This May, in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, the nonprofit organization MESH Helps is launching its largest consumer-facing awareness campaign to date: Play for Resilience.
The Play for Resilience initiative aims to meet families where they’re at by integrating resilience-building play into the spaces where communities already gather and connect. The month-long event will kick off at Chuck E. Cheese locations across the U.S. from May 1 through May 8. At more than 450 participating locations, families can experience new activities, video content, and resources that highlight the power of play in developing critical Mental, Emotional, and Social Health (MESH) skills in young kids.
Families can experience a variety of MESH-Accredited toys at their local libraries throughout May. | Source: Ravensburger
Families can experience a variety of MESH-Accredited toys at their local libraries throughout May. | Source: Ravensburger
Families can experience a variety of MESH-Accredited toys at their local libraries throughout May. | Source: Ravensburger
Families can experience a variety of MESH-Accredited toys at their local libraries throughout May. | Source: MindWare
Families can experience a variety of MESH-Accredited toys at their local libraries throughout May. | Source: MindWare
Families can experience a variety of MESH-Accredited toys at their local libraries throughout May. | Source: MAGNA-TILES
Families can experience a variety of MESH-Accredited toys at their local libraries throughout May. | Source: Chick-Fil-A
Families can experience a variety of MESH-Accredited toys at their local libraries throughout May. | Source: Connetix
Afterward, throughout the rest of the month, MESH Helps brings kid-friendly mental health resources to nearly 300 American Library Association member libraries across the U.S., giving families, caregivers, and educators access to essential tools to help support kids’ social and emotional growth. Each event will spotlight a range of MESH-Accredited toys and games, such as Rush Hour, Zingo!, and Puzzle Up from Ravensburger; Friends & Neighbors and The How I Survived Game from MindWare; and additional fan-favorites from MAGNA-TILES, Pennycake, Connetix, and Blue Marble.
“Play is one of the most natural and powerful ways children build resilience,” said Rachele Harmuth, founder of MESH Helps. “Mental Health Awareness Month is an opportunity to meet families where they are and help them understand how everyday play experiences can support children’s well-being.”
To learn more about the Play for Resilience initiative and to find participating locations, visit meshhelps.org. Companies interested in submitting their products for MESH Accreditation can do so year-round online.
