Peek-A-Boo

Peek-A-Boo is not just a game that is stereotypically fun for baby. It is a great way to teach baby about object permanence. This game helps baby to grasp the idea that objects exist even if she can't see them. This can really help reduce the distress of separation anxiety.

I did this activity a lot with my oldest, Brayden. He loved it. At seven months old, he started doing it himself. He would cover himself with his blanket and then say "ahh. ahh" Then he would pull down his blanket with great pleasure.

AGE RANGE

You can start to play this as early as you want to, but don't expect baby to really enjoy the game until somewhere around 5-6 months old. I wouldn't really recommend it prior to three months old because it can really overstimulate the newborn.

SKILLS DEVELOPED

• Understanding of object permanence.

SUPPLIES

• Peek-a-boo-er (mom)
• Peek-a-boo-ee (baby)

ACTIVITY
Okay, we all know how to play peek-a-boo. In case not:

• Lay baby on the floor or another surface you feel comfortable with.
• Cover your face with your hands (or something else).
• Remove your hands and say "peek-a-boo"!

I do peek-a-boo a little differently. We always play peek-a-boo on Monday's. Why? Monday is laundry day. I hate folding laundry. But I have found it to be a lot more enjoyable if I play peek-a-boo with my baby while I fold my laundry.

• Put my laundry on my bed.
• Put my baby on my bed (I don't leave my baby on the bed unattended).
• Hold up whatever I am folding in front of my face. As I hold it up, I fold it without exposing my face.
• Say, "Where is Mommy? Where's Mommy?"
• Pause.
• Put the item down and say, "There she is! Peek-a-boo!" This brings out the giggles in my baby.
• Move on to next item to fold and repeat.

This is great because I am able to enjoy folding laundry and I also do peek-a-boo over and over again. Babies (kids) love repetition.

VARIATION
For the older baby, cover a favorite toy with a blanket and say, "Where did [toy] go?" Hold your hands up like you are unsure. Then pull the blanket off and say, "there it is!" As your baby gets older, you can let her pull the blanket off.

SIBLINGS

This is a fun activity a sibling can do with baby.

PHOTOS
Here is seven month old Brayden playing peek-a-boo with his towel:

And six month old McKenna smiling at me after I peek-a-boo'ed her: