145 Riddles and Brain Teasers for Kids

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There’s nothing like fun riddles and brain teasers to share with the kids! You’ll hear plenty of riddles for kids being tossed around at the dinner table in our house.

Whether it’s easy riddles, difficult riddles, funny riddles or interesting brain teasers with answers… The kids love solving riddles.

riddle cards

And as a parent, I love that riddles for kids get them thinking differently, which is always a great skill to learn.

When kids are still in a stage of growth and development, parents and teachers should employ different techniques to ensure their minds stay engaged so as to polish their cognitive skills.

Among the numerous things you can do to boost your child’s ability to think, learn, and remember, one of the most fun and easiest methods is to introduce them to riddles and brain teasers.

“There’s nothing like fun riddles …”

Here are some of our favorite riddles to share with your kids!

riddles for kids

Benefits of Riddles for Kids

When it comes to riddles for kids there are so many benefits that go further than the initial laugh! 

Kids see several benefits of riddles. 

 

  1. Introduction to Intellectual humor. Laughter is just good for the soul and when you are learning something new laughter helps motivate you a little bit more. It helps relieve stress and also helps fight boredom. So when kids learn riddles it breaks up standard learning, but yet allows the brain to continue to work in a whole new way. 
  2. Teaches Problem solving skills.  Problem solving is one of the most important things we can teach our kids and riddles help improve kid’s problem skills. 
  3. Critical Thinking Skills. Critical thinking is a key component kids use while solving riddles. As kids solve riddles they learn how to critically think more in-depth which improves comprehension and creativity.  
  4. Expands Vocabulary. As kids read and solve riddles they are constantly expanding their vocabulary. They are learning new words and multiple meanings and ways to use words. Riddles for kids help kids understand words by using words in a variety of different contexts to help expand your child’s vocabulary. 
  5. Share their Knowledge. As kids learn riddles they have the opportunity to learn new skills and words and then share them with others. They can share these riddles with siblings, friends, teachers, and even parents. As your child shares this knowledge it not only reinforces the skills they are learning through riddles but learns socialization skills as well. 
  6. Creates Bonds. By sharing the love of riddles with your kids you are helping them create bonds with you as well as their peers. If your child is shy sometimes it just takes one riddle to get them interacting and laughing with peers. This interaction creates lifelong bonds with their peers. 
  7. Establish a love for learning. When kids first begin telling and trying to solve riddles it is fun! They love it because it makes them laugh and they enjoy figuring out the riddle. They don’t realize they are “learning” while they are doing it. Riddles help establish a lifelong love of reading. 

 

Riddles and Brain Teasers For Kids

Do your kids enjoy a good riddle? Do they have a favorite?

In my house, we love riddles. This list contains some of the best riddles and brain teasers that get us thinking and laughing as a family.

We’re always adding more to the list from reader suggestions. Do you have any easy riddleshard riddles, or funny riddles that you and your kids love using to puzzle your friends?

Leave us a comment and share. You might see your riddle added to the list!

Funny Riddles for Kids

The best type of riddle is the one that keeps us laughing! Here are some of our favorite funny riddles for kids.

Q: What type of cheese is made backward?

A: Edam.

Q: Why are ghosts bad at lying?

A: Because you can see right through them.

Q: Imagine you’re in a room that is filling with water. There are no windows or doors. How do you get out?

A: Stop imagining!

Q: What two things can you never eat for breakfast?

riddle for kids what comes once in a minute

A: Lunch and dinner!

Q: Why do bees hum?

A: Because they don’t know the words.

Q: If you throw a blue stone into the Red Sea, what will it become?

A: Wet.

Q: Why did Mickey Mouse go to Outer Space?

A: He wanted to visit Pluto.

Q: What do you call a fairy that hasn’t taken a bath?

A: Stinker Bell.

Q: What did the beach say when the tide came in?

A: Long time, no sea.

Q: What did the baseball glove say to the ball?

A: Catch you later.

Q: You will buy me to eat but never eat me. What am I?

A: A plate.

Q: What do you call it when your parachute doesn’t open?

A: Jumping to a conclusion.

Q: You can you serve it, but never eat it? What is it?

A: A tennis ball.

Q: How do oceans say hello to each other?

A: They wave!

Q: What can you catch but not throw?

