Questions · Back to school
Back-to-school questions for the week before and the weeks after
Questions for the end of summer and the start of a school year: on the supply run, at dinner the week before, and in the first few weeks while kids settle into new teachers, new classes and new routines.
- 18 questions
- EN + TL on every card
- Free in the app
Kumustahan is a bilingual conversation card app: 1,200 questions in English and Filipino across 7 decks, with a short reflection on the back of every card.
Tell us about a small routine that helps you feel okay when your day feels off.
Ikuwento yung small routine na tumutulong sa'yo maging okay kapag off ang araw mo.
A routine does not have to be impressive to help. Sometimes familiar steps are enough to help you find your footing again.
Hindi kailangang impressive ang routine para makatulong. Minsan sapat na yung familiar na steps para makabalik ka sa okay.
The questions
18 back-to-school questions
Every question in English and Filipino/Tagalog, word for word from the Kumustahan decks. Open “Back of the card” for the reflection printed on the other side.
On the supply run
5 questions
Light questions about the things they carry and the seat they pick.
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Pick one small item you use often that makes life feel a little easier.
Pumili ng isang small item na madalas mong gamitin at nagpapagaan ng life kahit konti.
Back of the card
Small useful things can feel quietly heroic. They make the day easier without asking for attention.
May small useful things na quietly heroic. Pinapadali nila yung araw nang hindi nagpapapansin, kahit simple lang sila.
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Name one item you always seem to lose, like keys, earphones, a pen, a charger, or your wallet.
Magbanggit ng isang item na parang lagi mong nawawala, like susi, earphones, pen, charger, o wallet.
Back of the card
Some items have a talent for vanishing at the worst time. At some point, it starts to feel like a relationship issue.
May items na ang galing mawala sa worst time. Dumadating sa point na parang relationship issue na siya.
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When you enter a classroom, meeting room, or café, where do you usually choose to sit?
Pagpasok mo sa classroom, meeting room, o café, saan ka usually pumipili umupo?
Back of the card
Seat choices can reveal comfort, strategy, or pure habit. Somehow we all have a spot our body chooses first.
May sinasabi rin yung seat choice: comfort, strategy, o habit lang talaga. Minsan katawan na ang pumipili.
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Name the small thing you always bring, even for a quick errand.
Sabihin yung small thing na lagi mong dala kahit quick errand lang.
Back of the card
The thing you always bring has earned its place. It may be small, but it clearly passed the trust test.
Yung lagi mong dala, may reason yan. Maliit lang siya, pero clearly pasado sa trust test.
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Before leaving the house, what do you always check?
Bago umalis ng bahay, ano yung lagi mong chine-check?
Back of the card
Small checks are tiny protection from future hassle. Everyone has one thing they refuse to leave up to memory.
Maliit lang yung check, pero nakakaiwas sa future hassle. Lahat tayo may isang bagay na hindi pwedeng memory lang.
New routines
5 questions
After-school habits and the parts of the day that feel easiest.
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When you get home, what’s the first thing you usually do?
Pag-uwi mo, ano yung unang bagay na usually mong ginagawa?
Back of the card
That first move can be funny, tired, quiet, or automatic. It can say something about how you settle in.
Yung first move na iyon pwedeng nakakatawa, pagod, tahimik, o automatic. May sinasabi rin siya kung paano ka nagse-settle.
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Tell us about a small routine that helps you feel okay when your day feels off.
Ikuwento yung small routine na tumutulong sa'yo maging okay kapag off ang araw mo.
Back of the card
A routine does not have to be impressive to help. Sometimes familiar steps are enough to help you find your footing again.
Hindi kailangang impressive ang routine para makatulong. Minsan sapat na yung familiar na steps para makabalik ka sa okay.
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What helps you settle down after a full day?
Ano ang nakakatulong sa'yo mag-settle after a full day?
Back of the card
The way you come down from a full day matters. Small rituals can help your mind know it is safe to rest.
Mahalaga rin kung paano ka bumababa from a full day. Kahit maliit na ritual, puwedeng signal na safe nang magpahinga.
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Which kind of task makes you lose track of time?
Anong klaseng task yung nakakalimutan mong oras kapag ginagawa mo?
Back of the card
The tasks that make time move fast can reveal what absorbs you, energizes you, or quietly fits how your mind works.
Yung tasks na nagpapabilis ng oras pwedeng clue kung ano ang kumukuha ng focus mo, nagpapagana sa'yo, o bagay sa utak mo.
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Which part of your day do you look forward to?
Anong part ng araw mo ang inaabangan mo?
