Teddy Hide & Seek

Set Up:

• Position the baby on the floor on their tummy
• For older children you can start with them standing
• Use the child's favourite toy or teddy to play hide and seek

Description:

• Engage baby to follow the teddy with their eyes and track the toy while moving it around in front of you.
• Hide teddy behind your back and “peek a boo” teddy.
• Hide teddy behind furniture, other toys and materials such as silks scarfs etc.
• Place teddy in reach of baby and encourage baby to reach and grasp teddy or move towards teddy if they are able to roll or crawl.

Variations:
 

Beginning to move:

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• For toddlers and children beginning to crawl and walk, you can extend this activity.
• Using the child’s favourite teddy or toy engage with them to play hide and seek, allowing the child to watch you as you hide the teddy.
• Begin with hiding the teddy in close range, in eye line of the child.
• As the child becomes more confident in the game, begin to hide the teddy across the room, at a variety of heights, or not in direct eye line (i.e., only a foot can be seen and the rest of the teddy is hidden behind a box).
• Take turns and allow the child to hide the teddy from you for you to find.

Beginning to Run:

• For children who are proficient at walking and ready to begin exploring other locomotive skills such as running, balancing, and jumping.
• Using the teddy to play hide and seek, hide the teddy across the room or yard.
• You can add in a musical element and sing “we’re going on a bear hunt” with the children.
• Choose a form of locomotion to perform while looking for the teddy such as running, stomping, crawling, or jumping.
• Take turns with the children hiding the teddy.
• Increase the complexity by having children close their eyes while the teddy is being hidden.