Originally published in 2017 for Becker’s Blog

As I held a 6 month old child on my lap the other day she found the bracelets and watch I wear on my left wrist. While sitting with me she played with them, mouthed them and found that she could hide them under my sleeve. I sat still and watched as she continued to investigate the whereabouts of the jewelry she was hiding. 

This exchange led me to several thoughts, one, we often rush children through experiences, two, we stop the experience from happening in the first place. I was thinking, “My jewelry is dirty, should I let an infant do this” and “This baby is drooling on me”.  I chose to accept that we are washable and allowed this infant to get on with learning and discovering the world. Brain development is at its peak during the first few years of life with it doubling in size during the first year.

This experience was one of a self-directed game of “peek-a-boo”. This infant was practicing object permanence, which is the understanding that an object still exists even if one cannot see it. Babies love this game in all its variations. We moved on to play the traditional game of “peek-a-boo” where I hid my face and uncovered it again. Playing peek-a-boo with a trusted person helps develop an infant’s senses, motor skills, visual tracking, and social development in addition to the object permanence mentioned above. 

What activities do you enjoy with an infant in your care?