Our past experiences greatly influence and shape us – we wouldn't be who we are or where we are today without them. When you understand a person's history, you come to respect and appreciate them more, and you can deepen your relationship with them, leading to greater collaboration, creativity, friendship, and success.

The Shaped by Our Past Thumball helps groups talk about past experiences in a fun and engaging way. It's perfect for use at work, school, or at home to break the ice and create an inviting environment where everyone feels invited to share. It’s one of the best collaboration team-building activities for helping participants connect through personal stories and shared experiences.

This Thumball is a fun way to get participants talking about school, friends, family, hobbies, challenges, and more.

Conversation topics include:

• High school regrets
• Mistakes or failures you learned from
• If non-family members had an impact on your life
• Proud childhood moments

Start your next meeting by sharing the goal of using the Shaped by Our Past Thumball, and explain how we each have different past experiences that shape our personalities and our worldview. When we can understand each other better by knowing personal experiences, we can work together better and create more harmony. This makes it a great tool for collaboration team-building activities in workplaces, classrooms, and social groups.

Talking about past experiences can be fun, but it can also bring up difficulties and some unwanted memories. Here are some ways you can effectively use the Shaped by Our Past Thumball:

Tip 1: Take a Pass
If a question feels hard for someone to answer, invite them to take a pass, trade questions with another player, or even toss the ball again for a new question.

Tip 2: Connect the Prompt to Current Experiences
Have the player discuss how their answer to the prompt and their experiences shape who they are and influence their current experiences for some deeper introspection.

Tip 3: Focus on One Question
Before you start tossing the ball, select one question for players to answer when the ball is tossed to them in that round.

By playing in teams, participants will do the following:

• Reflect on past experiences that shaped personal growth
• Share meaningful stories to build connections with others
• Develop a greater understanding of personal and group history

Looking for a fun and effortless way to break the ice and spark meaningful conversations? Thumballs are one of the best collaboration activities for teams. Just toss, catch, and respond to the prompt under your thumb – it's that simple. With engaging and intuitive topics, Thumballs create a relaxed, stress-free environment that energizes any training session, encourages participation, and makes learning more interactive. Get ready to turn every toss into a chance for connection, insight, and fun.

Mary Miller Pembleton, a speech pathologist, created Thumball™ to engage her students with learning challenges by combining speech activities with ball games. After a dream inspired her to market the product, she and her husband Gregg developed and patented Thumball™, which is now used to improve communication and social skills in various settings. Their business, Answers In Motion, also customizes Thumballs for HRDQ and other companies. The product's success has grown with increased publicity and sales, fulfilling their vision of making Thumball™ a household name.