Belly Laugh Day

The Guide

• Global Belly Laugh Day: In addition to being a day dedicated to the celebration of laughter, there is a specific way to celebrate with others all over the world. When it's 1:24pm local time, stand up and LOL! This will send a belly laugh wave around the world, one hour at a time! 

• Get Silly: Kids are wonderful at laughing—and it doesn't take too much to get them giggling. Best of all, their giggles can inspire our own if we let ourselves relax and lean in. Here are some of our favorite ways to inspire laughter through silly activities:
  • Pretend to be creatures, and really get into it! Move like the creatures and sound like the creatures—kids will find that kind of pretending joyful, silly and laugh-inducing.
  • Play tag. We are especially fond of "Tickle Monster" in our house. Tickle Monsters never seem to actually reach the children, but the squeals and giggles inspired by the chase never fail.
  • Take turns making silly faces or silly noises...or both! Have everyone repeat the silly action one person makes, too. 
  • Bubbles. 'Nuff said, and lots of tips and tricks in our Bubble Joy activity!
  • Say, "I laugh you!" instead of "I love you!" Then, giggle a little. Many little kids (and quite a few a big humans, too) will start to chuckle.
  • Try one (or more!) of these ideas in our Winter Silly Olympics activity or our Get Silly Day activity.
• Laugh Outside! Laughter in wide open spaces is somehow even more magical—and since winter tends to be more quiet in many places, laughing outside can really amplify the sound! Go on a walk, hike or just step out of your home and listen to how your laugh floats out into the world outside your door!
• Roll Down the Hill. It's hard to roll down a hill and not laugh along the way...plus, your vestibular system will get a nice reset as you go! If kids are too young to coordinate that, try spinning around with them in your arms. Just spin as gently or quickly as their sensory system would like!
• Laugh Every Time That...Pick something that may happen repeatedly during the day. For example, every time the phone rings or every time your child shouts, "Mom!" Or, every time you open the refrigerator or step in or out of your door. Make it the rule for the day that everyone laughs whenever that happens. 
• Share a Laugh! Record yourself laughing—either a real belly laugh or just the sounds of laughing and send it to friends or family as a wish that they will find some laughter today. You'd be amazed at what 
• The Belly Chain game (ideal for a group): If you have a group, encourage everyone to lie down in such a way that each person puts their head on someone else's belly (except for the last person). Once you're all lying down, start making laughing sounds...give it a little time, and it should kick off a joyful giggle fest! Only have two or three people? Follow the directions, but keep switching it up so everyone gets a turn to have someone's head on their belly!

• Share your celebrations big and small! If you celebrate—on Belly Laugh Day or anytime you get the chance, tag us with @tinkergarten, #tinkergarten and #bellylaughday. We'd love to laugh along with you!
• Laugh at ourselves! Visit tinkergarten.com/grownups and enjoy any in our series of quick, funny videos inspired by parenting moments we can all relate to. You just gotta laugh along the journey!
• Learn more about laughter (for grown ups): 
  • Read more about laughter as a meditation and how laughter uniquely impacts our brains, bodies and spirits from experiential musician, Laraaji interviewed on Wallpaper Magazine. You can also see Laraaji at work in this mini workshop captured on You Tube.
  • Get inspired by these reflections on What is Laughter? from people around the world on the Inflatable Planet website.

Why is this activity great for kids?