CONNETIX meets MESH: Play ideas for developing your child’s mental, emotional & social health

By Michelle Lee

What is MESH?

In today’s fast-paced world, children are facing increasing levels of mental distress from academic pressures, social relationships and the impact of global events. MESH (Mental, Emotional and Social Health) skills are essential tools that help children manage their mental distress, protect them from risky behaviors and enable them to build resilience in the face of challenges.

In my role as an Occupational Therapist (OT), supporting children’s mental, social and emotional health through meaningful daily activities was central to my holistic, child-centered approach. OTs help children develop essential strategies for managing stress, regulating emotions and navigating social interactions – often using play as a primary tool. Research shows that children who build strong MESH (Mental, Emotional and Social Health) skills through such interventions are more likely to thrive academically, form positive relationships and maintain strong mental health as they grow.

The Four MESH Play Patterns

Parents can support their children’s resilience and wellbeing through four MESH play patterns that foster mental, emotional and social growth during playtime:

Overcoming Obstacles
Encourages children to tackle challenges, helping them develop problem-solving skills and perseverance for facing difficulties with confidence.
Storytelling
Allows children to express emotions and understand their experiences, building self-advocacy and emotional regulation through imaginative play.
Increasing Challenge
Gradually introduces more complex tasks, helping children think critically, adapt and recognise when to ask for help.
Bridging Play
Invites adults to join, modeling problem-solving and communication, plus fostering stronger relationships and social skills.

CONNETIX and MESH

In my role as an OT, I was constantly in search of therapeutic tools that, in addition to supporting my clients’ mental, emotional and social wellbeing, were practical, engaging, adaptable to varying ages and needs, that were also useful across home, school and clinic-based settings. CONNETIX satisfies all these criteria!

CONNETIX have recently received MESH accreditation for five packs as part of the inaugural launch of the MESH Accreditation Program, that is reviewed by child development experts and tested with children by an official accrediting body FUNdamentally Children. Using the MESH Accreditation Framework—rooted in the research detailed in the MESH White Paper—FUNdamentally Children evaluates products based on eight critical skills and four key MESH Play Patterns that foster resilience.

These skills are:

Problem solving
Perseverance
Adaptability
Self-regulation
Self-advocacy
Cognition
Conflict resolution
Communication

CONNETIX Activities that Develop MESH Skills

Activity 1: Family Tower Challenge

Objective:

Work together to build the tallest tower possible using the fewest CONNETIX.

Setup:

Set a goal of building a tower that stands on its own while using the least number of tiles. Start with a conversation about how to create a strong, tall tower. Encourage the family to discuss ideas for stability and height. Prompt with questions like:

“What can we use as a stable base?”
“What happens if we make this part taller?”
“How can we make it stronger?”

MESH Focus:

This activity promotes teamwork, critical thinking and resilience. It helps children learn to collaborate, problem-solve and persevere through trial and error.

MESH Play Patterns

1. Obstacle Identification & Problem-Solving:

Begin building the tower and observe how it stands. If the tower leans or falls, identify why it might be happening (e.g. a weak base or unbalanced tiles). Encourage children to think of solutions for stability, such as adjusting the base or redistributing tiles.

Example prompt: “The tower keeps falling over. Do you think it’s leaning because of the base? What can we do to help it stand straight?”

2. Storytelling:

As you build, create a narrative around the tower. For example, imagine it’s a castle or a skyscraper, and discuss why it needs to be tall and strong. Let children describe the purpose of the tower and any “challenges” it faces.

Example prompt: “Our tower is a castle for a giant! What would happen if the wind blows? How can we make sure it stays standing?”

3. Increasing Challenge:

Once the tower reaches a certain height, challenge the family to add more height while maintaining stability. You can introduce constraints, like only allowing certain pieces or asking them to build with fewer tiles.

Example challenge: “We’ve built it this high, but can we make it even taller with just five more tiles? What can we adjust?”

4. Bridging Play:

Encourage collaboration by asking for help and sharing ideas. If the tower becomes unstable, model asking a family member for advice or ideas.

Example phrase: “We’re almost there, but it’s a bit wobbly. Let’s ask your brother for a tip on making it stronger.”

Activity 2: Racing Tracks

Objective:

Set up parallel tracks with the CONNETIX Ball Run and predict which ball will travel through the track faster.

Setup:

Build two or more parallel tracks for a racing challenge. Choose different lengths, heights or track shapes to make each path unique. Encourage your child to predict which ball will complete the course first. If appropriate, you can also ask them to explain why they have chosen their answer.

MESH Focus:

This activity promotes problem-solving, storytelling, adaptability and social connection by involving children in friendly competition and collaborative play.

MESH Play Patterns

1. Obstacle Identification & Problem-Solving:

Set up each racing track with intentional design differences, such as varying heights, curves or obstacles. Encourage children to think about how these differences might impact each ball’s speed and direction. While testing the track, your child might encounter obstacles such as:

Blocked path
Corner turn where the ball flies off track
Tracks that don’t support momentum required for the ball to continue moving
Structures are unstable or fall down

Encourage your child to come up with creative solutions as they arise. Example prompt: “The ball seems to come off the track here. What can we do to make it stay on?”

2. Storytelling:

Create a fun narrative around the race by giving each ball a name, a backstory and draw a face with a chalk marker. Each ball could represent a character with its own motivation to win. Encourage children to describe what their character is experiencing during the race.

Example prompt: “This is Speedy Sam—he loves fast tracks! How do you think he feels about this big ramp coming up?”

3. Increasing Challenge:

Once the initial race is complete, add new challenges to the tracks. For example, make one track steeper, add extra curves, or adjust the tiles to create different levels of difficulty. Ask children to predict which ball will win after each change.

Example challenge: “Let’s add a bigger ramp on this track. Do you think it will make Speedy Sam faster or slower?”

4. Bridging Play:

Encourage collaborative play by asking family members or friends to join in. Model how to make predictions together, take turns with different tracks or discuss each ball’s performance. This fosters teamwork and social connection.

Example phrase: “Let’s ask Mum which track she thinks is the fastest and why!”

Through intentional play with CONNETIX, children can develop essential MESH skills that foster resilience, problem-solving abilities and positive social connections. By incorporating activities like the Family Tower Challenge and Racing Tracks, CONNETIX can make playtime both enjoyable and meaningful, nurturing skills that will benefit our children throughout life.

Want to learn more about MESH make sure to check out our other MESH blogs!

Michelle Lee

Michelle Lee has a background in occupational therapy and special education, previously supporting neurodiverse children and adolescents in school-based, home-based and clinical settings in individual and group therapy. Michelle has enjoyed working with parents and educators to find practical, engaging play-based solutions to support development, needs and interests of their children and students. Michelle is a proud mum of two and is currently on maternity leave, soon to welcome her third child to the family. In her spare time she enjoys pilates, reading and photography.

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