I love staying up on what’s cool for kids, so when I went to the New York International Toy Fair for the 9th year in a row, I was laser focused on finding the trends and the raddest toys to match. Here are four trends that you won’t be able to miss when you hit up the toy stores this year whether you’re at Target or your local high-end specialty boutique. Stay tuned for individual posts highlighting each trend and a handful of specific toys that you’ll secretly want to snatch up for yourself.

The Maker Movement 

Kristin Morency Goldman of the Toy Industry Association, whose members are responsible for nearly $75 billion of economic activity in the US, says, “Customization and DIY in every category of toy lets kids put their unique stamp on everything that they play with.” Kids love to make stuff and this trend takes it to the next level and transforms STEM (science, tech, engineering and math) into STEAM (science, tech, engineering, art and math).

Open-Ended Play 

“In today’s fast-paced child’s life of being shuttled to and from activities and lots of screen time, open-ended play gives kids a chance to just relax, be kids, explore with no boundaries and no rules,” says Kristin. Think blocks, games that let you create your own deck of possibilities, and other activities that have endless options.

Dino-mania

With two blockbuster dinosaur movies coming out this year, “Jurassic World” and “The Good Dinosaur“, you can pretty much guarantee a dinosaur toy trend.  From licensed to classic wooden versions of prehistoric friends; they will be everywhere by the end of the year.

Water World 

There’s something magical and relaxing about the water and kids are naturally drawn to it. So, from bath and beach toys to underwater fantasy toys like mermaids and other educational underwater life toys, water is going to play a bigger role than ever this year.