Being a father of four kids, three girls and one boy, I KNOW that kids LOVE funny stories! To hear them laugh can make anyone feel warm inside. Reading to them keeps them involved with more than just a television or a game console, and they always enjoy it both alone or with their siblings or BFFs!
On top of that, I have two step kids that are a bit older than my own kids. They both love to make a game of it by us sitting in a group with their BFFs and start a 30 second timer. After the timer goes off, it goes to the next person to continue where the story left off. Sometimes they kid's use the same story structure as the friend before them, other times they go off on a tangent and it makes it even more fun!
I recall a time when one started off a story about vampires and how dreamy they are and you could see all her BFFs agreeing to her words with glazed over eyes. Then it would go to her little sister, who doesn't seem to like the vampire thing right now and tells us how there is a dog who talks and started to befriend those same vampires and how they are having tea in some make-believe world where there are the silliest things, like lollipop trees and skies of purple and green clouds. It always got giggles from everyone in the room to hear how a vampire was drinking tea with a talking dog, or something just as zany!
Funny stories are something that have always been there to entertain both kids and adults alike and have always been a perfect way to connect with kids. It opens them up to a whole new world both imaginary and real. It is one of the ways I was able to get my son, who has Ausberger's syndrome, to open up to others in a group.
To hear any child laugh brings warmth to the soul, whether you are young or old. Finding a way to connect to kids is always an uphill battle for most parents, but with such a simple thing as funny stories, jokes, games, and etc. being reintroduced to people who might have forgotten about them has opened up a large avenue to bring that part of a family connection back to life.