Back of the card
The part you look forward to can be a clue. It shows where your day still gives you a little life.
Clue din yung part na inaabangan mo. Ipinapakita niya kung saan may konting buhay pa sa araw mo.
Nerves and new friends
5 questions
For the kid who is quiet about how they feel about the new year.
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Name something you are nervous about that still feels worth trying.
Magsabi ng isang bagay na kinakabahan ka pero parang worth it pa ring subukan.
Back of the card
Nerves and courage often show up together. The fear does not automatically mean the step is wrong.
Madalas magkasama ang kaba at courage. Hindi porket may takot, mali na agad ang step.
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When you meet a new friend or group, how do you usually get comfortable?
Kapag may bago kang friend o group, paano ka usually nagiging comfortable?
Back of the card
People warm up at different speeds. Some start with jokes, some with listening, some by quietly showing up again.
Iba-iba ang pace ng pag-warm up. May dumadaan sa jokes, may sa pakikinig, at may tahimik lang na bumabalik ulit.
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When joining friends for an activity, what helps you feel included?
Kapag may activity ang friends, ano ang nagpaparamdam na kasama ka rin?
Back of the card
Being invited and being able to join are not always the same thing.
Hindi laging pareho ang niyayaya ka at ang kaya mong sumali.
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What helped you feel welcome in a new place?
Ano ang nakatulong para maramdaman mong welcome ka sa isang bagong lugar?
Back of the card
Would you do something similar for someone new? You can also leave it as a good memory.
Gagawin mo rin ba iyon para sa bagong dating? Puwede ring magandang alaala na lang muna ito.
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Where do you need a little more courage this week?
Saan mo kailangan ng konting dagdag courage this week?
Back of the card
Courage does not always look big. Sometimes it is one honest message, one boundary, or one careful next step.
Hindi laging malaki ang courage. Minsan isang honest message, isang boundary, o isang maingat na next step lang.
Goals for the year
3 questions
Small ones, the kind a kid actually wants.
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Which small plan are you looking forward to?
Anong small plan ang nilu-look forward mo?
Back of the card
Looking forward to something simple can help a week feel kinder. Small plans are allowed to matter.
Nakakagaan ng week kapag may simpleng nilu-look forward. Puwedeng maging mahalaga kahit maliit na plan lang.
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When learning something new, what help do you like from a friend?
Kapag may bago kang inaaral, anong tulong ang gusto mo mula sa friend?
Back of the card
Show me once, let me try, or stay beside me — which help would you choose?
Ipakita muna, hayaan akong sumubok, o samahan ako — alin ang pipiliin mong tulong?
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If someone worked or studied with you for one week, what would they notice about your style?
Kung may makakasama ka sa work o school for one week, ano kaya ang mapapansin nila sa style mo?
Back of the card
Your style may show in pace, focus, questions, breaks, or how you handle pressure. People notice more than we think.
Pwedeng lumabas ang style mo sa pace, focus, tanong, breaks, o paano ka humarap sa pressure. Marami palang napapansin ang tao.
How to use them
Before you ask
Back-to-school questions work best before the first day, while there’s still time to talk about nerves and plans without the pressure of homework. Ask about the small stuff first, like where they like to sit or what they always lose, and the bigger worries often come out on their own.
Kids rarely say “I’m nervous” directly. They get quiet, irritable or suddenly very interested in their phone. A question about a scary thing that might still be worth a shot, or what helps them get comfortable in a new group, gives them a way to say it without making it a big conversation.
Once school starts, the routine questions take over. Ask what the first thing they do when they get home is, or which part of the day feels easiest so far. Those answers tell you more about how the year is going than “how was school?” ever will.
Good for
Tips
- Ask during the supply run, in the car, not across the kitchen table.
- Share your own first-day nerves from when you were their age.
- Don’t solve every worry. Sometimes they just need it heard.
- Check in again two weeks in; that’s when the real story of the year shows up.
- For the first day itself, see first day of school questions.
Decks for this
Back to school
Frequently asked questions
What questions should I ask my child before school starts?
Easy ones about supplies and seats first, then gentle ones about nerves and new friends: one nervous-but-excited thing about the year, or what helps them feel included when joining a group.
How do I help my kid with back-to-school anxiety?
Give them low-pressure chances to talk, like car rides and errands, ask open questions instead of “are you nervous?”, and listen without fixing everything at once.
Are these questions okay for teenagers?
Yes. They are short and not babyish, and the routine and goal questions work well with middle and high schoolers who resist bigger conversations.
Bring a better question to the table.
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