Description and Learning Objectives
Children under 2 love to play with scarves or hats, which they discover are a lot of fun to put on or take off. One of their favourite games to play using these items is peek-a-boo! They smile and laugh with delight when they hear the phrase, watch as their teachers’ eyes and faces disappear behind a coloured scarf, and even when they try to play the game together and hide objects. Activities such as this promote social development and receptive language skills, as well as reinforce the concept of object permanence.
Materials
Various size and coloured scarves/ fabrics
Observations and Findings
This activity promotes children’s social development by supporting positive behavioural interactions and encourages them to create connections and relationships with others. Peek-a-boo teaches children to learn through imitation and simple turn taking. For instance, a teacher puts a scarf on the child’s head then pulls it off while saying: “peek-a-boo”, then the teacher encourages the child to put the same scarf on her head and lets him/her pull it off. Through imitation and this back and forth action, the child is introduced to the concept of waiting and taking turns. Thus, creating a foundation of positive and appropriate behaviour towards others.
Peek-a-boo greatly encourages children’s development and understanding of object permanence. They begin to grasp the concept that although people and objects might be hidden and out of sight, it does not actually mean that they have disappeared entirely. The activity also creates a foundation for children to develop their ability for spatial awareness by lifting objects to reveal what is underneath.
By playing peek-a-boo, children can also develop their receptive language skills. For example, when the teacher asks “where is the doll?”, the child may respond by lifting the scarf to reveal the hidden doll. This shows that the child understands the concept of responding to verbal requests either through actions or words such as, “there it is!”. Furthermore, this activity promotes and encourages children to respond to human voices and distinguish familiar voices from other sounds.
