Kids love hearing riddles and trying to figure out the answers to riddles, but what is a riddle? How do you make a riddle, and what type of riddles are there? All your riddles’ questions answered!
What is a Riddle?
We all love hearing riddles and trying to solve them, but what is a riddle?
A riddle is usually a question or statement that has multiple meanings and that needs to be solved.
Riddles can be thought-provoking or funny brain busters. It is like a puzzle that you are trying to solve. Some of the best riddles get your mind thinking.
Riddles can be super simple or complex, it is really up to the creator of the riddle.
How Do You Make a Riddle?
So many kids enjoy making their own riddles, heck even as an adult I like to sometimes drive in the car thinking of how to create a riddle.
To create a riddle the first thing you need to do is understand the parts of a riddle and how a riddle works.
You do this by reading and telling lots of different types of riddles. These riddles for kids are a great place to start understanding what riddles are!
Once you had a good idea of what is a riddle it is time to start making your own!
Steps to Creating a Riddle
1. Come up with an answer to your riddle
The first step to creating a riddle is to come up with the answer.
You do this to know what your riddle is going to be about.
2. Long Riddle or short riddle?
After you have your answer to your riddle you need to decide if you are going to create a short riddle or a long riddle.
This is a personal preference because both long and short riddles are great.
3. Create a List
Once you have your answer to your riddle, create a list of what your “answer does” or things that describe it.
For instance, if your answer is a box. You could say it is brown, square, holds things, comes in all sizes, travels around the world, etc.
4. Draft Your Riddle
Once you have your list of describing words it is time to draft your riddle. The best types of riddles use simple strong words in the riddle.
For example, what has hands, but can’t clap?
The answer is a clock! (The hands move around to tell the time, but of course, they can’t clap!)
5. Share your Riddle
Now that you have created a riddle it is time to share it with friends.
Did they guess it? Did they think it was a good riddle?
Based on how they react you might have to revise it as necessary.
Creating riddles is a fun way to pass the time and have fun with family and friends.
Different Types of Riddles
There are a few different types of riddles. Some are very simple and some are more complex.
Riddles can be classified as an enigma or a conundrum.
An Enigma riddle is a riddle that will require careful thinking and problem solving to be able to solve.
A conundrum riddle is usually one that consists of a pun usually within the question or the answer.
The best type of riddles are ones that are difficult to solve and have an answer or meaning to it that makes you go “ah ha”.
Riddles aren’t like they were in ancient times, but one thing is for sure, people and kids still love creating riddles and solving them!
Benefits of Riddles for kids
When I first asked my kids if they wanted to solve a riddle, they followed it up with, “What is a riddle?” After explaining it to them they were, they were totally on board trying to solve riddles as well as create their own.
Little did they know I was teaching them about riddles because of the benefits of riddles for kids.
Some of the benefits of riddles for kids are:
1. Introduces them to a new kind of humor
Most kids think humor is a funny joke that makes people laugh, but riddles introduce them to an intellectual type of humor.
2. Use their Brains Differently
Riddles help use their brains differently. Riddles create critical thinking and problem-solving skills which actually help raise their IQ and help prepare them for tests such as the SAT and ACT tests.
3. Reading and Vocabulary
When you try to figure out riddles your reading and vocabulary increase.
This is because you are introduced to a whole new way thought process as well as new words and ways to use existing words.
4. Love for Learning
One of my favorite benefits of riddles for kids is that it introduces them to have a love for learning.
Sometimes kids don’t love to learn, but love to do other things, to create things. Well, creating and solving riddles is fun, but yet an effective learning skill that they don’t know they are learning.
This instills in kids who love solving riddles a love for learning early on.
