Let’s Play Peekaboo

Peekaboo is a game you can play with your child from infancy to 2–3 years of age. It’s all about eye contact and delighting in each other.

Peekaboo is a game that encourages serve-and-return interactions between adult and child. These interactions build baby’s brain and strengthen their relationship with the person playing peekaboo with them.

When baby starts to turn away or fuss, they are letting you know that they are finished with the game.

When a child outgrows peekaboo (although I used it to connect with my 16 year-old the other day and got a laugh from her), hide and seek is a great replacement.

Hide and seek helps children practice being separated from their caregiver in a safe way. Initially, they will have a low tolerance for this separation and may hide in plain sight or yell, “I’m in the closet!” just as you finish counting to ten. As they become more mature, they will be able to tolerate greater separation and their cognitive skills will increase so they become more successful at finding good hiding spots and waiting to be found.

The best part of peekaboo and hide and seek is the reunion between you and your child — celebrate it every time!

If you are curious to read more about the benefits of hide and seek check out this article.