298 Riddles for Kids With Answers
These are riddles written for children roughly aged five to twelve: short enough to hold in your head, clean enough for any classroom, and solvable without a dictionary. Every one has its answer on this page, one tap away.
They work best out loud. Read the riddle, let the guessing run for a while, and only then reveal the answer - the good part of a riddle is the twenty seconds of being stuck, not the answer itself. For younger children, hand them the first letter of the answer as a hint before you give the whole thing away.
Teachers use these as five-minute lesson starters and end-of-day fillers; parents use them in the car, at the dinner table and folded into lunchboxes. The easier riddles at the top suit ages five to seven; the ones further down will stretch a nine- or ten-year-old.
A word on why riddles are worth the time: solving one asks a child to hold several meanings of a word at once, notice that the obvious reading is a trap, and try a second interpretation. That is inference and flexible thinking, dressed up as a joke.
What is in the middle of the sky?
The word 'sky' has three letters, and 'k' sits exactly in the middle of the word.
What stays where it is when it goes off?
An alarm clock doesn't move when it "goes off" (rings) — it stays put on the nightstand.
If you have me, you want to share me. If you share me, you haven't got me. What am I?
A true secret only remains one while it's kept to yourself; the moment it's shared, it's no longer a secret at all.
If you say my name I no longer exist. What am I?
The instant you say the word 'silence' aloud, you've broken it — the act of speaking cancels out the very thing being named.
What day, within a week of today, does not end in the letter Y?
Out of today, yesterday, and tomorrow, only tomorrow doesn't end in the letter Y.
A king wears one on his head.
A crown is the traditional headpiece worn by kings as a symbol of royalty.
I have a head, tail, but no arms and legs. What am I?
A coin has a 'head' side and a 'tail' side, but obviously no arms or legs of its own.
I have many letters, And though it's strange to say, I stay the same no matter how many I give away.
A mailman handles many 'letters' (mail) every day, giving them away to recipients while his job itself stays exactly the same.
I am always in front of you, but you will never see me. What am I?
The future is always technically 'ahead' of you in time, yet no one can actually see it before it arrives.
I go from house to house, a messenger small and tight. Weather it rains or snows. I sleep outside at night. What am I?
A road connects every house, stays outdoors through every rainstorm or snowfall, and sits quiet at night.
White fat and fluffy, May even look like a puppy. Seems heavy but is light, Floats about without a worry, But if it turns dark you have to hurry!
White fluffy clouds look light and puppy-like drifting overhead, but a cloud that darkens signals an approaching storm.
A weighty currency.
'Pound' is both a British currency unit and a unit of weight, making it a 'weighty' currency.
I have a hundred legs, but cannot stand. I have a long neck, but no head. I cannot see, and I help keep your house neat and tidy. What am I?
A broom's bristles look like legs, its handle is a neck, and though it can't see or stand on its own, it's essential for keeping a house tidy.
I invade your home once a year... but only if you've been good. What am I?
Santa Claus is said to slip into homes on Christmas Eve, but only to reward children who've been good all year.
I usually wear a yellow coat. I usually have a dark head. I make marks wherever I go.
A classic pencil has a yellow-painted body, a dark graphite tip ('dark head'), and leaves marks wherever it writes.
I go around and in the house, but never touches the house. What am I?
Sunlight can shine around and into a house through windows, yet the sun itself never physically touches the building.
Be sure to shout for its answers are weak, but there is no language it cannot speak.
An echo only "answers" by repeating back a faint, weak version of whatever sound, in any language, you shout.
Bumpy form of transportation in desert cultures.
Camels, with their humped backs, are the traditional "bumpy" ride across desert terrain.
By Moon or by Sun, I shall be found. Yet I am undone, if there's no light around.
A shadow is cast by either sunlight or moonlight, but it completely disappears the moment there's no light source to create it.
It is the transportation of choice for princesses to attend balls.
In fairy tales like Cinderella, a horse-drawn carriage carries princesses to the royal ball.
Born in the ocean and white as snow. When I fall back to water I disappear without a trace. What am I?
Sea salt forms naturally in the ocean, appears bright white, and dissolves back into water without a trace when it returns to it.
