You all must have had the most cherishable interaction ‘peekaboo’ in your childhood. For generations, peekaboo has been a cherished part of early childhood—a timeless interaction between adults and babies that sparks squeals of laughter and bright-eyed wonder. But beneath the surface of this playful ritual lies something far more significant: a critical brain-building experience. On a recent episode of the Great Company podcast, acclaimed developmental psychologist Dr. Aliza Pressman dove into the deeper meaning behind peekaboo, revealing how it nurtures essential emotional and cognitive growth.
Peekaboo lays the neurological and emotional foundation for how your child will comprehend absence, connection, and the comfort of return. In a way, peekaboo is a child's first lesson in the permanence of love—a lighthearted, powerful lesson in trust and emotional security. And that's a lesson to repeat over and over again.
Psychology behind ‘peekaboo’
“I’m gone… I’m back,” Dr. Pressman says with a smile, describing the rhythm of the game. “I always come back.” That cycle of vanishing and reappearing isn't just funny—it's deeply reassuring and educational. At the heart of peekaboo is one of the earliest and most significant developmental milestones: object permanence. That's the realisation that objects—and individuals—keep on existing even when they're out of view. It typically begins to appear between 9 and 12 months old.
Prior to reaching this point, an infant may appear really perplexed or astonished when a toy is covered up by a blanket or when a parent walks away. Their brain has not yet developed the ability to store mental pictures of items out of sight. But as their brain develops and connections become solid, something extraordinary starts to happen. The infant begins to pull up the blanket, search for the lost item—or beam with delight when the familiar face comes back. It's an indicator that their brain has started comprehending that absence doesn't necessarily mean disappearance.
Dr. Pressman says that this isn't merely a cognitive change—it's an emotional breakthrough. Seeing that someone can go away and come back creates the very foundation of attachment, trust, and eventually independence.
Peekaboo game as a first step in learning trust
Peekaboo is more than a game; it's an emotional reliability lesson. The constant cycle of hide and reveal has a strong, reassuring message: I leave, but I return.
For babies, this pattern creates a profound sense of security with their caregivers. It's one of the earliest ways they learn to trust. As Dr. Pressman explains, "They're exercising that muscle"—the emotional and mental muscle that gets stronger every time they see the person who leaves isn't really gone.
This soft exercise readies children for larger transitions later in life, such as beginning school, sleeping with relatives, or sleeping in their own bed. It resonates with the ideas of iconic psychologist Jean Piaget, who initially recognized object permanence as a characteristic of the sensorimotor stage of development (birth through age two).
Peekaboo as brain-training session
From a neuroscientific point of view, peekaboo is a mini brain-training session. The process of waiting for the return of the person, scanning for visual information, and reacting with laughter stimulates multiple areas of the baby's growing brain:
Cognitive scientist Alison Gopnik, in her book The Philosophical Baby, highlights that games such as peekaboo enable babies to rehearse anticipating outcomes and establish trust with others. It's not a game—it's a rehearsal for the social world.
Also Read | This girl’s mosquito-tracking hobby has gone viral, leaving viewers wondering who’s next - “Pura machar samaj dara hua hai!”
Peekaboo lays the neurological and emotional foundation for how your child will comprehend absence, connection, and the comfort of return. In a way, peekaboo is a child's first lesson in the permanence of love—a lighthearted, powerful lesson in trust and emotional security. And that's a lesson to repeat over and over again.
Psychology behind ‘peekaboo’
“I’m gone… I’m back,” Dr. Pressman says with a smile, describing the rhythm of the game. “I always come back.” That cycle of vanishing and reappearing isn't just funny—it's deeply reassuring and educational. At the heart of peekaboo is one of the earliest and most significant developmental milestones: object permanence. That's the realisation that objects—and individuals—keep on existing even when they're out of view. It typically begins to appear between 9 and 12 months old.
Prior to reaching this point, an infant may appear really perplexed or astonished when a toy is covered up by a blanket or when a parent walks away. Their brain has not yet developed the ability to store mental pictures of items out of sight. But as their brain develops and connections become solid, something extraordinary starts to happen. The infant begins to pull up the blanket, search for the lost item—or beam with delight when the familiar face comes back. It's an indicator that their brain has started comprehending that absence doesn't necessarily mean disappearance.
Dr. Pressman says that this isn't merely a cognitive change—it's an emotional breakthrough. Seeing that someone can go away and come back creates the very foundation of attachment, trust, and eventually independence.
Peekaboo game as a first step in learning trust
Peekaboo is more than a game; it's an emotional reliability lesson. The constant cycle of hide and reveal has a strong, reassuring message: I leave, but I return.
For babies, this pattern creates a profound sense of security with their caregivers. It's one of the earliest ways they learn to trust. As Dr. Pressman explains, "They're exercising that muscle"—the emotional and mental muscle that gets stronger every time they see the person who leaves isn't really gone.
This soft exercise readies children for larger transitions later in life, such as beginning school, sleeping with relatives, or sleeping in their own bed. It resonates with the ideas of iconic psychologist Jean Piaget, who initially recognized object permanence as a characteristic of the sensorimotor stage of development (birth through age two).
Peekaboo as brain-training session
From a neuroscientific point of view, peekaboo is a mini brain-training session. The process of waiting for the return of the person, scanning for visual information, and reacting with laughter stimulates multiple areas of the baby's growing brain:
- Prefrontal cortex: The area that controls memory, attention, and prediction is stimulated in repeated sessions of peekaboo.
- Mirror neuron system: This system aids infants in developing an understanding of others' emotions and intentions and laying the foundations of empathy and social awareness.
Cognitive scientist Alison Gopnik, in her book The Philosophical Baby, highlights that games such as peekaboo enable babies to rehearse anticipating outcomes and establish trust with others. It's not a game—it's a rehearsal for the social world.
Also Read | This girl’s mosquito-tracking hobby has gone viral, leaving viewers wondering who’s next - “Pura machar samaj dara hua hai!”
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