Questions · Homeschool

Questions for homeschool morning time, at the kitchen table

Conversation questions for homeschool families and co-ops: a quick check-in for morning time, prompts that touch history, science and language, questions about how each kid learns, and a few about doing hard things.

  • 18 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№ 55

What are you looking forward to over the next few weeks?

Ano ang inaabangan mo sa susunod na mga linggo?

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A note

Finish if you like: "The part I cannot wait for is..."

Kung gusto mo, ituloy: "Ang pinaka-inaabangan ko ay..."

Tap to returnkumustahan

The questions

18 questions for homeschool families

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.

Morning time check-in

4 questions

One per morning, before the books come out.

  1. Pick a mascot for your current mood: sleepy, dramatic, cheerful, chaotic, or something else.

    Pumili ng mascot para sa current mood mo: sleepy, dramatic, cheerful, chaotic, o iba pa.

    Back of the card

    Current mood is sometimes easier to explain through a mascot. It can be tired, dramatic, cheerful, or strangely accurate.

    Minsan mas madaling i-explain ang current mood gamit mascot. Puwedeng pagod, dramatic, cheerful, o weirdly accurate.

  2. Name one tiny habit that has been helping you lately.

    Magsabi ng isang tiny habit na nakakatulong sa'yo lately.

    Back of the card

    Small habits can hold more weight than they look like. Notice the quiet things that help you keep going.

    May bigat din ang maliit na habit. Pansinin yung tahimik na bagay na tumutulong sa'yo magpatuloy.

  3. What are you looking forward to over the next few weeks?

    Ano ang inaabangan mo sa susunod na mga linggo?

    Back of the card

    Finish if you like: "The part I cannot wait for is..."

    Kung gusto mo, ituloy: "Ang pinaka-inaabangan ko ay..."

  4. Pick one habit you want to adjust in a small, realistic way.

    Pumili ng isang habit na gusto mong i-adjust sa maliit at realistic na way.

    Back of the card

    Change does not have to be dramatic. One small adjustment can make tomorrow a little kinder.

    Hindi kailangang dramatic ang change. Puwedeng isang maliit na adjustment lang para mas kinder ang bukas.

Across the subjects

5 questions

History, science, language and civics, as conversation starters.

  1. What day from the past would you like to watch?

    Anong araw sa nakaraan ang gusto mong mapanood?

    Back of the card

    Pause on one scene from that day. Which detail would you want to look at longer?

    Huminto muna sa isang eksena ng araw na iyon. Anong detalye ang gusto mong tingnan nang mas matagal?

  2. 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.

  3. Which language would you learn instantly if you woke up fluent tomorrow?

    Kung paggising mo bukas ay marunong ka na ng isang bagong language, ano ang pipiliin mo?

    Back of the card

    Choose the first person you would like to talk to in that language.

    Piliin ang unang taong gusto mong makausap gamit ang wikang iyon.

  4. 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?

  5. 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.

How you learn

6 questions

Useful for a parent-teacher. The answers shape the week.

  1. 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.

  2. Who taught you a work or school habit you still use, and what was it?

    Sino yung nagturo sa'yo ng work o school habit na gamit mo pa rin, at ano yun?

    Back of the card

    Some habits come from people who modeled them first. Their way of doing things can quietly become part of yours.

    May habits na galing sa taong nauna lang magpakita. Tahimik mong nadadala yung style nila hanggang maging part na rin ng style mo.

  3. 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?

  4. 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.

  5. When did you realize a habit you already had was helping you?

    Kailan mo na-realize na nakakatulong pala yung habit na meron ka na?

    Back of the card

    Helpful habits are not always dramatic. Sometimes you only notice them when life feels a little easier because they are there.

    Hindi laging dramatic ang helpful habits. Minsan mo lang sila napapansin kapag mas gumagaan ang life dahil nandiyan sila.

  6. What useful skill did someone patiently teach you?

    Anong kasanayan ang matiyagang itinuro sa'yo ng isang tao?

    Back of the card

    Imagine you are teaching the skill now. What would you show a beginner first?

    Isipin na ikaw naman ang nagtuturo nito. Ano ang una mong ipapakita sa baguhan?

Hard work and pride

3 questions

For Fridays, or the end of a tough unit.

  1. 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.

  2. What would you try if failure felt less embarrassing?

    Ano ang susubukan mo kung hindi gaanong nakakahiya ang pumalya?

    Back of the card

    Embarrassment can make the room feel smaller than it is. The thing you would try may still be worth naming.

    Kayang paliitin ng hiya ang mundo mo. Pero yung bagay na susubukan mo, baka worth pa ring pangalanan.

  3. What can you do now that would have surprised you a few years ago?

    Ano ang kaya mo na ngayon na hindi mo inakalang magagawa mo ilang taon na ang nakaraan?

    Back of the card

    Picture showing your younger self how you do it. What might surprise them first?

    Isipin na ipinapakita mo sa mas batang sarili mo kung paano mo ito ginagawa. Ano kaya ang una niyang ikagugulat?

How to use them

Before you ask

Homeschool families talk all day, but much of it is instruction. Morning time questions make room for a different kind of talk: how everyone is, what they’re curious about, what kind of learner they are. Many homeschoolers already have a morning basket; a question card fits right in it.

The subject prompts are a gentle bridge into the day’s work. Which day from the past would you like to watch can open a history lesson; a tour of space or the ocean floor leads into science. The “how you learn” questions are for the parent-teacher, who gets to adjust the curriculum around the answers.

For co-ops, the same cards work as icebreakers for a mixed-age group, which is the usual homeschool reality: a six-year-old and a twelve-year-old in the same circle.

Good for

  • Homeschool morning time or morning basket
  • Co-op class openers
  • Mixed-age sibling groups
  • Field trip drives
  • End-of-term reflections

Tips

  1. Put one question card in the morning basket each day.
  2. Let the oldest sibling read it to the youngest.
  3. Use the “how you learn” answers to plan the week, and say so.
  4. Turn a good answer into a writing prompt or a drawing.
  5. In co-ops, pair older and younger kids to answer together.

Decks for this

Homeschool

Frequently asked questions

What are good questions for homeschool morning time?

Start with a quick check-in, like a mascot for your current mood, then a curiosity question tied to a subject, like which day from the past you’d like to watch. Add a question about how they learn once a week.

Do these work for a mixed-age homeschool group?

Yes. They’re simple enough for younger kids and open enough that older kids give longer, more thoughtful answers.

Can I use these as writing prompts?

Yes. Talk through the question first, then have kids write or draw their answer; talking first makes writing easier.

Bring a better question to the table.

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