Educational Tickles

Each evening, as part of our bedtime routine I usually end of giving Beeb tickles on her bare back for a few minutes. Our usual tickle routine is for me to do the "Treasure Hunt" rhyme with my finger(s):

Going on a treasure hunt (walk two fingers up the center of the back)
X marks the spot (draw a big X across the back)
Big circle (draw a big circle across the back)
Little circle (draw a little circle in the center of the big circle on the back)
Dot, Dot, Dot (take your two index fingers and at each "dot" gently press your index fingers into her side, each time going a little higher than the last)
Spiders crawling up your back (use fingers to simulate spiders going up back)
Blood rushing down (use flat hand and wave it down the back)
Tight squeeze (gently squeeze neck)
Sirens breeze (gently blow across back)
Now you've got the chills (general light tickles all over back)

At the end Beeb always asks for more and about a year ago I decided to make tickles educational. It's very simple, I just draw a letter on her back and ask her to identify it. It has been very helpful in her learning the alphabet beyond site. The HUGE bonus for me is that inevitably she gets bored and then I get the educational tickles on my back as she tries to stump me with her letters.

Lately we've take it a step further and are doing "live" pictures. I'll draw a scene on her back but the scene keeps changing. For example, I may draw our house on a sunny day, but then the clouds come in and it starts to rain - all the while my fingers keep drawing the changing scene. Beeb loves to draw these scene on my back as well.

Beeb + Tickles = Happy Beeb
Mommy + Tickles = Happy Mommy
Happy Mommy = Happy Family