Belinda Levychin, Program & Marketing Director

As a Fire Power, I always liked to say when working on a project with a deadline it is always helpful to have someone with Wood Power on your team. Their competitive need to win and get things done can be great, they, after all, love to keep it moving. But what happens when there is nothing to be done, nothing to win?

As the oldest grandchild in our family (#1 of 26), I loved to be in control and always wanted to win. In fact, I score highly for Wood Power as well. My siblings have since informed me that I was the pushy, bossy big sister. Of course, I cannot deny that this has helped me in life as I often seek to lead projects in order to get the desired control. It also fueled my ambitious nature and gave me the tenacity required to get quick promotions in my jobs over the years.

My basic mantra was, if I’m playing, I’m playing to win! Often, it was lost on me to be present to the actual experience of the game itself. The focus was always on the end result. But recently I had an a-ha moment while learning to play a card game from an experienced master player. She taught me that sometimes it wasn’t about having the best cards to win but having the precision and grace to work with the cards you have been dealt. Could this be a metaphor for life? Interestingly enough, in her real life she has reached some major pinnacles. I could see in watching her play how balanced she was both as a card player and a fully expressed human being.

In Tournesol Kids Core Concepts, Wood Power hero is described as someone who brings courage to the world through movement, grit and freedom of choice. The specific hero-helpers, the powers that feed you, are Water Power and Fire Power, while the hero-challengers are Gold Power and Earth Power. If you have a child who is a Wood Power, you may find yourself feeling proud of their ability to get things done, maybe even marvel at their take charge attitude. The question you might ask yourself is how are they when it comes down to relating to their friends or maybe sitting down to a group meal; how patient are they when working on a project, particularly a group project?

The Tournesol Kids Game has some great Gold and Earth exercises that can help Wood Power kids find their balance. One example of a Gold Exercise is called What’s the Point? This exercise is designed to improve cognitive flexibility. It is a game centered on figuring out multiple ways to use different objects.

Find out more about this game and other exercises on our website.