Dr Amanda Gummer’s Fundamentally Children has partnered with the international toy company, ThinkFun to launch MESH Helps, a new accreditation programme to evaluate and certify play products that promote mental, emotional, and social health.

“Research shows that parent’s top concern is their children’s mental, emotional, and social health. MESHHelps.org was launched to address how the toy industry can build children’s resilience through play,” said Rachele Harmuth, head of ThinkFun.

“As the toy industry is rapidly embracing this idea, the top request has been for a review process that would allow products to be MESH accredited. We’re excited to invite all toy and game companies to be the first to join this movement.”

The MESH Accreditation Programme will evaluate products based on the research compiled by ThinkFun in partnership with resilience expert, Dr Deborah Gilboa.

Meanwhile, Fundamentally Children has adapted this research into an accreditation framework that will focus on the eight critical mental, emotional, and social health skills along with fur play patterns that can intentionally build resilience – detailed in the MESH White Paper – to evaluate products.

“Identifying MESH products gives us a new way to share the impact of toys and games. It allows us to see products through a new lens and strengthen children’s mental health through play,” said Rachele.

A division of Ravensburger, ThinkFun developed MESH Helps to support the mental health of children today. The outfit functions as an independent nonprofit with a mission to help kids build resilience through play by strengthening the critical skills of mental, emotional, and social health.