Does your little one also loves the game of peek-a-boo? We love it because our kids love it so much. But have you ever wondered why they laugh so hard at Peek-a-boo?
Children love it because they see a happy face and, because the person disappears and immediately reappears. They find that combination extremely funny. They think we really disappear. This all has to do with ‘object permanence’. When babies are about 6 months old, they begin to realize that things they can no longer see don't really have to be gone, nor are they gone forever. Before the age of circa 6 months, they do not understand this. They think that if they can't see something, it's gone forever.
Object permanence is the concept that if something that is out of sight, it doesn't mean it is gone, even if we can't see it. Therefore, playing peek-a-boo is so much fun for little ones. They learn from it that even if something disappears, it can still be there, but hidden. In addition, it stimulates their brains. They learn to better understand the world around them.
The phenomenon of object permanence was discovered by Swiss developmental psychologist Jean Piaget. Piaget stated that children spend the first two years of their lives learning about object permanence. Peek-a-boo is a perfect balance of what a child already knows about the world, what it can control, and what still surprises.
Your child's brain is constantly developing and growing. It's a lot of fun to see this happen, especially when it brings as much joy as a simple game of peek-a-boo.
In the picture: Lacey Day Daybed Throw Vega by Roros Tweet
