Estimated reading time: 5-6 minutes
NEW YORK — As more children grapple with mental health issues as we emerge from the pandemic, parents are looking for ways to build emotional resilience in their children.
And toy companies are paying close attention.
Although still in its early stages, more and more toy marketers are using MESH (mental, emotional, and social health) as a way to adapt to new challenges, resolve conflicts, advocate for themselves, and more. accepted as the name of a toy that teaches children skills. problem solving.
The acronym was first used by the Child Development Circle and the American Camp Association a decade ago and has taken on new resonance in the wake of the pandemic. Rachel Harms, head of Think Fun, a division of toy company Ravensberger, and Deborah Gilboa, a resilience expert and family physician, urge manufacturers to design toys with emotional resilience in mind. The MESH Task Force was formed earlier this year with the goal of getting retailers to sell it. Accordingly.
“We just need parents and educators to know that they may be using their play time a little more intentionally,” Gilboa said.
The plan is to certify MESH toys by mid-2024, in the same way the toy association has done for STEAM toys, which emphasize science, technology, engineering, art and math. Toy Association spokesperson Adrian Appel said MESH is an area that will continue to be monitored as it develops.
Many of the toys that are considered MESH may already be in a child’s toy box, such as memory games, dolls, some types of Legos, Pokemon trading games, and Dungeons & Dragons. The concept was highlighted at the recent four-day annual toy industry trade show in New York, where companies such as hand2mind and Open the Joy, which encourage children to express their emotions using mirrors and dolls, A wide variety of toys were on display.
James Zahn, editor-in-chief of trade publication Toy Book, noted that the majority of new toys being developed with MESH in mind will be released starting next year.
But some worry that the MESH approach promises parents something they can’t deliver. There is also a risk that companies could prey on parents’ concerns about their children’s mental health.
“My concern is that MESH will be used as the next marketing gimmick,” said Chris Byrne, an independent toy analyst. “You’re going to create a culture of fear that kids aren’t developing socially and emotionally, and that’s not what the toy industry is supposed to do.”
Experts say childhood depression and anxiety have been on the rise in recent years, but the constant stress and sadness of the pandemic has made it particularly difficult for those already dealing with mental health issues and learning remotely. This added to the suffering for children who are cut off from counselors and other school resources.Many educators have begun to emphasize social and emotional learning.g Accordingly, teach children soft skills such as helping them manage their emotions and build positive relationships with others.
Dave Anderson, vice president of school and community programs and senior psychologist at the Child Mind Institute’s ADHD and Behavioral Disorders Center, similarly sees the toy industry’s efforts to address emotional resiliency. praised. But he said parents should be wary of claims that companies may make. While there is evidence that the skills highlighted by the MESH task force can increase resilience, there is no evidence that toys themselves can increase resilience, he said.
“While the concept is evidence-based, the toy itself is not,” he said.
Brine points out that the skills the MESH task force emphasizes are fundamental to play, whether it’s skateboarding to develop patience or learning how to share toys to help resolve conflicts.
“In my opinion, if you live in a healthy home, have healthy play, and your parents are engaged, things like MESH automatically happen,” he says. I did.
The U.S. toy industry itself is in need of a boost after this year’s downturn, and especially following a lackluster 2022 holiday season. Retailers were struggling with a surplus of toys after parents splurged on them during the pandemic. The slump has continued this year, with toy sales in the U.S. dropping 8% from January to August, according to data from Circana’s retail tracking service.
The MESH task force initially worked with specialty stores like Learning Express and small toy companies like Crazy Aaron’s, going beyond Thinking Putty to help children solve problems such as how magnets work with putty. We have expanded to include activity kits that teach solving. One of the games ThinkFun is marketing is Rush Hour, a sliding block logic game where kids battle traffic jams.
But big retailers like Amazon are also starting to wake up to the MESH approach.
“The growing popularity of MESH toys speaks to the power of play and the important role toys play in our lives,” said Anne Calihill, Amazon’s director of toys and games.
Sarah Davis, a mother of three boys ages 3, 6 and 9, is open to the idea of MESH toys. A Great Falls, Va., resident said her 6-year-old son has a speech delay while wearing a mask during the pandemic, and her 9-year-old son is isolated and unable to socialize because he’s glued to his child’s world. He said he was having problems. Laptop.
“My kids don’t have any anxiety about school,” she said, but added. “I still worry about the long-term effects of what happened then.”
More important than the promise of building emotional resilience through MESH is whether the toy itself is actually fun.
“Would my kids ask for a toy like that for Christmas?” Davis asked. “I’m very interested in them, so I’m going to keep an eye on them.”