A: Cold.

Q: Which letter of the alphabet has the most water?

A: The C. 

Q: What goes up and down but never moves?

A: The temperature.

Q: What superhero is terrible at their job because they always get lost and are late?

A: “Wander” Woman.

Q: What starts with a P, ends with an E and has thousands of letters?

A: Post office.

Q: I have wings and I have a tail, across the sky is where I sail. Yet I have no eyes, ears or mouth, and I bob randomly from north to south. What am I?

A: A kite.

Q: Mr. Blue lives in the blue house, Mr. Yellow lives in the yellow house, and Mr. Black lives in the black house. Who lives in the white house?

A: The President.

Q: What lacks a body but has a head and a tail?

A: Coin

Q: What does not have a head but a neck?

A: bottle, of course!

Q: What is it that you can hold in your right hand but not your left?

A: Your left elbow

Q: What begins with the letter “t,” contains “t,” and ends with the letter “t”?

A: teapot.

Q: In a quaint neighborhood, there was an adorable pink one-story house. The furnishings, carpets, walls, and even the cat were all pink in color. What shade were the stairs?

A: There weren’t any stairs. The house has only one story.

You may also like: 50 Tongue Twisters for Family Fun!

Hard Riddles For Kids

Hard riddles make us think. And learning as a family is fun! Stump your kids with these difficult riddles.

Q: In a one-story pink house, there was a pink person, a pink cat, a pink fish, a pink computer, a pink chair, a pink table, a pink telephone, a pink shower – everything was pink! What color were the stairs?

A: There weren’t any stairs, it was a one-story house.

Q: What has hands but can’t clap?

A: A clock.

Q: A girl is sitting in a house at night that has no lights on at all. There is no lamp, no candle, nothing. Yet she is reading. How?

A: The woman is blind, and she is reading Braille.

hard riddles for kids

Q: What gets wetter and wetter the more it dries?

A: A towel.

Q: You draw a line. Without touching it, how do you make the line longer?

A: You draw a shorter line next to it, and it becomes the longer line.

Q: What goes around and around the wood, but never goes into the wood?

A: The bark on a tree.

Q: You walk across a bridge and you see a boat full of people, yet there isn’t a single person on board. How is that possible?

A: All the people on the boat are married.

Q: How is Europe like a frying pan?

A: Because it has Greece at the bottom.

Q: If an electric train is going east at 60 miles an hour and there is a strong westerly wind, which way does the smoke from the train drift?

A: There is no smoke coming from electric trains.

Q: I have keys but no doors. I have space but no rooms, I allow you to enter but you are never able to leave. What am I?

A: A keyboard.

Q: You have a five-gallon bucket and a three-gallon bucket with as much water as you need, but no other measuring devices. How do you fill the five-gallon bucket with exactly four gallons of water?

A: Fill the five-gallon bucket all the way up. Pour it into the three-gallon bucket until it is full. Empty the three-gallon bucket. Pour the remaining two gallons into the three-gallon bucket. Fill the five-gallon bucket all the way up, then finish filling the three-gallon bucket, leaving four gallons in the five-gallon bucket.

Q: The more you take, the more you leave behind. What are they?

A: Footprints.

Q: They come out at night without being called and are lost in the day without being stolen. What are they?

A: The stars.

Q: I give milk and I have a horn, but I’m not a cow. What am I?

A: A milk truck.

Q: What is so delicate that saying its name breaks it?

A: Silence.

Q: What is as light as a feather, but even the world’s strongest man couldn’t hold it for more than a minute?

A: His breath.

Q: It has a neck but no head, and wears a cap? What is it?

A: A bottle.

Q: A truck driver is going opposite traffic on a one-way street. A police officer sees him but doesn’t stop him. Why didn’t the police officer stop him?

A: He is walking.

Q: What word has five letters but sounds like it only has one?

A: Queue.

Q: What kind of money do vampires use?

A: Bloodmoney.

Q: What can run but never walks, has a mouth but never talks, has a head but never weeps, has a bed but never sleeps?

A: A river.

 

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Easy Riddles for Kids

If the kids aren’t old enough for hard riddles, try out some easier ones. Easy riddles are great for family fun!

Q: What goes up but never goes down?

A: Your age.

Q: What starts with the letter T, is filled with T and ends in T?

