Each of these tricky riddles for kids will get the whole family thinking… and maybe even laughing! š”
Last updated: July 17, 2024 by Jack
Question: I help pass the time and I make the smartest people think twice. Iām never quite what I seem. What am I?
Answer: A riddle!
Okay, that was bad. Iāll admit it. But thatās what riddles are all about. These riddles are the perfect brain teasers to get your kids (or anyone else) thinking outside the box.
Riddles also make a fantastic party game and can be used as an icebreaker. As a teacher, I know the value of mixing things up, so if my classes need a change in pace, Iāll ask the class a riddle. Itās a great way to start a class or to end one. They can also be a fun extra credit question on a quiz or test.
My kids LOVE riddles. They’re all about the challenge and the fact that riddles are often funny. Our family always tries to stump each other on car rides or around the dinner table. My daughter’s favorites are riddles about animals and my son tends to enjoy math riddles. Check out these riddles to see what your family prefers!
Easy Riddles for Kids
New to riddles? These easy riddles are a great place to start. These riddles are perfect for younger children, though adults can try them too to warm up their brain for the tricky riddles below.
Q: If you drop me, I’m sure to crack, but smile at me and I’ll smile back. What am I?
A: A mirror.
Q: I’m light as a feather, yet the strongest person can’t hold me for five minutes. What am I?
A: Your breath.
Q: What is yours but mostly used by others?
A: Your name.
Q: What’s something that, the more you take, the more you leave behind?
A: Footsteps.
Q: What has a bottom at the top?
A: Legs.
Q: Nobody empties me, but I never stay full for long. What am I?
A: The moon.
Q: Why did the banker quit his job?
A: He lost interest.
Q: What’s really easy to get into, but hard to get out of?
A: Trouble.
Q: What building has the most stories?
A: A library.
Q: I am a ball that can be rolled, but never bounced or thrown. What am I?
A: An eyeball.
Q: Why was the sailor upset over his report card?
A: His grades were at C level.
Hard Riddles for Kids
Okay, so the easy riddles were too easy? Try out these hard riddles for kids. They are perfect for older kids or any adult who wants to test their skills.
Q: What goes in a birdbath but never gets wet?
A: The bird’s shadow.
Q: What can you break, even if you never pick it up or touch it?
A: A promise.
Q: A cowgirl rode into town on Friday. Three days later, she left on Friday. How is that possible?
A: Friday is the name of her horse.
Q: Sam’s parents have three kids. Their names are Huey, Dewey, and ____?
A: Sam!
Q: I sometimes run, but I cannot walk. What am I?
A: Your nose.
Q: How do you pay for the truth?
A: With a reality check.
Q: When things go wrong, what can you always count on?
A: Your fingers.
Q: What is black when you buy it, red when you are using it, and gray when you discard it?
A: Charcoal.
Q: If Mary has seven daughters and each has a brother, how many kids does Mary have?
A: Eight – one boy and seven girls.
Q: What can go up and down without moving?
A: The temperature.
Math Riddles for Kids
When does 1 + 1 NOT equal four? In a riddle! These fun math riddles challenge the way you think about numbers.
Q: How many times can you subtract 5 from 25?
A: Just once, since it then becomes 20.
Q: What number keeps going up and never reduces?
A: Your age.
Q: What appears once in a minute, twice in a moment, but not once in a thousand years?
A: The letter āM.”
Q: What did the zero say to the eight?
A: āNice belt!”
Q: How can you take two from five and leave four?
A: Remove the letters āF” and āE” from the word āfive” and you have IV. [In Roman numerals IV is four.]
Q: What did one math book say to the other math book?
A: Do you want to hear my problems?
Q: How many months have 28 days?
A: All of them.
Q: Three times what number is not larger than two times the same number?
A: Zero.
Q: Where does adding six to eleven equal five?
A: On a clock.
Q: What is every math teacher’s favorite dessert?
A: Pi(e).
Q: How many sides does a circle have?
A: Two. The inside and the outside.
Q: How do you make the number 7 even without addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division?
A: Drop the āS.”
Q: If two is a couple and three is a crowd, what are four and five?
A: Nine.
Q: What two US coins add up to $0.30? One of them is NOT a nickel.
A: One is a quarter and one is a nickel. [The one that can’t be a nickel is the quarter.]
Q: What did the triangle say to the circle?
A: You’re pointless.
Q: Turn me on my side and I am everything. Cut me in half and I am nothing. What am I?
A: The number 8.
Animal Riddles for Kids
Love animals? My kids sure do, and they love these riddles. See if you can solve them.
Q: A rooster is sitting on the roof of a barn facing west. If it laid an egg, would the egg roll to the north or to the south?
A: It’s impossible – roosters don’t lay eggs.
