How to Teach Children Object Permanence

Mastery of object permanence is one of the key developmental milestones of infancy. The textbook "Child Psychology" explains that most children begin to understand object permanence sometime between 9 and 15 months. When children master object permanence, they understand that objects continue to exist even when they can't see them. While many scientists believe that object permanence is a natural part of development, there is evidence that environmental influences can affect the age at which a child masters object permanence. By providing your child with opportunities to understand object permanence, you enable her to master the concept more quickly and more fully.

  1. Physical Play

    • When children have opportunities to interact with objects, they understand how they work more quickly. Provide your child with balls, blocks and other toys that encourage her to directly manipulate her environment. These toys not only encourage general brain development. They can also directly affect the speed at which she masters object permanence.

    Hiding Games

    • Games that encourage hiding, teach children that people, like objects, have permanence. This frequently helps alleviate separation anxiety in addition to speeding up a child's mastery of object permanence. Try playing a simple game of peek-a-boo. When your child begins to look behind your hands for you, she is beginning to understand object permanence. Put a blanket over your head or hide behind a counter and call your child. Keep talking to her until she looks for you. This helps her understand that people continue to exist even if she doesn't see them.

    Verbal Object Permanence

    • Even though babies can't talk, they listen carefully to the things adult say, and begin understanding language before they can use it themselves. Talk about people when they're not there. Say, "Daddy has gone to work" or "Your nanny is at home with her family." This encourages children to understand that people continue to exist even when they aren't there. As your child develops stronger verbal skills, this exercise will also strengthen her relationship to and understanding of the various people in her life.

    Hiding Objects

    • Jean Piaget, the psychologist who first researched the concept of object permanence, played a simple game with children to check their understanding of the concept. Place a ball under a box or lid with your child watching. Draw your child's attention to the box and then lift it, revealing the ball. If your child acts surprised, he hasn't yet mastered the concept of object permanence but repeating the exercise can help him begin to grasp the concept.

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