What’s the best way to keep your little ones captivated during a theatre show?
That’s what Sarah Gilbert of Theatr Iolo answers in this guest blog. In their new show Baby, Bird & Bee — which is targeted to children aged 18-months and under — Gilbert shares how they’ve designed the show with babies and their formative senses in mind.
At Theatr Iolo, we are passionate about creating theatre experiences for even the youngest of audiences. But did you know that the way babies experience theatre is deeply rooted in science? Our show Baby, Bird & Bee is specially designed for babies aged 6–18 months, incorporating developmental psychology and neuroscience to create a magical experience tailored to their growing minds.
Object Permanence… or Why Babies Love to Play Peek-a-Boo!
Have you ever played Peek-a-Boo with a baby and watched them squeal with delight? This simple game is actually helping to develop an important cognitive skill known as object permanence.
When babies are very young, they don’t yet understand that objects exist when they’re out of sight. If you hide a toy — or even your face — they believe it has completely disappeared! This is also why babies can get upset when a parent leaves the room; they don’t yet realise that you still exist beyond their line of sight.
Between 6–12 months, babies begin to grasp the idea that objects and people continue to exist even when unseen. This discovery is a crucial step in their cognitive development, and it’s one of the reasons why games like Peek-a-Boo are so much fun for them—they are learning, while also experiencing the joy of surprise!
In Baby, Bird & Bee, we play with object permanence throughout the performance. Through playful hiding and revealing, we spark curiosity and delight in our young audience, supporting their cognitive growth while creating a magical theatrical experience.
Early Speech Development… or Why Babies Love to Babble!
From around four months old, babies start to experiment with making sounds. These early babbles may not have meaning at first, but they are an essential step towards speech development.
Some of the easiest sounds for babies to produce are bilabials — sounds that use both lips — such as M, B, and P. That’s why babies’ first words often include sounds like “mama” or “baba”. The more they hear these sounds, the more they practice them, which is why talking, singing, and reading to babies is so beneficial for their language development.
In Baby, Bird & Bee, we intentionally repeat the word “baby” throughout the show. For younger babies, this repetition helps them recognise and become familiar with the ‘B’ sound. Older babies may even begin to say the whole word themselves! By incorporating these familiar sounds into our storytelling, we create an interactive and engaging experience that supports early language development.
Theatre Tailored for Babies
Created by theatre-makers Sarah Argent and Kevin Lewis, Baby, Bird & Bee is a gentle, sensory-rich performance designed to captivate and delight babies aged 6–18 months. With their deep understanding of child development, Sarah and Kevin have crafted a show that speaks directly to the unique ways in which babies experience the world — through sound, movement, repetition, and play.
We are thrilled to be touring Baby, Bird & Bee from 3–24 May 2025, bringing this wonderful experience to little ones and their families. If you’d like to find out more, visit theatriolo.com and join us on this joyful journey into baby-friendly theatre!