Questions · Camp counselors

Questions for camp counselors, for the staff and the campers

For summer camp staff: icebreakers for training week, easy questions to ask your campers, a check-in with your co-counselor midway through a session, and what to tell each other when the summer ends.

  • 17 questions
  • EN + TL on every card
  • Free in the app
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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.

Getting to know№ 28

When you were younger, what got you excited quickly?

Nung bata ka, ano yung madaling maka-excite sa'yo?

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A note

Early excitement can be fun to remember. It can also show what kind of wonder came naturally to you.

Nakakatuwang balikan yung madaling ika-excite mo dati. Minsan pinapakita rin nito kung anong klaseng wonder ang natural sa'yo.

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The questions

17 questions for camp counselors

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.

Staff training week

4 questions

Find out who’s the guide, who’s the cook and who keeps the photos.

  1. In an adventure story, would you be the guide, cook, builder, storyteller, or someone else?

    Sa adventure story, anong role ang pipiliin mo: guide, cook, builder, storyteller, o iba pa?

    Back of the card

    Your character has one familiar object in their bag. What is it?

    May isang pamilyar na gamit sa bag ng tauhan mo. Ano iyon?

  2. Group photo starts. What is your automatic move?

    May group photo na. Ano ang automatic move mo?

    Back of the card

    Group photos bring out instant instincts. Some people arrange everyone, some disappear behind others, and some are ready before the camera is.

    May automatic instinct kapag group photo na. May taga-ayos, may nagtatago sa likod, may ready bago pa yung camera.

  3. What small thing do you naturally take care of during a hangout?

    Anong maliit na bagay ang natural mong inaasikaso kapag may hangout?

    Back of the card

    Some small things find the same person every time. It can be funny how a group quietly learns who handles what.

    May maliliit na bagay na laging may hinahanap na tao. Funny rin kung paano tahimik na natututo ang group kung sino ang umaasikaso ng ano.

  4. When doing something with friends, which small job do you enjoy helping with?

    Kapag may ginagawa kayo ng friends, anong parte ang gusto mong akuin para makatulong?

    Back of the card

    Would you still enjoy that job with a much bigger group?

    Gusto mo pa rin ba ang gawaing iyon kung mas marami ang kasama?

Questions to ask your campers

6 questions

Games, excitement and friends. Never home life.

  1. Back when you were a kid, what game or activity could keep you busy for hours?

    Nung bata ka, anong laro o activity ang kaya mong pagkaabalahan nang ilang oras?

    Back of the card

    Childhood focus has its own sweetness. It remembers a time when getting lost in play was enough.

    May sariling saya yung focus nung bata tayo. Naalala nito yung panahon na sapat na ang maglaro nang maglaro.

  2. When you were younger, what got you excited quickly?

    Nung bata ka, ano yung madaling maka-excite sa'yo?

    Back of the card

    Early excitement can be fun to remember. It can also show what kind of wonder came naturally to you.

    Nakakatuwang balikan yung madaling ika-excite mo dati. Minsan pinapakita rin nito kung anong klaseng wonder ang natural sa'yo.

  3. If you could spend a day as any animal, which would you choose?

    Kung puwede kang maging hayop nang isang araw, anong hayop ang pipiliin mo?

    Back of the card

    Imagine your first meal as that animal. Where would you look for it?

    Isipin ang unang pagkain mo bilang hayop na iyon. Saan mo ito hahanapin?

  4. If you could understand one kind of animal, which would you choose?

    Kung maiintindihan mo ang isang klase ng hayop, ano ang pipiliin mo?

    Back of the card

    Imagine the animal gets to ask you something too. What might it ask?

    Isipin na may tanong din sa'yo ang hayop. Ano kaya iyon?

  5. What makes a game with friends fun even when no one wins?

    Ano ang nagpapasaya sa laro kasama ang friends kahit walang nananalo?

    Back of the card

    What would be a funny prize just for joining?

    Anong nakakatawang premyo ang puwedeng ibigay sa lahat ng sumali?

  6. 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.

