Oh no, where did it go? Encouraging gestures with mini hide and seek

What you need 

• A favourite toy 

What to do 

1. When your baby is in a playful mood, find their favourite toy and show it to them.  
2. Try and capture their interest by saying something like, “Look who I have found! Shall we wave to say hello? Hello teddy.”  
3. Wait to see if your baby waves to their teddy.  
4. Next, hide the teddy behind your back.  
5. Lift the other hand in the air, and using a surprised facial expression, say, “Oh, where did teddy go?”  
6. Look around and repeat your surprised facial expressions and hand movements.  
7. Watch to see if your baby copies you.  
8. Don’t wait too long before bringing their toy back into sight, saying “Here it is!”  
9. Point to the toy and wave at it.  
10. You could also clap to celebrate that the toy has come back.  
11. If your baby enjoys this, repeat it as many times as you wish.