I can be red, blue, purple, and green. No one can reach me, not even the queen.
A rainbow shows many colors, but no one, not even royalty, can actually touch it.
I am at your hand when it is dark and hidden away in the light. What am I?
A flashlight is useful (and held in your hand) in the dark, but pointless and put away once there's light.
I am a portal to another world which you cannot enter. Only you can see me but I can't see you. What am I?
A television screen shows you other worlds and stories, but you can never physically step into it, and it can't see you watching.
I am like thunder in your cranium. What am I?
A pounding headache can feel like thunder rumbling inside your skull.
I have a neck but no head. I have a body but no arm. I have a bottom but no leg. What am I?
A bottle has a narrow neck, a body, and a bottom, but none of the human features that normally go with those words.
I have wheels and flies, yet I am not an aircraft. What am I?
A garbage truck rolls on wheels and attracts flies because of the trash it carries — not because it can fly.
It's only good if people laugh at it.
A joke is only successful -- 'good' -- if it actually makes people laugh.
What has thirteen hearts But no body or soul?
A standard deck of playing cards contains thirteen cards of the heart suit, yet the deck itself has no body or soul.
The faster you run, the harder it is to catch me. What am I?
The faster you run, the faster your own breath moves with you, making it seem impossible to actually catch or grab.
What has a neck and no head, two arms but no hands?
A shirt has a neckline but no head, and sleeves, or "arms," but no hands at the ends.
What hangs in the sky by day but at night goes away?
The sun is visible in the sky during the day and disappears at night as the earth rotates.
When it comes in, From sea to shore, Twenty paces you'll see, No less, no more.
Sea fog can roll in from the water and cut visibility down to a fixed distance, like the 'twenty paces' described -- a somewhat loose clue that trades precision for atmosphere.
What instrument can make any sound and be heard but not touched or seen?
The human voice can produce nearly any sound and is heard, yet it has no physical form you can touch or see.
What comes once a day but leaves every morning?
Night arrives once every day and then departs each morning as the sun rises.
Agile on my feet, I drive dogs mad. I flick my tail when I'm angry and hum when I'm glad.
Cats move nimbly, annoy dogs, flick their tails when upset, and purr when happy.
I go in hard, come out soft. Blow me hard and I'll make a pop. What am I?
Gum is hard when you first chew it, softens as you chew, and can be blown into a popping bubble.
Proof you've done your time in school.
A diploma is the certificate awarded for completing a course of schooling.
What breaks in the water but never on land?
Waves "break" as they crest and crash in water, an action that doesn't occur on dry land.
I can be found in seconds, minutes and centuries, but not in days, years or decades.
The letter N appears in "seconds," "minutes," and "centuries," but not in "days," "years," or "decades."
U always follow me but I am rarely seen. What am I?
In English, the letter U almost always follows Q, yet Q itself is one of the least commonly used letters.
What word has three syllables and twenty six letters?
The word 'alphabet' has three syllables and, as a set, contains all 26 letters of the English alphabet.
They make no sense at all, In them you either fly or fall. They make you do it all. Their need is biologic, but they are most illogic. They are not real but still can be achieved, If they are just believed.
Dreams defy logic, letting you fly or fall impossibly, and though the mind biologically needs sleep to dream, dreams aren't real -- yet goals called "dreams" can be achieved through belief and effort.
What must be looked through in order to see?
The riddle plays on the phrase "look through" -- many people must look through their eyeglasses in order to see clearly.
What can be played with no rules and no winners or losers?
Musical instruments are 'played,' but making music isn't a competition with winners and losers.
I only exist when you are here. Where you never were, I can never be. What am I?
A reflection only appears in a place because you are standing there; without your presence somewhere, no reflection of you can exist there.
When a doctor hits you with a hammer he is testing this.
Tapping a small rubber hammer on the knee tests the patellar reflex.
I am pronounced as one letter, written with three. I come in blue, black, brown, or grey. Reverse me and I read the same either way. What am I?
'Eye' sounds just like the letter 'I' but is spelled with three letters, comes in every color from blue to brown, and reads the same forwards and backwards as a palindrome.
Hide me from your parents if you have done bad academically this year. What am I?
A report card shows your grades, so a student with poor marks might want to hide it from their parents.
