From grown adults to wee kiddos, just about everyone loves a good brain teaser—especially if you know special ones to use around big holidays, like Thanksgiving! Like telling corny dad and mom jokes to your littles, sharing the best riddles for kids with them is a bonding experience, something that can become a treasured family tradition. But did you know solving riddles has been shown to help young minds develop, fostering creativity, as well as strengthening critical-thinking and problem-solving skills, concentration and even memory? Riddles can be a powerful learning tool, all the more useful because they're super entertaining, so children don't have to feel like they're doing homework by answering them.
That's why we've gathered together 100 great riddles for kids of all ages below. From cute animal riddles like "What do you call a dog magician?" (a labracadabrador), to festive food riddles including "What is a vampire’s favorite fruit?" (a blood orange), we have word puzzles that are laugh-out-loud funny. (The math riddles make even that dreaded subject fun!) We were sure to feature both easy riddles for younger children and trickier ones, too, good for tweens and teens. So read on, pick out your favorites, and bust out a couple the next time your fam is stuck in traffic or your kiddo has a nightmare and needs a distraction. We guarantee you and your kids will be glad you did!
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- Funny Would You Rather Questions for Kids
- Fun Kids Activities so They'll Never Get Bored
Easy Riddles
- Q: How many months have 28 days?
A: All of them. - Q: What has a head and a tail but no body?
A: A coin. - Q: I have many teeth, but I can't bite. What am I?
A: A comb. - Q: What can you hold in your right hand, but never in your left?
A: Your left hand. - Q: There’s only one word in the dictionary that’s spelled wrong. What is it?
A: The word "wrong." - Q: What has a thumb and four fingers, but is not a hand?
A: A glove. - Q: What's full of holes but still holds water?
A: A sponge. - Q: What kind of band never makes music?
A: A rubber band. - Q: What can fill a room but takes up no space?
A: Light. - Q: What two things can you never eat for breakfast?
A: Lunch and dinner. - Q: What can you catch but not throw?
A: A cold. - Q: What comes down but never goes up?
A: Rain. - Q: What is so simple it can only point, yet guides people all over the world.
A: A compass. - Q: What is easier to get into than out of?
A: Trouble. - Q: What goes up and down but never moves?
A: A stairway. - Q: Which question can you never answer "yes" to?
A: "Are you asleep?" - Q: What can go up a chimney down, but can’t go down a chimney up?
A: An umbrella. - Q: What gets bigger the more you take away?
A: A hole. - Q: What word begins with E and ends with E, but only has one letter?
A: Envelope. - Q: What can you break without touching it?
A: A promise.
Tricky Riddles
- Q: What is in seconds, minutes, seasons and centuries, but not in decades, years, or days?
A: The letter "N." - Q: This word's first two letters reference a man, and its first three letters a woman. Its first four letters mean a great person, while the word as a whole means a great woman. What is the word?
A: Heroine. - Q: What can run but never walks, has a mouth but never talks, has a head but never weeps, and has a bed but never sleeps?
A: A river. - Q: A man went out for a walk and it started to rain. He didn't have a hat, an umbrella, a hoodie, or anything else he could use to cover his head. But no hair on his head got wet. How is this possible?
A: He was bald. - Q: What word contains 26 letters, but only has three syllables?
A: Alphabet. - Q: A rooster that was sitting on the roof of a barn and facing east laid an egg. Did the egg roll to the west, north, or south?
A: Roosters don’t lay eggs. - Q: You’re in a race and you pass the person in second place. What place are you in now?
A: Second place. - Q: There is a one-story house that's completely red. The walls, doors, furniture and floors are all red. What color is the staircase?
A: There isn't any staircase. (It’s a one-story house.) - Q: If you have me, you want to share me. If you share me, you haven’t got me. What am I?
A: A secret. - Q: It belongs to you, but your friends use it more. What is it?
A: Your name. - Q: A boat filled with people. It hasn't sunk, but when you look again there isn't a single person on it. Why not?
A: They're all married. - Q: A truck driver was going down a busy city street. He went past four stop signs without stopping, went the wrong way down a one-way street, and was texting at the same time. But the truck driver didn’t break a single traffic law. How is this possible?
A: He was walking. - Q: A cowgirl rode into town on Friday. She stayed for three nights and rode out on Friday. How is this possible?
A: Her horse's name is Friday. - Q: It’s the only place in the world where today comes before yesterday. Where is it?
A: The dictionary. - Q: Everyone has one, but no one can lose it. What is it?
A: A shadow. - Q: Amber threw the ball as hard as she could. It came right back to her, even though no one and nothing touched it. How is this possible?
A: She threw the ball straight up in the air. - Q: A railroad crossing without any cars. Can you spell that without any Rs?
A: T-H-A-T. - Q: A man fell from a 50-foot ladder but wasn't hurt. How is this possible?
A: He was standing on the bottom rung. - Q: A woman called her dog that was on the other side of a river. The dog crossed the river without using a boat or bridge but didn't get wet. How is this possible?
A: The river was frozen. - I weigh almost nothing, but even the world's strongest man couldn't hold me for much longer than a minute or two. What am I?
A: Breath.
Animal Riddles
- Q: What kind of dog never bites?
A: A hot dog. - Q: An elephant in Africa is called Gary. An elephant in Asia is called Larry. What do you call an elephant in Antarctica?
A: Lost. - Q: What do you call a French bulldog on a summer day?
A: A hot dog. - Q: Why did the chicken cross the playground?
