by Anna Goddard
“Peekaboo! I see you!” When was the last time you played Peekaboo with a baby? Did the baby laugh? What made it so funny? Maybe you’re just funny-looking?
Peekaboo is a classic hide-and-seek game wherein one covers their face while saying “Peekaboo!” to a baby. Next, they uncover their face and say “I see you”, hopefully making the baby laugh. But what is so funny about this game, and why do we play it generation after generation?
There are multiple scientific reasons why we play this game. Babies, especially newborn babies, are fascinated by faces. Babies seem to enjoy Peekaboo because they are surprised when things come back after being out of sight. If the baby didn’t laugh when you played Peekaboo, it may be because they were not old enough to laugh. Babies typically learn to laugh at 3 to 4 months old. Laughter and interacting with people are important for a child’s social development.
Another reason we play this game is to help teach motor skills. Babies want to copy us, so easy movements such as covering your face over and over again helps a baby practice that movement and learn to do it all on their own. Games that encourage movement help infants learn to move their arms and legs, and eventually they learn to move their fingers and hands. Babies are believed to start intentionally mimicking people around ages 6 to 8 months.
Peekaboo also teaches babies object permanence. Object permanence is the idea that even though you can’t see something, it still exists. So even though they can’t see your face behind your hands, you’re still there! At around 3 months old, babies learn object recognition. In other words, they are able to recognize your face. Babies don’t learn object permanence until months 8 to 9 on average. At this point, the baby can play Peekaboo on their own. Now you can hide a toy during Peekaboo, and the baby will start to look for it. This new development reinforces what they’ve been learning all along – social development, motor skills, and object permanence. The more you play these games with a baby, the more they learn! Toddlers also love to play this game, especially when they can play it while hiding from you. The game of Peekaboo is important for people of all ages as it helps infants and toddlers reach important milestones, and we adults get a fun game to entertain and connect with young children.
