As a regular attendee of the American International Toy Fair, one thing that has struck me this year is less technology overall, rather than more. Last year it seemed like every toy touted the code that would unlock some (un)fabulous new virtual world. This year, there's a refreshing amount of toys designed for creative, hands-on play: building toys, art toys, and some interesting hybrids of the two. Most of them aren't yet available, but you'll see some of them reviewed here on Z Recommends as they go online.

Cardboard construction made its way into several booths, inviting kids to build, color, and decorate all manner of cardboard play houses, dollhouses, toys, and furniture. With these DIY cardboard furniture kits from Elia, kids can make their own chairs and toy cubbies, which they can decorate with paint, markers, or the included sticker sheets. | $41 (mini chair), Eliafun.com


The bamboo blocks of Be Blocks are blank canvases for your creative building fun. Each set includes 18 blocks, markers, over 100 stencils, and an idea booklet. | $50, Be-Blocks.com


If you’re like Z and Jeremiah, you may be pretty good at making really cool wind-up toys out of junk. For the rest of us, there's the Wind-Up Workshop Robots from Creativity for Kids.


One of the more interesting building toys I found is Geemo from Brooklyn Junior. Made from washable polystyrene, these magnetized building pieces feel great to the touch. You can connect them to each other or to any metal surface. | $42/$80 for sets of 5 or 10, Heroeswillrise.com


It's hard to get puzzles noticed in the middle of a sea of toys, and yet these multi-solutions shape puzzles from P'kolino caught my eye both because of the bold graphic design and because, as the name suggests, there are multiple solutions to change up these faces. | Not yet available


In the simple and elegant building category, there is Totter Tower from Hape Toys. These felt-lined, angled cylinders make the loveliest structures. The felt helps to hold the cylinders together so even the littlest builders can stack them high. | Not yet available


I was a mad fort builder as a kid, so I can only imagine what I would have done with Crazy Forts. One kit comes with 44 sticks and 25 balls that assemble like giant Tinker Toys. Throw some blankets over the top and you’re good to go. | $41, Amazon.com


For interesting open-ended play, I loved Wüd Workers from Maxim Enterprise, shown at top. These kits come with blocks, bolts, wheels and tools to make vehicles, robots, and whatever you (I mean your child!) can dream up. | Not yet available

Amy Kraft writes about kids' media at Media Macaroni.