Q: What kind of lion never roars?
A: A dandelion.
Q: Why do bees have sticky hair?
A: Because they use their honeycombs.
Q: What do dogs have that no other animal has?
A: Puppies.
Q: What do you call a bear with no teeth?
A: a gummy bear.
Q: I grow down as I grow up. What am I?
A: A goose. [Goose feathers are called down.]
Q: Why was the insect so polite?
A: It was a ladybug.
Q: What is a reptile’s favorite drink?
A: Gator-ade.
Q: Which reindeer loves to go into space?
A: Comet.
Food Riddles for Kids
These riddles are so good you could eat them. Okay, you can roll your eyes at that one, but roll these riddles around in your head too. Try them out over dinner.
Q: I’m always on the dinner table but you don’t get to eat me. What am I?
A: Plates and silverware.
Q: What two things can you never eat for breakfast?
A: Lunch and dinner.
Q: What kind of apple has a bad temper?
A: A Crabapple.
Q: A question not of it, but of when we’ll meet, be it fancy or fast, my existence is a feast. What am I?
A: Food.
Q: What kind of foods are the most fun at parties?
A: Fungi.
Q: What is the richest nut?
A: A cash-ew.
Q: What has ears but can’t hear?
A: Corn.
Q: What is a vampire’s favorite fruit?
A: A blood orange.
Q: What kind of cake does a mouse eat on its birthday?
A: A cheesecake.
Q: I wear a crown but I am not a queen; pick me from trees and eat me clean. What am I?
A: An apple.
Q: What fruit can you never cheer up?
A: A blueberry.
Science Riddles for Kids
If your kids love science, they will love these riddles about science. Whether itās chemistry, biology, or physics, the world of science is a rich source of riddles.
Q: How do energy-conscious people feel about wind power?
A: They’re blown away.
Q: I am a god, I am a planet, and I can measure the temperature. What am I?
A: Mercury.
Q: What did the scientist say when he found two atoms of helium?
A: HeHe
Q: How did Benjamin Franklin feel when he discovered electricity?
A: He was shocked.
Q: It is very hard to create me, but I can’t be destroyed, I can only change form. What am I?
A: Energy.
Q: Which is heavier, a pound of bricks or a pound of feathers?
A: They both weigh the same.
Q: You will find me in Mercury, Earth, Mars, and Jupiter, but not in Venus or Neptune. What am I?
A: The letter āR.”
Q: What do you do with a dead chemist?
A: Barium.
Q: What does a nuclear scientist do in their spare time?
A: Goes fission.
Q: Why can’t you trust an atom?
A: They make up everything.
Q: Why did the baby become a scientist?
A: She liked her formulas.
Q: What’s the most boring element?
A: Boron.
Q: How is energy conservation like a baseball team?
A: They can both use a switch hitter.
Q: What is a priest’s favorite thing about physics?
A: Mass.
Q: Which element is a girl’s future best friend?
A: Carbon.
Q: If bananas had a chemical formula, what would it be?
A: BaNa2
Geography Riddles for Kids
Do your kids think (or your friends) think they know everything about the world? Use these a-map-zing geography riddles to put them to the test.
Q: If you drop a yellow hat in the Red Sea, what does it become?
A: Wet.
Q: What part of London is in France?
A: The letter āN.”
Q: I go all around the world, but never leave the corner. What am I?
A: A stamp.
Q: I am a continent without a country. What am I?
A: Antarctica.
Q: An elephant in Africa is called Lala. An elephant in Asia is called Lulu. What do you call an elephant in Antarctica?
A: Lost.
Q: What is the laziest mountain in the world?
A: Mt. Everest.
Q: I’m a place where the rainforest meets the ocean, yet I am not a beach. What am I?
A: The Amazon Rainforest.
Q: What’s the most refreshing drink in the Middle East?
A: Yemen-ade.
Q: I’m a path that connects two continents, but I’m not a bridge. What am I?
A: The Panama Canal.
Q: A plane crashed on the border of the United States and Canada. Where do they bury the survivors?
A: You can’t bury the survivors – they’re still alive!
Q: I can be crossed but never touched, traveled but never seen. What am I?
A: The Equator.
Q: What is the smartest state?
A: Alabama – it has four As and one B!
Q: I’m a city where the Eiffel Tower stands tall, but I’m not in France. What am I?
A: Las Vegas – there is a half-scale replica of the Eiffel Tower.
Q: Which state is the best for doing laundry?
A: Washington.
Q: What was the largest island in the world before Australia was discovered?
A: Australia.
Keep the Fun Going!
If our Riddles for Kids have left you wanting more, you’re in for a treat. From holiday-themed laughs to mind-engaging games, there’s something on our site for every mood:
