Infants and young toddlers love to play peek-a-boo. It engages their growing awareness that objects remain even when unseen and celebrates when a desired object comes back into view.

Here are some variants of the activity:

• Hide the parent: Hide yourself using a napkin or dish cloth, and pull it away to peek-a-boo.
• Hide the child: Cover your child's eyes with a washcloth or napkin, and pull it away to announce peek-a-boo.
• Child in charge: When your child understands the game, he can cover his own eyes/head with a cloth and remove it. Long before he can articulate "peek-a-boo," he will find delight in this.
• Hide behind an object: The toddler who is mobile and enjoys peek-a-boo can use bigger objects to hide. He can hide behind a chair and pop out to say "peek-a-boo!"