How to Play Peek-a-boo | Activities

Play a game of peek-a-boo to foster social and gross motor development

A good old game of peek-a-boo does a lot for an infant. It teaches them the beginning skill of object permanence- that even though they can’t see your eyes, nose, and mouth, they are still in fact there. This timeless game also helps infants to use their arms and hands to bring them up to their face to mimic the adult in the game. This also allows for adults to do something a little silly and fun with the infant and bringing out little glimpses of humor in the child. There are no materials needed for the traditional game, although there are electronic toys on the market that play peek-a-boo with children as well as books and puzzles that incorporate the same principles.

In addition to the skills learned from this game, it also serves as a great “distraction” tool for when infants are tired, cranky, and upset. If you play this game with an upbeat voice, infants will get distracted from their sadness and join in, often cheering them up!

Materials

For this peek-a-boo game you will need:

Mirror

Peek-a-boo books with flaps to lift

Puzzles with flaps to lift to reveal faces or animals

Learning Outcomes

Domain

Social

Skills

Object permanence

Indicators:

Mirroring adult actions Responding with facial expressions and noises Lifting adults’ hands to reveal face

Instructions

Step 1:

When one-on-one with an infant or in a very small group, sit face to face or with child on your lap facing you.

Step 2:

Cover your face with both hands and say “Peek-a-...” and then reveal your face and say, “boo!” (you can say it in a silly voice, soft voice, etc.)

Step 3:

The baby will usually react by giggling or covering her face to show she is meeting some objectives.

Step 4:

Show students a mirror ( can be handheld or on the wall).

Step 5:

Encourage child to play peek-a-boo with his reflection.

Step 6:

Have various books and puzzles near the mirror and show the infants and toddlers how to do peek-a-book with these materials. When revealing the puzzle piece flap or when lifting the flap in the book, say, “Peek-a-boo” so that it prompts prior knowledge of the game played earlier.