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Imbucare is italian for ‘post’ like post a letter in the mailbox. An activity where the child is using his hands to put something into something, its called imbucare, like putting a ball into a box or a stone into a drawer or money into a piggy bank. Posting objects into the boxes is a natural sensory activity for young children aged 6 months to 12 months. It helps in the following ways

1.Improves hand-eye coordination

2.Aids in pincer grasp

3. Practising fine motor skills

4.Develop object permanence with an additional challenge

The concept of object permanence was developed by psychologist Jean Piaget and Maria Montessori, the educator progressed this idea into her teachings in the early 20th century.

Babies have difficulty understanding that the world exists beyond their point of view and expeirence.Young babies get upset when an object or mumma and puppa go out of sight for a minute. Piaget reffered to these mental images as schemas. A schema is a category of knowledge about something in this world for the baby.

There are many versions of imbucare box but the underlying concept is object permanence. Woodbee’s imbucare box of object permanence offers a cuboid with a drawer and a rolling ball. The ball is pushed through the hole. The shape is then retrieved by the baby in front of the box upon opening the drawer. It is a traditional montessori material and is quite fascinating for a baby who is in the sensorineural phase of developing object permanence. Also check our object permanence box level 1 with a tray.

Age recommended: 6 months to 24 months