Midsession check-in with your co-counselor

4 questions

Long days and no sleep wear people down.

  1. 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.

  2. After a busy or tiring season, how can people tell that you’ve actually rested?

    After ng busy o nakakapagod na season, paano malalaman ng mga tao na nakapagpahinga ka talaga?

    Back of the card

    Real rest often shows up quietly: more patience, more jokes, clearer thoughts, or simply a softer face.

    Madalas tahimik lang makita ang tunay na pahinga: mas mahaba ang pasensya, mas may jokes, mas malinaw mag-isip, o mas maaliwalas lang.

  3. What makes sharing a quiet moment with a friend comfortable for you?

    Ano ang nagpapakomportable sa'yo kapag tahimik lang kayo ng friend?

    Back of the card

    The silence can stay silent. You do not need to fill it for this answer.

    Puwedeng manatiling tahimik. Hindi kailangang punuin ng usapan para sa sagot na ito.

  4. What small task would you happily ask a friend to help with?

    Sa anong simpleng gawain mo gustong magpatulong sa friend?

    Back of the card

    Would their help save time, make it more fun, or simply give you company?

    Makakatipid ba ng oras ang tulong nila, mas magiging masaya, o magkakaroon ka lang ng kasama?

End of summer

3 questions

Counselors rarely hear this from anyone else.

  1. What difficult situation are you proud of handling?

    Anong mahirap na sitwasyon ang proud kang naharap mo?

    Back of the card

    You can pass or keep the situation private. What did handling it help you notice about your own abilities?

    Puwedeng mag-pass o itago ang sitwasyon. Ano ang napansin mong kaya mo pala matapos mong harapin iyon?

  2. Which ability did a friend notice in you before you noticed it yourself?

    Anong galing mo ang unang napansin ng friend bago mo ito nakita sa sarili mo?

    Back of the card

    You could borrow their words to describe your ability once.

    Puwede mong gamitin ang sinabi nila para ilarawan ang galing mo.

  3. After finishing something hard, how do you usually celebrate or recover?

    Kapag natapos mo ang mahirap na bagay, paano ka usually nagse-celebrate o nagre-recover?

    Back of the card

    Finishing something hard deserves a landing. Some people mark it loudly; some just need a quiet exhale.

    Kapag may natapos kang mahirap, kailangan din ng landing. May nagse-celebrate nang malakas; may tahimik na hinga lang.

How to use them

Before you ask

Camp counselors need two kinds of questions: ones to bond the staff during training week, and ones to use with a cabin of kids who just met. The rule is the same for both. Keep it light, make everyone an answerer, and never let a camper feel like the odd one out.

With campers, ask about games and excitement: what they could play for hours, what gets them excited fast, which animal they’d be for a day. Questions about friendship work well too, especially what helps them feel included when they join an activity. That answer tells you exactly what to do for the homesick kid on day two.

Midway through a session, check in with your co-counselor. Long days, little sleep and constant noise wear people down, and asking how they settle after a full day keeps you both patient with the campers. At the end of the summer, tell each other what you noticed.

Good for

  • Staff training week
  • Cabin time with campers
  • Day camps and sleepaway camps
  • Co-counselor check-ins
  • End-of-summer staff banquets

Tips

  1. Learn every camper’s answer to one question by the end of day one.
  2. Give homesick campers a job; it works better than a question.
  3. Schedule co-counselor check-ins, or they won’t happen.
  4. Keep camper questions to games, food and friends, never home life.

Decks for this

Camp counselors

Frequently asked questions

What questions should camp counselors ask campers?

Light ones about games, excitement and friends: a game they could play for hours, what gets them excited, an animal they’d be for a day, what helps them feel included in a new group.

What are good icebreakers for camp staff training?

Role questions work well, like which part they’d play in an adventure story or what they do automatically when a group photo starts, plus which small job they enjoy helping with.

How do camp counselors avoid burnout?

Check in with your co-counselor about rest and energy, take your time off, and ask for help with small tasks before you’re exhausted.

Bring a better question to the table.

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