A: A teapot.

Q: What invention lets you look right through a wall? 

A: A window.

Q: Beth’s mother has three daughters. One is called Laura, the other one is Sarah. What is the name of the third daughter?

A: Beth.

Q: Say Racecar backwards.

A: “Racecar backwards.”

Q: What kind of tree can you carry in your hand?

A: A palm.

Q: How can you throw a ball as hard as you can, to only have it come back to you, even if it doesn’t bounce off anything?

A: Throw the ball straight up in the air.

Q: What never asks questions but is often answered?

easy riddles for kids

A: A doorbell.

Q: What belongs to you but other people use it more than you?

A: Your name.

Q: What goes up but never goes back down?

A: Your age.

Q: What has four legs but can’t walk?

A: A table.

Q: I scream, you scream, we all scream. For what?

A: Ice cream!

Q: What did one wall say to the other wall?

A: I’ll meet you at the corner.

Q: I come in many different colors and I get bigger when I’m full. I will float away if you don’t tie me down and I will make a loud sound if I break. What am I?

A: A balloon.

Q: This goes up and down, but never moves? What is it?

A: A flight of stairs.

Q: What can be big, white, dirty and wicked?

A: A lie.

Q: What has a thumb and four fingers but is not alive?

A: A glove.

Q: I am round or oval. I can be light or dark. You can cut me in pieces. What am I?

A: A potato.

Q: What do you get when you cross a snowman and a vampire?

A: Frostbite.

Q: My head is broad but not very big, and my neck is long. People can make melodic sounds out of me by touching the strings that are attached to me. So who am I?

A: Guitar

Q: What kind of animal sleeps with its shoes on?

A: Horse

Q: Who has hundreds or even thousands of letters?

A: post office

Q: Although I have long ears, I do not enjoy hopping. So who am I?

A: Rabbit

Q: Which bank has no money at all?

A: River bank

Q: My head is broad but not very big, and my neck is long. People can make melodic sounds out of me by touching the strings that are attached to me. So who am I?

A: Guitar

Q: What kind of animal sleeps with its shoes on?

A: Horse

Q: Who has hundreds or even thousands of letters?

A: post office

Q: Although I have long ears, I do not enjoy hopping. So who am I?

A: Rabbit

Q: Which bank has no money at all?

A: River bank

Additional Reading: 130+ Hilarious Jokes for Kids!

 

Math Riddles and Brain Teasers

Who says learning math can’t be fun? The kids will love these math riddles and brain teasers.

Q: Which weighs more, a pound of feathers or a pound of bricks?

A: Neither. They both weigh one pound.

Q: How many months have 28 days?

A: All 12 months.

Q: What comes once in a minute, twice in a moment, but never in a thousand years?

A: The letter M.

Q: Two mothers and two daughters went out to eat. Everyone ate one burger, yet only three burgers were eaten in all. How is this possible?

A: They were a grandmother, mother, and daughter.

Q: Using only addition, how do you add eight 8s and get the number 1,000?

A: 888 + 88 + 8 + 8 + 8 = 1000.

Q: If there are three apples and you take away two, how many do you have?

A: If you take two apples, then, of course, you have two.

Q: What do the numbers 11, 69, and 88 all have in common?

A: The read the same right side up and upside down.

Q: I am an odd number. Take away one letter and I become even. What number am I?

A: Seven (take away the “s’”and it becomes “even”).

Q: I have a large money box, 10 inches wide and 5 inches tall.  Roughly how many coins can I place in my empty money box?

A: Just one, after which it will no longer be empty.

Q: Mrs. Black has two children. If the oldest child is a girl, what are the odds that the other child is also a girl?

A: 50 percent.

Q: If twos’ company and three’s a crowd, what are five and six?

A: Eleven.

Q: What time did the tooth fairy show up to get a kid’s tooth and leave a dollar under the pillow?

A: Exactly TWOoth o’ clock.

Q: Is an older one-hundred dollar bill worth more than a newer one?

A: Yes. A $100 bill is worth more than a $1 bill (newer one).

Q: Tara has $30.00 dollars. She bought 5 coloring books that cost $3.00 each, 4 boxes of Crayola crayons that cost $2.00 each. She spends the rest of her money on markers. How much money did she spend on markers? 