A: To get to the other slide. - Q: What do you call a dog magician?
A: A labracadabrador. - Q: Why do cheetahs hate playing hide and seek?
A: Because they’re always spotted. - Q: What do you call a pig that does karate?
A: A pork chop. - Q: What’s black, white, and blue?
A: A sad zebra. - Q: Why is the snow leopard so popular?
A: Because it’s the coolest cat around. - Q: What do you call a bear with no teeth?
A: A gummy bear. - Q: What game do frogs love to play?
A: Leapfrog. - Q: Why do bees have sticky hair?
A: Because they use their honeycombs. - Q: What kind of lion never roars?
A: a dandelion. - Q: A bunch of bunnies were having a party. What kind of music were they playing?
A: Hip-hop. - Q: What has a thousand needles but cannot sew?
A: A porcupine. - Q: Why don't animals in Africa play games?
A: There are too many cheetahs. - Q: The alphabet goes from A to Z, but I go from Z to A. What am I?
A: A zebra. - Q: What animal has more lives than a cat?
A: A frog, it croaks every night. - Q: Why did the scaredy-cat cross the road?
A: It was too chicken not to. - Q: How do you catch a school of fish?
A: With a bookworm.
Food Riddles
- Q: What kind of foods are the most fun at parties?
A: Fungi. - Q: What kind of room has no doors or windows?
A: A mushroom. - Q: First, you throw away my outside and cook the inside. Then you eat my outside and throw away the inside. What am I?
A: Corn on the cob. - Q: Why did the citrus tree go to the doctor?
A: To get lemon-aid. - Q: What's orange and green on top and sounds like a parrot?
A: A carrot. - Q: What is a tree’s favorite drink?
A: Root beer. - Q: What starts with the letter "t", is filled with "t." and ends with "t"?
A: A teapot. - Q: What is the wealthiest nut?
A: A cash-ew. - Q: What is a vampire’s favorite fruit?
A: A blood orange. - Q: What has to be broken before you can use it?
A: An egg. - Q: What food has no beginning, middle, or end?
A: A doughnut. - Q: What fruit never cheers up?
A: A blueberry. - Q: What kind of cheese is made backward?
A: Edam. - Q: What has a head but no eyes, nose, or mouth?
A: Lettuce. - Q: What kind of fruit loves to get crazy?
A: Bananas. - Q: I can be bitter or sweet, but I'm always a treat, and in a bar or a cake, I'm something to eat. What am I?
A: Chocolate. - Q: I am a bird, a fruit, and a person. What am I?
A: A kiwi. - Q: What kind of fruit must have a large wedding ceremony with a lot of guests?
A: Cant-elope. - Q: What has a heart that doesn't beat?
A: An artichoke. - Q: What fruit is never alone?
A: A pear.
Math Riddles
- Q: Why was 6 afraid of 7?
A: Because 7 8 (ate) 9! - Q: How can 5 + 9 = 2?
A: If we're discussing time: 5 a.m. plus nine hours is 2 p.m. - Q: When Anne was 10, Sarah was half her age. Now that Anne is 14, how old is Sarah?
A: Nine. (Half of 10 is five, so Sarah is five years younger than Anne, which she'll always be.) - Q: If two’s a company, and three’s a crowd, what are four and five?
A: Nine. - Q: If there are six daughters in a family and each one has a brother, how many kids are in the family?
A: Seven (each sister has the same brother). - Q: What do you need to do to make the equation 81 x 9 = 801 true?
A: Turn it upside down (108 = 6 x 18). - Q: What did the triangle say to the circle?
A: "You're pointless." - Q: Which is heavier: a ton of bricks or a ton of feathers?
A: Neither. They both weigh a ton. - Q: What do math books say when they complain to each other?
A: "I have so many problems." - Q: How do you make the number one disappear?
A: Add the letter G and it’s “gone.” - Q: What did the plant grow in math class?
A: Square roots. - Q: How many seconds are in a year?
A: Twelve (January 2nd, February 2nd, March 2nd...) - Q: If there are nine apples in a basket, and you take away five, how many do you have?
A: Five, because that's how many you took. - Q: How do you make the number 7 even without adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing it?
A: Take out the "s." - Q: What can you place between 7 and 8 so that the result is more than 7, but less than 8?
A: A decimal. - Q: Matt buys 15 tomatoes at the grocery store. On the way home, he drops all but 13 and ruins them. How many of Matt's tomatoes are still in good shape?
A: 13. - Q: How many times can you subtract 12 from 50?
A: Just one once (after you subtract 12 from 50 the first time, it becomes 38). - Q: Taylor was 9 the day before yesterday, and next year she’ll turn 12. How is this possible?
A: Today is January 1, and Taylor's birthday is December 31. She was 9 the day before yesterday (December 30), then turned 10 the next day. This year on December 31 she’ll turn 11, so next year she’ll turn 12. - Q: How can eight 8s add up to 1,000?
A: 8 + 8 + 8 + 88 + 888 = 1,000. - Q: What three numbers give the same result when multiplied and added together?
A: One, two, and three (1 + 2 + 3 = 6 and 1 x 2 x 3 = 6).
Jill Gleeson is a travel journalist and memoirist based in the Appalachian Mountains of western Pennsylvania who has written for websites and publications including Good Housekeeping, Woman’s Day, Country Living, Washingtonian, Gothamist, Canadian Traveller, and EDGE Media Network. Jill is the travel editor for Enchanted Living. Learn more about her journey at gleesonreboots.com.
