Peekaboo Doors

Press a key and a little door opens. The same friend is behind it, every time.

What your kid practises: Object permanence — things exist even when hidden

We’re building this one right now

Why we made it

Peekaboo is the oldest game in the world. Hiding and revealing is exactly how a child works out that things go on existing when they can’t be seen.

Behind every door lives the same one — a face, a ball, a flower, a star. Press the same key an hour later and it is still there, and that constancy is the whole lesson.

The door itself matters: hiding is what makes the reveal mean anything. The occupant peeks out part-way through the swing, and that little wait is the joy.

How to play together

1Press any key. A door swings open, someone peeks out, makes its sound, and hides again.
2Ask “хто там?” before every door. The answer never changes — noticing that is the point.
3Watch for them going back to a favourite door on purpose. That is object permanence taking hold.

Good to know

The toy runs in a browser tab, so a curious kid can still find these:

Ctrl+Alt+Del — Windows always lets that through.
The browser’s tabs and address bar (unless you use the kiosk launcher from GitHub).
Swiping in from the screen edge on touchscreens.