Child Development: Understanding Object Permanence

Children’s cognitive development is a fascinating journey filled with significant milestones. One such crucial milestone is the concept of object permanence. In this blog post, we delve into the world of child development. From when children start grasping this concept to activities that foster its understanding. As parents, we have the privilege of unravelling the secrets that shape the young minds of our children. Throughout their development, they journey through different stages that help them make sense of the world around them.

What is Object Permanence?

Object permanence is the understanding that whether an object can be sensed has no effect on whether it continues to exist. It refers to the capacity to mentally represent objects that are not currently perceivable based on sensory input. Object permanence requires the ability to form a mental representation (i.e. a schema) of the object. For example, if you place a toy under a blanket, the child who has achieved object permanence knows it is there and can actively seek it.

When Does the Comprehension of Object Permanence Emerge?

Understanding when children begin comprehending that something continues to exist even when out of sight or hearing is pivotal for parents and caregivers. Object permanence typically emerges during the sensorimotor stage of Piaget’s cognitive development theory, usually around 8 to 12 months of age.

Table of Piaget child development object permanence — Child Development Stages (Piaget)

Activities That Help a Child’s Understanding of Permanence

There are some activities you can do with your child to help develop their understanding of object permanence. Effective development of this concept involves engaging children in activities that stimulate their cognitive abilities. Here are some enjoyable and educational activities to enhance this developmental milestone:

1. Peek-a-Boo
– The classic game that never loses its charm.
– Reinforces the idea that people and objects don’t disappear permanently.

2. Hide and Seek Adventures
– Hide a favourite toy or object and encourage your child to find it.
– Strengthens the understanding that things exist even when hidden.

3. Interactive Toy Play
– Introduce toys with hidden compartments.
– Enhances cognitive skills by encouraging exploration.

Expert Insights on Object Permanence

Object permanence is a key concept in child development that refers to the ability to understand that objects continue to exist even when they are not visible or audible. According to Jean Piaget, the Swiss psychologist who proposed this idea, object permanence emerges gradually during the first two years of life, as infants develop more complex mental representations of the world. Object permanence is important for cognitive development, as it enables children to form stable expectations, explore their environment, and engage in symbolic play.

Quotes about child development and object permanence

“Object permanence is the foundation of all later cognitive development. It is the basis for memory, reasoning, and problem-solving.” – David Elkind, American child psychologist
“The child’s conception of the world is not a copy of the adult’s. It is constructed gradually, through the processes of assimilation and accommodation, which enable the child to incorporate new experiences into existing schemas or create new ones.” – Jean Piaget, Swiss developmental psychologist and epistemologist
“Object permanence and cognitive development is a process, says DeWitt. It takes time for your baby to learn these skills and there is some variation in how quickly they are mastered. if you hide a toy or item from your baby and they look for it, then, they likely realise it still exists when hidden or out of sight.” – Jennifer DeWitt, MD

“Rather than advance object persistence as an innate principle through which events are interpreted,… persistence is specified by perceptual events such as deletion and accretion, and the developmental question is about infants’ changing ability to perceive object persistence on the basis of these cues.” – Alan M. Leslie, Cognitive scientist
“Children more than ever, need opportunities to be in their bodies in the world – jumping rope, bicycling, stream hopping, and fort building. It’s this engagement between limbs of the body and bones of the earth where true balance and centeredness emerge.” – David Sobel, American education writer and professor of education

Child Development: Understanding Object Permanence