Peek-A-Boo!

We all know and love peek-a-boo, it's something almost every mom does with her babies. But, did you know it's not just for fun? Playing games like peek-a-boo helps your child develop an important cognitive skill, Object Permanence.

I've actually been putting off this post, trying to find a way to get a cute picture of Paisley and I playing Peek-a-Boo, but I'm just not smart enough to figure out how to make that work. So, you'll just have to take my word for it that we were playing Peek-a-Boo the day we took this one. 

What's object permanence? Well, when something disappears from your sight you know it hasn't ceased to exist, it's just hiding somewhere. You know this because you have a firm grasp of object permanence. When an object disappears from a baby's sight, in their mind it no longer exists. Poof! Just like that the toy you were playing with is gone forever. The baby won't try to find it, or wait for it to come back because to them it is now non-existent. No wonder infants hate to see mom or dad walk away from them, for all they know they'll never see them again.
So, you can see the benefits to helping an infant get a grasp on the idea that things don't just disappear into oblivion. Peek-a-boo, and other games like it, help to teach this concept to an infant. Now don't expect them to get it after the first round of hide and seek, children often don't fully understand this idea until they are 8-12 months old. That doesn't mean you shouldn't work on it though.
Want to know more about object permanence, or Peek-a-Boo? Check out this site, she also has a really cute Peek-a-Boo song that will help to hold a young infant's attention while you play. Paisley really loves it!