Ready for some brain-teasing fun? Get your students thinking (and laughing) with this great list of riddles for kids. There’s something for all grade levels, but be sure to review the riddles before sharing to make sure they’re appropriate for your classroom!
Best Riddles for Kids
What has a head and tail but no body?
A coin.
Which letter of the alphabet has the most water?
“C.”
What’s black and white and read all over?
A newspaper.
What gets bigger the more you take away?
A hole.
What month of the year has 28 days?
All months have at least 28 days.
I go around the world but never leave the corner. What am I?
A stamp.
I will fill a room but take up no space. What am I?
Light.
I am easy to lift but hard to throw. What am I?
A feather.
An electric train is heading east at 400 mph. How fast will the smoke blow?
Electric trains do not produce smoke.
What’s a frog’s favorite game?
Leapfrog.
Kids can make it but never hold it or see it. What is it?
Noise.
What four-letter word can be written the same forward and backward, as well as upside down?
Noon.
What word begins and ends with “E” but only has one letter?
Envelope.
If you don’t keep me, I’ll break. What am I?
A promise.
What has to be broken before you can eat it?
An egg.
Everyone has one, but no one can lose it. What is it?
A shadow.
What game is dangerous for your mental health?
Marbles—you don’t want to lose them.
The more of this there is, the less you can see. What is it?
Darkness.
Bobby’s mother has three children: Snap, Crackle, and ___?
Bobby.
What has many keys but cannot unlock a single door?
A piano.
I’m not in Venus or Neptune, but you can find me in Mercury, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, and Uranus. What am I?
The letter “R.”
The more you take, the more you leave behind. What am I?
Footsteps.
What has holes all over but still holds water?
A sponge.
What is as big as an elephant but weighs nothing?
An elephant’s shadow.
You won’t see me at all in March, May, or January, but catch me once in June and twice in November. What am I?
The letter “E.”
I have no life, but I can die. What am I?
A battery.
Where will you find Friday before Thursday?
A dictionary.
People buy me to eat, but I cannot be eaten. What am I?
A plate.
What English word has three consecutive double letters?
Bookkeeper.
What is so fragile that saying its name will make it break?
Silence.
What is at the end of a rainbow?
The letter “W.”
What has legs but cannot walk?
A stool.
What is always answered without being questioned?
A doorbell.
Math Riddles for Kids
I add 5 to 9 and get 2. The answer is correct, so what am I?
A clock. When it is 9 a.m., adding 5 hours would make it 2 p.m.
Which number stays the same no matter what number you multiply it with?
0.
Kavita has 3 strawberries and 2 oranges in one hand and 2 strawberries and 4 oranges in the other. How many oranges and strawberries did Kavita have?
6 oranges and 5 strawberries.
Bill, Judy, and Dane attended a baseball game together and bought one ticket each. How many tickets did they buy in total?
3.
How many times can you subtract 10 from 25?
Once. After you subtract 10 from 25 the first time, it becomes 15.
What are eight 8s that add up to 1,000?
8 + 8 + 8 + 88 + 888 = 1,000.
Rachel goes to the supermarket and buys 10 tomatoes. Unfortunately, on the way back home, all but 9 get ruined. How many tomatoes are left in good condition?
9.
When my father was 30 years old, I was 9 years old. Now I am 40 years old, so what is my father’s age now?
61.
How do you make the number 7 even without adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing?
Delete the “S.”
What comes before 11 and after 15?
10 and 16.
When Rebecca was 8 years old, her little brother, Bob, was half her age. If Rebecca is 20 years old today, how old is Bob?
16.
What can you put between 4 and 5 so that the result is more than 4 but less than 5?
A decimal.
How many sides does a square have?
4.
If 2 is company and 3 is a crowd, what are 4 and 5?
9.
When is 1500 plus 20 and 1600 minus 40 the same thing?
When it’s military time.
Funny Riddles for Kids
What two keys cannot open any doors?
Monkey and donkey.
What kind of tree can you carry in your hand?
A palm tree.
What two things can you never eat for breakfast?
Lunch and dinner.
Which fish costs the most?
A goldfish.
My teddy bear is never hungry. Why?
He’s stuffed.
Who wears shoes while sleeping?
A horse.
Where do you take a sick boat?
To the dock-tor.
What loses a head in the morning, but gets it back at night?
A pillow.
What is something brown with a head and tail but no legs?
A penny.
What happens when a sheep studies karate?
Lamb chop.
How do you make the word “one” disappear?
Add a “G” in front and it’s gone.
What is it called when a dinosaur makes a soccer goal?
A dino-score.
What kind of room has no walls, doors, or windows?
A mushroom.
What has a neck but no head?
A bottle.
What has 88 teeth but has never brushed them?
A piano.
What goes up but never comes down?
Age.
You walk into a room that has a match, a candle, and a fireplace. Which should you light first?
The match.
If you threw a black stone into the Red Sea, what would it become?
Wet.
What building has the most stories?
A library.
I have a face and arms but no legs. What am I?
A clock.
Why did the golfer put on a second pair of pants?
He got a hole in one.
Why did the football coach go to the bank?
He wanted his quarterback.
How do shells get around the ocean?
A taxi crab.
How do you catch a school of fish?
A bookworm.
Imagine you are trapped in a closet with a locked door. How will you get out?
Stop imagining.
What is used by others but only belongs to you?
Your name.
What did the sea say to the sand?
Nothing, it just waved.
Difficult Riddles for Kids
Is it possible for a woman to go 10 days without sleeping?
Yes, she will sleep at night.
How many animals did Moses take on the ark?
Zero. Noah took them.
Which word in the dictionary is always spelled incorrectly?
Incorrectly.
When the water comes down, I go up. What am I?
An umbrella.
What would you call a man who does not have all fingers on one hand?
A man, because humans have fingers on both hands.
A woman called her horse from the opposite side of a river. The horse crossed the river without getting wet and without using a boat or bridge. How?
The river was frozen.
You see a boat filled with people. It has not sunk, but when you look again, you don’t see a single person on the boat. Why not?
They’re all married.
In a single-story house, there is a green chair, green bed, green computer, green couch, green flowers, green carpet, and green table. What could be the staircase?
There is no staircase. It’s a single-story house.
Three men jump into the water, but only two come out with wet hair. Why?
The third man was bald.
My life is measured in hours and I serve you by expiring. I’m quick when I’m thin and slow when I’m fat. The wind is my enemy. What am I?
A candle.
What is white but smells like blue paint?
White paint.
A woman fell from a 30-foot ladder without getting hurt. How?
She was standing on the bottom rung.
A cowboy rode into town on Friday. He stayed for three nights and rode out on Friday. How is this possible?
His horse’s name is Friday.
After an electric train crashed, every single person died. Who lived?
The couples.
Amy threw the ball as hard as she could and it came back to her, without anything or anyone touching it. How?
She threw the ball upward into the air.
Sally’s father has five daughters: Sammy, Stella, Sarah, and Sadie. Guess the name of the fifth daughter.
Sally.
What is the fastest way to double your money?
Place it in front of a mirror.
If a red house is made with red bricks, a blue house is made with blue bricks, and an orange house is made with orange bricks, what is a greenhouse made of?
Usually glass, so plants can grow more easily.
What comes once in a minute, twice in a moment, but never in a thousand years?
The letter “M.”
Come share your riddles for kids in our WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook!
And for more laughs, check out our favorite grammar jokes and science jokes.
