“What did the face mask say to the mouth?” “Let me cover for you!” This timely joke was made not by a professional comedian but by a group of primary school students, who have won the 2021 title of “Britain’s Funniest Class.” It was selected by public vote from a shortlist chosen by legacy comic brand Beano Studios. While the subject matter is pandemic-themed, the structure follows a pattern we are all familiar with from Christmas cracker jokes. The opening line sets the scene, before introducing the comic element: a punchline using a word that has a double meaning. These pun-style jokes appear simple, but underpinning them is a complex set of language skills. So how early can children recognize—and start to make—jokes like these? Children develop humor from a very early age, starting with a sense of shared experience and socialization. In the beginning, humor is of a physical …