In countries all over the world and in many different languages, almost every culture has some version of the game “I say Peek a Boo!” The peek a boo lyrics are simple, but babies and young toddlers find it endlessly interesting. Where did this game come from and why is it so engaging to tiny people?
History of the Rhyme
The peek a boo lyrics can be as simple as covering your face, saying “peek a boo!” and showing baby your face again. This game, or other simple versions of a gentle hide and surprise game, appears in historical records dating back to the 16th century. The term “peek a boo” itself comes from the 18th century and means “see through”. Once applied to sheer fabrics for women’s clothes, it also may be derived from a French phenomenon where young ladies indicated displeasure by covering their faces from their suitors in order to “pique-a-beau”.
Building Building Object Permanence
For the youngest children, peek a boo helps to develop object permanence. When babies are born, they have no concept of how the world works. Not only can newborns not see beyond a limited field of vision until their eye sight develops, they cannot imagine that objects exist unless they can see them. The game of peek a boo allows babies to see a familiar face up close, where their eyes can focus. The face disappears and then reappears again, and again. Each time the face comes back it’s a surprise to a baby without object permanence. Playing the game over time helps them develop the understanding that the face is actually staying in the same place, and is only covered by their parent’s hands.
Exploring Surprise
In addition to building object permanence, peek a boo lets children and care givers share a joke. By balancing the expectation that the parent will reappear with the surprise (WHEN will they appear?!) it’s one of the earliest jokes a baby can enjoy. Research on peek a boo has shown babies actually enjoy the repetative and predictability of peek a boo, and prefer having the same face appear over and over because they can predict the outcome. As babies get older, around eight months, they begin to appreciate surprise in new ways. When the face appears on different sides of the hands or a new face appears unexpectedly, the game takes on new depth.
Letting Peek a Boo Grow with Your Child
Parents and teachers can use peek a boo to foster educational experiences with babies as young as newborns and through the toddler years by adapting the game for their evolving object permanence. With newborns, come close to their face within their range of focus and simply cover your face, then uncover and say “peek a boo!”. Babies as young as four weeks may smile or laugh at the reveal, but may also get easily overstimulated and only want to play a few repetitions. You can also play a near and far variation by slowly moving your face in and out of their range of focus.
Around a year of age, babies will want to play themselves, and may be able to cover their eyes or face and then uncover to see you. There is nothing sweeter than hearing “peek a boo” in baby talk. As babies master this variation, try adding elements or surprise or incorporating toys into the game. Can teddy peek a boo from under a blanket? Which side of box will the fire truck peek a boo from?
Whether you cover your face with a blanket, your hands, or your arm, peek a boo is a game that has lasted the ages because it balances infant cognitive development with an enjoyable way to play with even the youngest babies.