Questions · Creative questions
Creative questions that ask people to make something up
Creative questions don’t ask what you think. They ask what you’d make. A holiday, a room, a shop, a way to celebrate a friend on almost no budget: every answer is a small design.
- 16 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.
Which everyday invention from the future would you most want to see?
Anong pang-araw-araw na gamit mula sa future ang gusto mong makita?
Give the invention a name people could remember.
Bigyan ang imbensiyon ng pangalang madaling tandaan.
The questions
16 creative 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.
Invent it
6 questions
Holidays, inventions, ways to travel. Big ideas, low stakes.
-
Which everyday invention from the future would you most want to see?
Anong pang-araw-araw na gamit mula sa future ang gusto mong makita?
Back of the card
Give the invention a name people could remember.
Bigyan ang imbensiyon ng pangalang madaling tandaan.
-
Invent a new way to travel that does not use wheels.
Mag-imbento ng bagong paraan ng pagbiyahe na walang gulong.
Back of the card
What would passengers call your ride?
Ano ang itatawag ng mga pasahero sa sasakyan mo?
-
Create a new holiday that everyone gets to celebrate. What happens that day?
Gumawa ng bagong holiday na puwedeng i-celebrate ng lahat. Ano ang ginagawa sa araw na iyon?
Back of the card
What tradition would belong to your holiday?
Anong tradisyon ang bagay sa holiday mo?
-
Give yourself a funny award for something you are surprisingly good at.
Bigyan mo sarili mo ng funny award para sa bagay na surprisingly magaling ka.
Back of the card
A funny award makes small talents official. Some skills may not belong on a resume, but they still deserve a ceremony.
Ginagawang official ng funny award ang small talents. Hindi man pang-resume, deserve pa rin ng ceremony.
-
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?
-
For one afternoon, would you explore a peaceful village, a future city, or a jungle with a guide?
Saan mo gustong magpalipas ng hapon: tahimik na village, siyudad sa future, o gubat na may guide?
Back of the card
Bring home an imaginary souvenir from your visit. What is it?
Mag-uwi ng souvenir mula sa pagbisitang iniisip mo. Ano iyon?
Design it
4 questions
Rooms, shops and celebrations with your name on them.
-
With an unlimited budget, what extra room would you add to your home?
Kung walang limit ang budget, anong dagdag na kuwarto ang gusto mo sa bahay?
Back of the card
If the new room had a sign on its door, what would it say?
Kung may karatula sa pinto ng bagong kuwarto, ano ang nakasulat doon?
-
Design a celebration just for you. What would make it feel special?
Magplano ng celebration para sa sarili mo. Ano ang magpapaspecial dito?
Back of the card
Which part of the celebration would you happily repeat the next day?
Aling bahagi ng celebration ang masaya mong uulitin kinabukasan?
-
If you could open a tiny shop just for fun, what would it sell?
Kung magbubukas ka ng maliit na tindahan for fun, ano ang ibebenta mo?
Back of the card
What would you call your shop?
Ano ang ipapangalan mo sa tindahan?
-
If someone funded one helpful idea for your neighborhood, what would you build or improve?
Kung may sasagot sa gastos, ano ang gagawin o aayusin mo para makatulong sa lugar ninyo?
Back of the card
Picture its first day in use. What would you be happy to see people doing?
Isipin ang unang araw na ginagamit na ito. Ano ang ikatutuwa mong ginagawa ng mga tao?
Plan it with real people
6 questions
Ideas you could try this month with actual friends.
-
What fun activity would you like to introduce your friends to?
Anong masayang activity ang gusto mong ipakilala sa friends?
Back of the card
Imagine their first try going wrong in a harmless, funny way.
Isipin na may simpleng sablay sa unang pagsubok nila na puwede ninyong pagtawanan.
-
Plan a hangout that a friend could bring a new friend to.
Kung magsasama ng bagong friend ang kaibigan mo, anong bonding ang ipa-plano mo?
Back of the card
Imagine the newcomer knows none of your old jokes. Your activity can still work.
Isipin na hindi alam ng bagong kasama ang dating mga biro ninyo. Puwede pa ring maging masaya ang activity.
-
Choose a simple way friends could celebrate your birthday without spending much.
Pumili ng simpleng paraan para i-celebrate ng friends ang birthday mo nang hindi gumagastos nang malaki.
Back of the card
One detail can be just for you: the music, the timing, or something else you love.
Puwedeng may isang detalye para talaga sa'yo: music, oras, o iba pang gusto mo.
-
What simple invitation could brighten a friend's ordinary day?
Anong simpleng yaya ang puwedeng magpasaya sa normal na araw ng friend?
Back of the card
Keep the invitation short enough to send as one message.
Puwedeng maikli lang ang yaya, kasya sa isang message.
-
What could you and a faraway friend enjoy doing together online?
Kung nasa malayo ang friend mo, ano ang puwede ninyong gawin online na pareho ninyong mae-enjoy?
Back of the card
Choose a little ritual to start it: the same greeting, the same song, or your own idea.
Puwedeng may nakasanayan kayong panimula: parehong bati, parehong kanta, o sarili ninyong ideya.
-
Which simple friendship tradition would you like to keep even when everyone gets busier?
Anong nakasanayan ninyong gawin ng friends mo ang gusto mong ituloy kahit maging mas busy kayo?
Back of the card
What would be the easiest version to keep on a busy week?
Ano ang pinakamadaling bersiyon nito kapag busy ang linggo?
How to use them
Before you ask
A creative question hands someone a blank and asks them to fill it. Invent a holiday. Design a celebration. Open a shop for fun. The answers are small acts of imagination, and the people who insist they aren’t creative often have the best ones.
These work well in classrooms and workshops as warm-ups, because they get people generating ideas before the real brainstorm. They also work with friends, where the last group turns imagination into plans you could actually carry out: a hangout someone could bring a new friend to, a cheap way to celebrate a birthday, a tradition worth keeping.
Build on answers instead of judging them. “Yes, and” is the rule: if someone invents a holiday, ask what everyone eats that day. If the group wants pure play, silly questions go further; for imagined scenarios, try what if questions.
Good for
Tips
- Use “yes, and”: add one detail to every idea before moving on.
- Give people thirty seconds to think before anyone answers.
- Let the group vote on the idea they’d actually try.
- Sketch it if you can. A napkin drawing makes any answer better.
- End with the planning round so the ideas leave the table.
Decks for this
Creative questions
Frequently asked questions
What are creative questions?
Questions that ask people to invent, design or plan something instead of reporting a fact or an opinion, like inventing a new holiday or designing a celebration. They get people using their imagination and show how they think.
What are good creative questions for students?
Inventing a new way to travel, a future invention or a holiday everyone celebrates are easy entry points. They work as warm-ups before writing, art or a group project.
How do creative questions help a team?
They loosen people up before a brainstorm, because everyone has already shared one unusual idea and seen it taken seriously. Keep them light so nobody feels judged.
Bring a better question to the table.
Free on iPhone and Android. 420 cards free, no account, works offline.