Montessori Object Permanence Box

The object permanence box is a Montessori infant material that helps the child discover object permanence. In layman's term, the ball that disappears from view (hole) continues to exist but appears in a different place (tray). This is generally introduced around 7-12 months old babies

The primary objective of this material is to help the child develop the sense of object permanence.

It also indirectly helps to:

• the child develop focus and concentration
• practice developing their hand-eye coordination
• hand control
• whole-hand grasp.

MY THOUGHTS

My son loves the object permanence box.  It is totally engaging and inspires repetition of work. He enjoys putting the ball in the hole and making its way to the tray. At first, putting the ball was challenging; it is a hit or miss. Eventually, he could control his hand muscles; thus, he can successfully place the ball in the hole without a miss (this occurred around nine months).

Is it necessary? No. A simple peekaboo activity or a DIY is good enough. BUT, if you have a budget, this is worth it. As a working mom like me who has no time for DIYs, this is absolutely a good investment in baby toys. You can get a quality object permanence box from here.

MY OBSERVATION ON BABY

• grasping the ball
• mouthing the ball
• flipping the box
• trying to insert the ball in the top hole
• trying to remove the ball from the inside
• trying to insert the ball from the hole in the tray
• peering through the holes

TIPS

• It takes a while for the child to put the ball in the hole, so be patient.
• Introduced around 7 or 8 months but do not expect overnight success. Allow your child to explore the materials.
• Name the objects and describe your actions (ex: ball, hole, the ball is rolling)
• Place the object permanence box on a lower shelf or in a location that your child can easily access.
• Supervise at all times! 
• Have fun!

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