Object Permanence Box

Peekaboo

Infants love to play peekaboo for a reason! Watching their favorite face or toy disappear from view, only to reappear again a few moments later, is engaging because it naturally appeals to their developing understanding of object permanence. This is the ability to understand that objects still exist even when they are no longer visible. Mastery of this concept is one of an infant’s primary developmental accomplishments in the first year of life.

An object permanence box is a classic Montessori material that is introduced to infants once they can sit up independently, at approximately 8–12 months of age. This material aids in the child’s development of object permanence, while also honing their hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, focus, and concentration.

To use the object permanence box, an infant places a large wooden ball into a hole located on the top of the box. The ball momentarily disappears into the box, but then reappears as it rolls back out into a tray where it is then easily retrieved by the infant. A baby who is still actively developing an understanding of object permanence will often engage in long periods of repetition with this task until mastery is achieved.