Toys are vital for your baby’s physical, cognitive and social development. Try to find toys that are age appropriate. Here are five different playthings you can give to your kids that could be both entertaining and educational.

Found Playthings: Your baby will enjoy playing with a variety of household objects, but make sure they’re safe. You might try cardboard boxes, piece of paper, cloth, measuring spoons and cups, plastic containers and lids, an unbreakable mirror, gloves or mittens and so on. Make sure to watch your child while he plays with the objects.

Store-Bought Playthings: Most store-bought toys list the appropriate ages on the packages. Choose toys that fit your baby’s development level. Occasionally your baby may enjoy playing with something that’s designed for older children, just make sure it’s safe for the baby to play and watch him while he is playing.

Open-Ended Plaything: Some toys can be played with in lots different ways. Babies continue to open-ended toys as they grow and develop. For example, a plastic cup and saucer can be banged, and then used for a tea part, then can be turned into a spaceship. Toys that aren’t open-ended tend to lose their attraction quickly.

Challenging Playthings: Give your baby toys that would challenge him to learn new skills. You don’t want the toys to be so difficult that your baby becomes frustrated, but you don’t want them to be so easy that he becomes bored. For example, younger babies are content on chewing on nesting toys such as cups, rings, and blocks. As babies grow older nesting toys offer different challenges such as sorting them together.

Home-made Playthings: If you’re creative and have the time, you can make your own baby toys out of the simple household objects. For example, you can use worn-out socks to make puppets. Just make sure the toys you will make are safe, durable, and appropriate for your baby’s developmental level.