What is Object Permanence?

Object permanence is the understanding that an object still exists even if it cannot be seen. It is considered one of an infant’s most important accomplishments by Jean Piaget, the psychologist best known for his work on child development.

Understanding object permanence is closely related to a child’s social and mental development. Without this concept, a child could easily become upset when their favorite toy is out of sight, or very anxious when parents drop them off at daycares.

Recent research studies show that object permanence emerges in infants as young as 3.5 months old [1]. To help the child develop the concept of object permanence, parents are encouraged to play peek-a-boo with the child, and introduce object performances boxes, such as the Montessori object permanence box with a tray, and later box with a drawer.

The object permanence boxes are classic Montessori infant materials that help a child experience and understand the important concept of object permanence. A child may first get interested in watching how you do and how the ball rolls out. As they gain more hand control, they will want to drop the ball into the box by themselves, which also becomes an exercise to practice their hand-eye coordination.