (formerly Anchor).Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Mr. Betts' Class YouTube Channel - Timothy Betts
Grades
6 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): 1800s (87), 1910s (27), 1920s (25), 1930s (40), 1940s (69), american revolution (91), bill of rights (39), civil war (136), colonial america (95), elections (87), electoral college (24), explorers (65), great depression (32), immigrants (50), pilgrims (12), presidents (151), world war 1 (86), world war 2 (167)
In the Classroom
Engage students by sharing videos from this YouTube channel at the start of history units corresponding to video topics. Enhance student learning with these videos by using edpuzzle, reviewed here, to create interactive lessons that include voice comments and questions embedded into the video. Extend learning and challenge your students to create their own history videos using a video creation tool such as Adobe Express Video Maker, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Solvemoji - Solvemoji
Grades
K to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): logic (165), problem solving (277), puzzles (166)
In the Classroom
Share Solvemoji puzzles on your interactive whiteboard and solve together as a class. This is a great opportunity to share in classroom discussions of the varying types problem solving process used by students. Include a link on classroom computers and have students complete puzzles as a math center activity. Enhance student's learning by sharing their process in solving puzzles using Google Drawings, reviewed here. Have students add a voice recording to a picture of the puzzle they solved and the steps taken to find the answer. Google Drawings allows you to annotate an image with links to videos, text, websites, and more. Not familiar with Google Drawings? Watch an archived OK2Ask session to learn how to use: OK2Ask Google Drawings, here. Ask students to use Solvemoji puzzles as a model, then create their own puzzles using math concepts being studied.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Meme Buddy - Mike Bodge
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): creativity (87), DAT device agnostic tool (132), digital storytelling (167), images (268)
In the Classroom
Use Meme Buddy to quickly create memes on the fly. Share a meme on your interactive whiteboard as a discussion starter for the beginning of your lesson. Ask students to create a meme as a one sentence summary of the day's activity and use as an exit ticket. Meme Buddy translates information into other languages, create a meme in a different language as an anticipatory set for learning about a foreign language. Foreign language teachers will love creating memes to teach phrases to students!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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ToonyTool - ToonyTool
Grades
2 to 12tag(s): comics and cartoons (67), communication (126), creative writing (123), digital storytelling (167), noregistration (74), summarizing (26)
In the Classroom
There is a multitude of ways to use comics/cartoons in the classroom. For instance, create one-page discussion starters to help students keep up with current political issues. Use comics to show sequencing of events, for example, explain the sequence of a story, a science concept, or current event! When studying about characterization, create a dialog to show (not tell) about a character. Use comic strips for literature responses. Another idea - why not use the comics for conflict resolution or other guidance issues (such as bullying). Sometimes it is easier for students to write it down (or draw the pictures) than use the actual words. Emotional support and autistic support teachers can work with students to create strips about appropriate interpersonal responses and feelings. World language and ENL/ESL teachers can assign students to create dialogue strips as an alternative to traditional written assessments; summarize through a comic. Challenge students who move through other assignments more quickly to create a cartoon for review of a topic studied in class. Make a class book of the comics created throughout the year using Book Creator, reviewed here. Book Creator includes features for students to easily create digital books using their own text, videos, and images.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Emoji Science with Bill Nye the Science Guy - GE and Bill Nye
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): climate change (110), energy (139), human body (98), magnetism (40), solar energy (35), solar system (125)
In the Classroom
Take advantage of the free lesson plans available on Emoji Science. Enjoy exploring the site with students on an interactive whiteboard or allow them to explore on their own. Use this site to introduce science concepts in an entertaining way. At the end of your unit, have cooperative learning groups create podcasts demonstrating their understanding of one of the concepts. Use a site such as podOmatic, reviewed here. Have students create a multimedia presentation of science topics using Visme, reviewed here. Visme allows you to narrate slides. Challenge students to find a photo (legally permitted to be reproduced), and then narrate the photo as if it is a news report.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Learn English with Jokes and Riddles - Jacob Richman
Grades
K to 12tag(s): humor (20), multilingual (84), riddles (15)
In the Classroom
Jokes and riddles make excellent language exercises, and kids love them. Once the students have guessed the answer, use the sentences for grammar practice by identifying parts of speech, subject and predicate, and even diagramming. Younger students and ENL/ESL students can learn new vocabulary words, too. The twist and/or play on words will surely attract your gifted students. Once you have gone through several of these, encourage students to create their own and share with the class.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Image Flip: Meme Generator - ImgFlip
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): creativity (87), digital storytelling (167), images (268)
In the Classroom