A: She spent $7 on markers.

Q: I am a three-digit number. My second digit is four times bigger than the third digit. My first digit is 3 less than my second digit. What number am I?

A: 141.

Q: Adored by few, feared and hated by many. Mistress of the entire universal reason, master in the art of numbers. Some may have solved many of your mysteries, but there still much of them to find. What are they?

A: Mathematics.

Q: If you multiply me by any other number, the answer will always remain the same. What number am I?

A: Zero.

Q: If four people can repair four bicycles in four hours, how many bicycles can eight people repair in eight hours?

A: 16 bicycles.

Q: Which two numbers are the same when multiplied or added together?

A: 2 x 2 = 4 and 2 + 2 = 4

Q: What does the letter “T” and an island have in common?

A: Both can be found in the center of the water.

Q: Rey, the rabbit, consumes one carrot on Monday, two on Tuesday, four on Wednesday, and so on. He consumes how many carrots per week?

A: 127 carrots

Q: People make, save, change, and raise me. Can you tell who I am?

A: Money

Q: I am familiar with a word. If you take away one letter from its six letters, you’re left with 12. What is that?

A: Dozens

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Tricky Riddles and Brain Teasers

The kids will think twice when it comes to these tricky riddles and brain teasers!

Q: You walk into a room with a match, a kerosene lamp, a candle, and a fireplace. Which do you light first?

A: The match.

Q: What word begins and ends with an E but only has one letter?

A: Envelope.

Q: Railroad crossing, watch out for cars. Can you spell that without any Rs?

A: T-H-A-T.

Q: A man was taking a walk outside when it started to rain. The man didn’t have an umbrella, and he wasn’t wearing a hat. His clothes got soaked, yet not a single hair on his head got wet. How could this happen?

A: The man was bald.

Q: How many seconds are there in a year?

A: Twelve. January 2nd, February 2nd, March 2nd…

Q: Name four days of the week that start with the letter “T.”

A: Tuesday, Thursday, today, and tomorrow.

Q: A boy was rushed to the hospital emergency room. The ER doctor saw the boy and said, “I cannot operate on this boy. He is my son.” But the doctor was not the boy’s father. How could that be?

A: The doctor was his mom.

Q: What can run but can’t walk?

A: A drop of water.

Q: What’s full of holes but still holds water?

A: A sponge.

Q: What has one eye but can’t see?

A: A needle.

Q: What word looks the same backward and upside down?

A: SWIMS.

Q: What does this mean? “I RIGHT I”

A: Right between the eyes.

Q: A boy fell off a 20-foot ladder but did not get hurt. Why not?

A: He fell off the bottom step.

Q: What five-letter word becomes shorter when you add two letters to it?

A: Short.

Q: If you are running in a race and you pass the person in second place, what place are you in?

A: Second place.

Q: How many letters are there in the alphabet?

A: Eleven: T-H-E-A-L-P-H-A-B-E-T.

Q: The one who made it didn’t want it. The one who bought it didn’t need it. The one who used it never saw it. What is it?

A: A coffin.

Q: What needs an answer but doesn’t ask a question?

A: A telephone.

Q: If I have it, I don’t share it. If I share it, I don’t have it. What is it?

A: A secret.

Q: Forward I am heavy, but backward I am not. What am I?

A: Ton.

Q: What is always late and never present now?

A: Later.

Q: Soft from the middle, hard all around, four legs up and four legs down. So who am I?

A: A bed.

Q: What is the capital of France?

A: In France, there is only one capital letter: F.

Q: What takes up no room but has the ability to fill one?

A: Light.

Q: I wait with pointed fangs, crunching fate with pricking force, grabbing prey, showing power, and physically uniting with a single bite. So who am I?

A: A stapler

Q: Even though you can see a boat that appears to be full of people, there is not a single person actually present. How is that even possible?

A: Everyone on the boat is married people.

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Animal Riddles

Kids love animals! See if they can figure out any of these brain teasers about our furry friends.

Q: How far can a dog run into the woods?

A: The dog can run into the woods only halfway – if it ran any farther it would run out of the woods!

Q: My name is Ruger. I live on a farm. There are four other dogs on the farm with me. Their names are Snowy, Flash, Speedy, and Brownie. What do you think the fifth dog’s name is?

