Hide and seek

Kids love to play hide-and-seek from their earliest days, but it’s not just a silly game.

Playing peekaboo with your baby leads to searching for hidden objects and, ultimately, to the excitement of playing hide-and-seek, of being the hunter or hunted without the risk of getting hurt. Whether it’s peekaboo, hide-and-seek, or hunt-the-thimble, what are the real benefits and risks of these simple childhood games? Why should we encourage them to play?

Peekaboo makes them giggle but also teaches them the concept of object permanence; that things can still exist even though they might not be able to see them. Searching for objects or people encourages children to use their imagination and helps them develop problem-solving skills as they try to work out the best place to hide or find their target. They can even start to appreciate the concept of volume as they try to find the smallest hiding place they can fit into. It also gives them an opportunity to develop their social skills as they play with others, learn to deal with conflicts between participants, take turns, and practice the other skills that will enable them to work effectively in teams.

Playing hide-and-seek gives a child some valuable physical benefits as well since the exercise helps them build stamina and aids muscle development. The challenge of getting into the perfect hiding place will help improve their balance, agility, and coordination.

Make photos of your toddler playing peekaboo, upload to the App. Write whether he/she likes this good old game.