We’re starting a new feature of School with Squeaker- designed for babies and toddlers called:
Baby Games and Books
Each part of the series will focus on a game to play with babies, variations of that game (if possible), related books, and YouTube videos (if possible) that are related to the theme. Interacting with your baby or toddler by playing games is a great way to work on communication skills, social skills, fine motor skills, gross motor skills… there are really a lot of areas that you can incorporate! Our first game in the series is one of Squeaker’s favorites: Peek-a-boo
* Please be advised that this post may contain affiliate links, see my disclosure policy for more information.
Games like peek-a-boo usually won’t make any sense to your baby until they’ve grasped the concept of object permanence. Of course you can’t exactly ask your baby if they’ve developed this skill yet, but one way to figure this out is to hide an object beneath a blanket. If baby will go looking for the object, then you have beginning signs of object permanence. But what exactly is this developmental skill? Well, to put it simply, it’s the understanding that an object still exists- even when you can’t see it.
Most babies will begin developing this skill around 5 months of age, but do remember- every baby is different.
For Squeaker, peek-a-boo wasn’t a huge hit until she was closer to 6 1/2 months of age. We would play the ‘traditional’ version, using our hands to cover our face and then ask ‘Where’s Mommy’ (or daddy) and when she reached for our hands we would remove them and say ‘peek-a-boo’. Another variation to that, is to just remove your hands by yourself and say again- ‘peek-a-boo’.
When Squeaker turned 9 months, she started showing more interest in initiating peek-a-boo on her own, usually by covering herself with one of her blankets. Now, one of her favorite objects to use is my breastfeeding wrap.
How We Play:
If you don’t have a breastfeeding wrap, or you’d rather that your baby not associate it with playing peek-a-boo, use a receiving blanket. Squeaker has also used t-shirts.
At this point, I ask: Where is baby or Where is Squeaker? She responds well to both, and of course I’ll also use her name.
She’ll pull the blanket down when she’s ready. Once she does, I’ll exclaim: There she is! Or ‘Peek-a-Boo!
Peek a Boo Books
1. Peek A Boo: I Love You by Sandra Magsamen
2. Peek a Baby by Karen Katz
3.Peek A Boo by Francesa Ferri
4. Peek-a-Who by Nina Laden
5. Peek A Boo (Baby Faces) by Roberta Grobel Intrater
6. Peek A Bunny (Pat the Bunny) by Golden Books
7. Peek-a-Moo by
8. Farm Peekaboo by DK Publishing
Bonus: YouTube Video
Watch the video with your baby and interact with the video. Squeaker and I didn’t watch in one sitting, but she did enjoy this video very much.
Be on the lookout for the next part of this series: This Little Piggy Went to Market
Kori
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