Peekaboo is a seemingly simple game that most parents play with their baby. Peekaboo is anything but simple though; there are many beneficial benefits to playing this game with your baby during her first year of life.
Birth to 6 mos: Some experts say that playing peekaboo during this stage is non-useful, noting that your baby's attention span won't hold up at this age. However, there are other benefits such as your baby gets to hear your voice and any interaction with a parent is stimulating. I don't know if my son was amused or bored with me, but I did play peekaboo with him before he was six months old.
6 to 9 months: Your baby will start enjoying games like peekaboo more at this point, mainly because she loves to see your smiling face. She may act surprised or startled though because she's not yet anticipating what comes next so at this point peekaboo is a great surprise game that gears her up for the next stage.
9 to 12 months: Now your baby will start picking up on your cues and can figure out that a surprise is coming. Anticipation is a great developmental milestone and shows that your baby is picking up on cause and effect. You'll likely see your baby start to grin as you cover your face because she knows your next move is to pop out and say "peekaboo!"
12 months +: At this point peekaboo may become a two-way game. Your baby will start to try and grab at your hands when you try to surprise her and may even start peekabooing at you, covering her little face with her hand or an object (like a blanket). Remember, any interaction with your baby is a plus. You are
your baby's favorite toy at this age so play peekaboo and other
simple baby games often.
