Totem the feel good game – Team Building, Therapy Games for Teens, Family Games for Kids and Adults, Counseling Activities, Boost Mindfulness, Social Emotional Skills and Self-Esteem

I purchased this because I was researching games for my classroom to build community. I decided to try it out with my family. This is such a wonderful game. We pick out an animal that represents the dealer. It took a bit of convincing to my animal lover daughter that she shouldn't pick her favorite animal but the one that represents the dealer :) Then we get to talk about the wonderful things associated with the dealer and their positive traits. And you get to do it again with the second set of cards. When it was my turn to be the dealer I had to hold back the tears! Totem provides a structured and safe way to share compliments. It's not an wide open field. Because you have to select from 7 cards, it gives you boundaries and helps focus your thoughts about a person. I can tell you that my 7 year old son was better able to give positive comments about his sister using this game than he ever has. It wasn't a general "you're nice" or "I like your shirt." He was able to articulate "I think you're like a whale because even when I'm having a hard time you can be calm and help me through it." I was BLOWN AWAY! The kids keep asking to play the game every day and love to call each other by their given totem. Best purchase for our family in a long time! I'm very excited to try this out with my classroom throughout the year and will continue to love playing it with my family. Buy it. You won't be disappointed.

I bought this game because we all love games, but I wanted something that wouldn't be competitive. I wanted to play something that would bring us together as a family and remind my tween and teen we are all on the same team as we blend our family. This has been a great tool for that. It really speaks love and life into one another and you finish feeling uplifted. I think it is good for families, friends, and spouses. We play anytime there is tension, strife, or when I just feel like we need to bond a bit more. I recommend reminding everyone who is playing that it is not a competition and to only say kind words when you are playing. Don't go through the cards and say things like, "well that is definitely NOT you" or anything that could be taken as negative. We have found that the more examples we use to tell the person why we picked that card for them the better. Really elaborate and speak kindness into one another. Totem has a way of uplifting and bringing happy tears and releasing tension.

Awesome team building activity! It's fun to play and interesting to see what totem each recipient ends up with. Although it is recommended for 3-8 people, we have used in our 12 person group with no problem. Think of the quality card as "What inspires me in you" and the animal card as "What I like about you". So a Storytelling Cicada has a knack for storytelling and is comfortable breaking the silence. Each game is different based on the cards each person has in their hand to choose from and their perspective on interactions/views they have of the person being honored. It's probably best played with people that know each other fairly well for hearing good shared stories but can also be good to get to know people by guessing their strengths and seeing if they agree. Best played when people feel they can be vulnerable in honest and open communcation.

We enjoyed the conversation that was sparked by sharing. The idea of rating the cards, most to least had little value. Guessing who said what might be more fun. I like it as a conversation starter but it's not really a game. I bought this for a disabled adult - it's not as powerful due to the need to understand concepts and have a larger vocabulary. Cards are nice quality and if you, family and friends are open to conversation this is a lovely way to engage. I really like the concept of telling people what you like about them.

I’m a clinical social worker in private practice working mostly with children, teens, and young adults. This game is wonderful for building a therapeutic alliance with kids, reinforcing psychological concepts and coping strategies, exploring issues, and building self esteem. While the game was intended for group play, I use it in individual therapy with kids in a number of different ways that help children to identify their own strengths and weaknesses. The game often ends up becoming a springboard for children to talk about the things that challenge them in a way that feels safe and fun. The game also provides an opportunity for children to see how attributes are not “all or none” and how our “gifts” can sometimes be to our detriment when not in moderation (i.e. one card says “I do things with precision”). I play the game by dealing 7 cards to both myself and the child and then ask them to put them in order face down in the order most to least relevant for them (or, what they think apply to me if it’s a child I know well). Then we turn over one card at a time and discuss why we picked it, giving examples of how the attribute fits or doesn’t fit us. Sometimes we swap cards when it seems to fit better for the other person. Sometimes I place the cards in order for the child the way I think they might do it and then they correct it and we see how many I got right. I let them do the same for me. In the end, I have kids pick 9 cards that were most relevant to them, place them in a 3 x 3 grid, and take a picture with their smartphone as a reminder of their “gifts”. Please note, the words used in the deck of cards to describe traits and attributes are, for the most part, too advanced for elementary school-age children, so the game is used for my middle and high school kids. Even these children will sometimes not know the meaning of a word, so I will either tell them or let them google it for a definition. I have contacted the company and suggested they make a “junior” version and hope they soon will! I have many games in the office and this is, hands down, one of my favorite.

As title says, bought this for my partner and I but didn't realise (our fault) that this is for 3 players or more. Great idea though, really like the premise so look forward to playing properly.

A Brilliant product was about to use immediately in facilitated conversation and generated quite a lot of energy. Really nice visual and the meaning behind each card has been well thought out.

Muy buena compra y funciona muy bien en grupos. ¡Lo recomiendo 100%.!

It’s the second 1 I bought. We absolutely love it, great game to play and bond with friends and family. Suitable for young children 8+.

Attention malgré la description en français, le jeu est en anglais