Questions · FSA icebreakers

Icebreakers for your Filipino Student Association, no Tagalog required

A Filipino Student Association brings together Fil-Am kids who grew up with lola, international students from Manila, mixed-heritage members and friends who just like the food. These icebreakers work for all of them, from the first general meeting to the late-night rehearsals before Pilipino Culture Night.

  • 16 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.

Icebreakers№ 56

When joining a conversation, what helps you feel comfortable enough to take part?

Ano ang tumutulong para maging komportable kang sumali sa kuwentuhan?

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A note

You can invent a first line you would enjoy hearing when you join.

Puwede kang gumawa ng unang linyang gusto mong marinig kapag nakisali ka.

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The questions

16 icebreakers for a Filipino Student Association

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.

First general meeting

6 questions

Quick hypotheticals for a room of strangers.

  1. 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?

  2. Pick one comic-book power: fly anywhere or appear instantly in another place.

    Pumili ng comic-book power: lumipad kahit saan o makarating agad sa ibang lugar.

    Back of the card

    You have an afternoon to try your power. Choose your first stop.

    May isang hapon ka para subukan ang power mo. Piliin ang unang pupuntahan mo.

  3. Choose a memory power: remember every name or remember every route you have taken.

    Pumili ng memory power: tandaan lahat ng pangalan o lahat ng daang nadaanan mo.

    Back of the card

    Give your memory power a name. It can sound heroic or completely ordinary.

    Bigyan ng pangalan ang memory power mo. Puwedeng pang-hero o ordinaryo lang.

  4. Choose a safe tour: outer space or the bottom of the ocean.

    Pumili ng ligtas na tour: outer space o ilalim ng dagat.

    Back of the card

    Choose one sight from the tour you would want as your phone wallpaper.

    Pumili ng tanawin sa tour na gusto mong gawing wallpaper sa phone.

  5. 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?

  6. 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.

Fil-Am edition

4 questions

Habits every Filipino household seems to share. Members laugh in recognition, everyone else learns.

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. Pick one joke style that makes you laugh right away.

    Pumili ng joke style na mabilis kang mapatawa.

    Back of the card

    Humor has shortcuts. The joke that gets you fastest usually knows your exact kind of silly.

    May shortcut ang humor. Yung joke na mabilis kang tamaan, alam niya yung exact kind of silly mo.

  4. Confess one harmless habit you know is very you.

    I-confess yung harmless habit na very you talaga.

    Back of the card

    Harmless habits become part of your signature. They may be small, but people who know you probably notice.

    Yung harmless habits, nagiging signature mo rin. Maliit lang, pero napapansin yan ng mga nakakakilala sa'yo.

PCN practice breaks

6 questions

For the water break between run-throughs, when the cast is tired and punchy.

  1. 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?

  2. Name a new interest a friend might be surprised you enjoy.

    Magbanggit ng bagong hilig mo na baka ikagulat ng friend.

    Back of the card

    You could open with: “I never thought I'd enjoy this, but...”

    Puwedeng magsimula sa “Hindi ko akalaing magugustuhan ko ito, pero...”

  3. What are you good at that your friends rarely get to see?

    Saan ka magaling na bihirang makita ng friends mo?

    Back of the card

    Imagine a friend seeing you do it for the first time.

    Isipin na unang nakita ng friend kung paano mo ito ginagawa.

  4. 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.

  5. What do you usually send in the group chat: updates, memes, reactions, or something else?

    Ano ang madalas mong ipadala sa group chat: updates, memes, reactions, o iba pa?

    Back of the card

    If your messages had a signature, what would it be: an emoji, a phrase, or something else?

    Kung may tatak ang messages mo, ano iyon: emoji, linya, o iba pa?

  6. When joining a conversation, what helps you feel comfortable enough to take part?

    Ano ang tumutulong para maging komportable kang sumali sa kuwentuhan?

    Back of the card

    You can invent a first line you would enjoy hearing when you join.

    Puwede kang gumawa ng unang linyang gusto mong marinig kapag nakisali ka.

How to use them

Before you ask

The hard part of an FSA icebreaker is that the room is mixed. Some members speak Tagalog fluently, some understand it but don’t speak, some are not Filipino at all and joined for the community. An icebreaker that quizzes Filipino culture makes half the room feel like outsiders. One that asks about everyday life lets everyone in.

Use the hypotheticals in the first meeting, when names are new. The Fil-Am group is about household habits a lot of Filipino families seem to share; members who grew up with them will laugh, and the rest will learn something. The friendship questions are for PCN season: weeks of rehearsals for Pilipino Culture Night, when a cast that barely knew each other in September becomes a barkada by spring.

Each card has a Tagalog version under the English. Heritage learners in the club can read it out for practice; nobody else needs to.

Good for

  • Filipino Student Association general meetings
  • Big-little or ate-kuya family reveals
  • PCN rehearsals and practice breaks
  • FSA retreats and socials

Tips

  1. Have officers answer first. It sets the tone and shows new members it’s low-stakes.
  2. In big rooms, split into groups of five and give each group two cards.
  3. For ate-kuya families, use the PCN questions at the first family hangout.
  4. Invite members to read the Tagalog aloud, but never require it.
  5. Rotate who picks the card each meeting.

Decks for this

FSA icebreakers

Frequently asked questions

What are good icebreakers for a Filipino Student Association?

Light hypotheticals for the first meeting, everyday questions about household habits for a Fil-Am flavor, and friendship questions for rehearsals and socials. Avoid culture quizzes that make non-fluent members feel left out.

What is PCN?

PCN stands for Pilipino Culture Night (or Philippine Culture Night), a show many Filipino student associations put on each year with folk dances, a story or skit and modern performances.

Do FSA icebreakers need to be in Tagalog?

No. Many members are not fluent. Questions in English with an optional Tagalog version, like the cards here, let everyone take part and give heritage learners some practice.

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