Since the images can be kept private, this would make the perfect "getting to know you" activity for beginning of the school year. Have students upload a picture of themselves doing their favorite activity and label it with witty text or a favorite quote (or song lyric?). Have them upload images that represent their interests and character traits. Print the images with text for a back to school bulletin board. Alternatively, make a slide show to play as the parents enter the room. Use a tool like Canva Docs, reviewed here. At the end of the year, students could do a "that was then, this is now" project. Have them upload a current picture doing a favorite activity, and different images that represent new interests they have learned this year. Post the images side by side for spring open house night or as a year-end activity. To find Creative Commons images for student projects (with credit, of course), try Vecteezy, reviewed here. For other uses, have students practice new words in a world language class by labeling and identifying images in that language. Create writing prompts using several annotated images. Have students create annotated images to explain key terms in science class. In ELA class, make homophone or vocabulary images to show the correct word along with an image that explains it.Edge Features:
Parent permission advised before posting student work created using this tool
Includes Interaction w general public/ public galleries with unmoderated content
Includes social features, such as "friends," comments, ratings by others
Requires registration/log-in (WITH email)
Premium version (not free) includes additional features or storage
Products can be embedded
Products can be shared by URL
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Weird Road Signs - TODAY; Paul A. Eisenstein
Grades
6 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): creative writing (123), figurative language (19)
In the Classroom
These signs can spark writing, geography, and visual communication lessons. Project selected signs on the interactive whiteboard as ideas for students to use for creative writing pieces. Have the students create a fictional scavenger hunt of several signs around the world. Have students use a mapping tool such as MapHub, reviewed here, to create a map showing the sign locations (with stories and pictures about what happened when people encountered the sign)! Use the locations offered in some of the descriptions for geography lessons to integrate geography with writing. Use the images on a bulletin board and have students write captions for the signs. Have student editors find grammatical errors on the signs. Students could create an annotated image including text boxes with captions and related links using a tool such as Thinglink, reviewed here. Have students upload a sign image and add voice bubbles with narration using a tool such as Phrase.it, reviewed here. Use the signs for ESL/ELL students to teach about the nuances of text translation.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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ClassTools - Russel Tarr
Grades
K to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): concept mapping (15), essays (17), mind map (31), noregistration (74), qr codes (15), quiz (64), social networking (56), spelling (91), venn diagrams (13), vocabulary (253), word choice (12), word study (58)
In the Classroom
The possibilities abound in nearly any subject area. Be sure to check out all of the free templates to use. Use the many tools yourself or have your students create a Fakebook page or use the Z (still called Tweet) Generator to present information in any subject area. Create a Fakebook page about a famous historical person or government figure in social studies or science class. Share the Burger Diagram for writing essays. Use the Arcade Game Maker to create practice activities for students who need the extra help. Create a random word generator with vocabulary from a science or social studies unit to review before testing. Allow students to create Venn diagrams to be posted on the class website using information from current lessons. Use an online tool such as Interactive Two Circle Venn Diagram, reviewed here. Save this site in your Favorites on your teacher computer! Use the embed code or URL created when saving your project to include with other items such as maps, videos, and images within class presentations made using Sway, reviewed here or Adobe Creative Cloud Express for Education, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Vi Hart's Math Videos - Vi Hart
Grades
5 to 12tag(s): geometric shapes (153), humor (20)
In the Classroom
This site is perfect for a Math fun day! Share the video clips on your interactive whiteboard or projector or set them up as stations on laptops. After catching students doodling during Math class, show one of the doodling videos to show students how their doodles can really be productive! Your visual learners will love it. Have fun with balloons creating shapes demonstrated on the balloon page. Challenge students to create the shapes after being shown a picture -- but before seeing directions. Use some of the topics when researching ideas for Math Fairs or Math Nights at school. Provide this link for student to explore outside of the classroom. Even girls may find they like math presented in such humorous ways.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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101 Silly Math Jokes and Puns - for Math Teachers - Clem Falbo
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): riddles (15)
In the Classroom
Share a joke a day with your classroom or encourage them to create their own jokes. Use a joke to introduce a new topic and explore what makes it funny. Share a joke a week on your class website or blog and encourage readers to add their own joke or spin on the joke. Add an entire math joke section to your class wiki and give extra credit to promote a multiple intelligence approach to math.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Semicolon Wars - Mr Nussbaum
Grades
3 to 12tag(s): punctuation (23)
In the Classroom
Try this activity as a class on your interactive whiteboard or projector. You could print out sentences for students to complete, or use a tool such as Wizer.me, reviewed here, and enter the sentences on an interactive worksheet for student use. Then check together on the interactive whiteboard or with a projector. Use as review before a quiz on semicolons. Share this link on your class website for students to use both in and out of class.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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