Object permanence

Object permanence if you have heard of this term and you have older children, you probably know how important this can be for children to develop. If you are a new parent and just wondering what this is and just confused about the whole thing, I am here to help. Object permanence is the understanding that things continue to exist even after you can no longer see, hear, or touch. So if you put a toy in a box and you know that the toy still exists, then you have object permanence. you might want to seek a professional If you do not know that the toy still exists, because this is a skill that is typically developed between 7 and 12 months of age.

 
 

So why should you care about whether your child develops this skill? Well there are lots of reasons. Does your child scream uncontrollably when everyone leaves the room, or even leaves line of sight. Well I must confess that I have one of them and I must say that it is very annoying to say the least … I just can't wait till she is not doing that anymore. There is another practical reason why you should care if this skill is developed. Around the age of 9 months a child (with help … depending on the child's motor development) can learn to "put their toys away". Now you can not tell me that having your child picking up their own toys would not help you keeping your house clean.

 
 

Now you are probably a little intrigued, and want to know what you can do to help your child develop these skills. Well I am going to tell you, but there is two parts to Object permanence. First when you put an object on the floor, it is going to typically stay there till you pick it up and move it. The second is if an object is put in a box or under a blanket, it will remain there till it is removed.

 
 

To help with the first part you have a rule to follow. If your child leaves a room with toys on the floor, the toys must remain on the floor. If the toys need to be picked up before you expect the child to return to the room, pick up the toys before the child leaves the room.

 
 

To help with learning to pick up toys, you may want to pick up the toys with the child before naps and bed time. This will help the child learn that this needs to be done, and learn where toys go. Major rule here is "everything has a place, and everything in its place.".

 
 

To help with the second part you get to have fun and play some games!!! Yes really exciting right. Don't you just love playing games. What you will need for the many games are buckets or boxes (different sizes and some with lids), a blanket, and some of your child's favorite toys.

 
 

Drop in the bucket game

You will need a bucket or a box (no lid) and some toys that will not break (if thrown in bucket). The object is to pick up the toys and put them in the bucket, then you can take your child over to the bucket and show them that the toys are still there. At this point you can dump the toys back out onto the floor and play with them for a little bit (spreading them back over the floor). This has a duel role in it also teaches the child how to pick up toys and put them in the bucket.

 
 

Where did it go? Is it in the box?

This game requires a box or bucket with a lid (make sure it is easy to remove), and some toys. Show the child the toy, place it in the box, and put the lid on the box. You will then ask where did it go? Is it in the BOX? Then you help the child open the box to find the toy.

 
 

Where did it go?

To play this game you will need a blanket, and some toys (ones that make noise are good for this). Lay the blanket out and show the toy to the child. Place the toy under the blanket and ask the child where the toy is. Pull the blanket back to reviel the toy … this game is like peek-a-boo and you can use the blanket to play that as well.

 
 

Peek-a-boo

 
 

Where is thumbkin (song)

 
 

Well I appreciate you listening (reading) my little speech here, and I hope that it has helped you out a lot. I am the mother of a 3 1/2 year old and a 7 1/2 month old. I am trying to open a non-profit org. to help under privileged families have access to homeschooling. So stay tuned to my blog for further details on how you can help this dream come true.

 
 

Learning through life