A: Ruger.

Q: Why do birds fly south for the winter?

A: It’s too far to walk.

Q: How do dog catchers get paid?

A: By the pound.

Q: What two keys can’t open any door?

A: A monkey and a donkey.

Q: A cowboy rides into town on Friday, stays for three days, then leaves on Friday. How did he do it?

A: His horse’s name was Friday.

Q: If three dogs and one cat weren’t standing under an umbrella, how did none of them get wet?

A: It wasn’t raining!

Q: How many animals did Moses take on the ark?

A: Moses didn’t take anything on the ark. Noah did.

Q: What do dogs have that no other animal has?

A: Puppies.

Q: A dog is on a 10-foot chain but wants a bone that is 11 feet away. How can the dog get the bone?

A: The chain isn’t attached to anything.

Q: Why couldn’t Goldilocks sleep?

A: Because of night-bears.

Q: Why did the pony cough?

A: He was a little horse.

Q: When is a man like a snake?

A: When he’s rattled.

Q: I travel very slowly when gliding along the ground. Maybe my shell weighs me down. In your garden, I am found. What am I?

A: A snail.

Q: What has two heads, four eyes, six legs, and a tail?

A: A cowboy riding his horse.

Q: I can jump and I can climb. With my many legs, I swing from tree to tree. I can build a house much bigger than me. What am I?

A: A spider.

Q: What kind of music do rabbits like?

A: Hip Hop.

Q: How did the chimp fix the leaky faucet?

A: With a Monkey Wrench.

Q: I have four legs but no tail. Usually, you can only hear me at night. What am I?

A: A frog.

Q: What did the turkey say to the rooster when he challenged him to a fight?

A: Are you a chicken?

Q: I am known as a king. The jungle is where I reign. It’s hard to tame me. And I have a large mane. What am I? 

A: A lion.

Q: I enjoy using my long tongue.
I don’t have to climb up trees to eat the leaves, though.
It is easy for me because of my long neck.

A: Giraffe

Q: I go from Z to A while the alphabet goes from A to Z. Can you guess the animal?

A: Zebra

Q: I’m a mammal, but I can’t jump. Who am I?

A: Elephant

Q: Although I wear a crown like a king, my sound is a disappointment. Especially when I’m a male, I have fewer eyes on my face than my tail.

A: Peacock

Q: What am I if not a bird that can swim well but cannot fly?

A: The penguin.

What Are Brain Teasers?

Brain teasers are riddles or puzzles that are meant to expand and evoke the brain’s curiosity. They can be used as entertainment as well as mental exercises to enhance cognitive abilities. To solve them, you typically need to use some creative thinking, reasoning, and problem-solving skills. There are many different types of brain teasers, including word games, math puzzles, visual puzzles, logic puzzles, and puzzles that require brainstorming. Kids of all ages and skill levels can enjoy brain teasers, and there are innumerable variations and difficulty levels to pick from.

So why not try to solve some brain teasers with your kids the next time you’re searching for some fun activities to do?

Additional Reading: The Best Knock-Knock Jokes for Kids

printable riddles for kids

Conclusion

As parents, we are constantly looking for unique ways to bond with our kids. Brain teasers and riddles serve as a good method to not only keep your child occupied but also allow you to indulge in some fun moments with them.

“If you liked these riddles for kids …”

Even More Riddles & Brain Teasers

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380 thoughts on “145 Riddles and Brain Teasers for Kids”

  1. Hi,
    We absolutely adored the riddles… help us get through long holiday days 😁 and make travel with kids fun & entertaining!
    Thank you for such a lovely collection!
    I do have a riddle my son would like to add:
    Q. what is close while it’s far?
    And: the Sun (because it is the closest star to the earth but still many light years away!)
    Hope you can add this to the collection.. he’d love to see his riddle here!
    Cheers
    Swati

    Reply
    • Awesome riddles! Keep going! I think you should add this one though:

      Q:There are five pine trees. It is expected that 5 apples will grow in the first two, and 3 apples will grow in the last three trees. How many apples will grow?

      A: None! They are pine trees!

      Signing off,
      Arianna

      Reply
  2. I love riddles no matter what the answer is. But most of the riddles were unknown to me. But i knew some of them .
    With regard,
    Shifna (grade 9)

    Reply

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