What is made of wood and metal and must be buried before it works?
A shovel has a wooden handle and a metal blade, and it has to be driven ('buried') into the ground to dig.
I spin and hum, I'm your summer tool. Just flip the switch, and I serve to cool. What am I?
An electric fan spins rapidly to circulate air and cool a room once its switch is flipped on.
Your mother's brother's only brother-in-law is asleep on your couch. Who is asleep on your couch?
Working through the family logic: your mother's brother is your uncle, and his only brother-in-law (assuming your mother has no other siblings) is the man married to his sister -- your mother -- which is your father.
Often found in doctor's offices and pirate flags.
Skeletons (or X-rays of them) are common in doctor's offices, and pirate flags display a skull and crossbones. Technically the flag shows just a skull, not a full skeleton, so the fit here is a little loose.
The cloud is my mother, my father the wind. The lake is my son and the rainbow my bed. What am I?
This describes the water cycle poetically: rain forms from clouds and wind, collects into lakes, and evaporates back toward the rainbow-tinted sky.
I am quick when I'm thin. I am slow when I'm fat. Wind is my worst nightmare. What am I?
A candle burns down quickly when its wick is thin, more slowly when thick, and a gust of wind can snuff it out instantly.
What has fingers and a thumb but no hand?
A glove has individual finger and thumb slots but isn't attached to an actual hand.
A locked sphere without hinges or key. Break me open and golden treasures you'll see
An egg's shell has no hinge or lock, yet it must be cracked open to reveal the golden yolk inside.
I am often sold by children entrepreneurs in summer time. What am I?
Kids running lemonade stands on hot summer days is a classic entrepreneurial rite of passage.
It is something you will never see again.
Once yesterday passes, it's gone forever -- you can never see that exact day again.
You feel this sensation when you are dehydrated.
Dehydration triggers the sensation of thirst, your body's signal to drink water.
My body is timber and I am a boy among men. I have a nose without end and an insect for a friend. Who am I?
Pinocchio is a wooden puppet boy whose nose grows endlessly when he lies, and whose companion is Jiminy Cricket, an insect.
Sugar on a stick. The kids love licking them.
A lollipop is hard candy on a stick, perfect for kids to lick.
I'm a pie, but I come with pepperoni and cheese.
A pizza is often affectionately called a 'pizza pie' and commonly comes topped with pepperoni and cheese.
Fatherless and motherless. Born without sin, roared when it came into the world. And never spoke again.
Thunder booms loudly the moment it's created by a storm, then goes silent again.
You take my clothes off when you put your clothes on. What am I?
You remove a garment from its hanger (taking the hanger's 'clothes' off it) at the same moment you put the garment on yourself.
When one does not know what it is, then it is something; but when one knows what it is, then it is nothing.
A riddle feels like a real challenge while its answer is unknown, but once solved, it's revealed to be nothing more than a simple trick of words.
It is yellow and you can serve it but not eat. What is it?
In tennis, you 'serve' the ball to start play, but a tennis ball (usually yellow) obviously isn't food.
It doesn't live within a house, nor does it live without. Most will use it when they come in, and again when they go out.
A door sits right at the boundary between inside and outside, and everyone passes through it both entering and leaving.
I have cities with no people, forests with no trees, and oceans with no water. What am I?
A map only represents cities, forests, and oceans symbolically on paper — none of the real things are actually present.
I belong to you but others use me more often than you do. What am I?
Your name belongs to you, but other people say it far more often than you say your own name aloud.
What divides by uniting and by dividing?
Scissors cut (divide) an object precisely by bringing two blades together (uniting).
Take one royal word in the plural and make it singular by adding one letter.
The plural word 'princes' (more than one prince) becomes the singular word 'princess' (one princess) by adding just one letter, an 's', at the end.
Men walk over me but boats go under me. What am I?
A bridge spans a body of water so that people can walk across on top while boats pass underneath.
I am sometimes yellow and sometimes white. Half of me is dark and the other is light. What am I?
The moon can look pale yellow or white depending on the sky, and its phases show it half illuminated (light) and half in shadow (dark).
I am partially baked. I am not completely lit. I am a portion of the moon. I am lesser than full wit. I am a divider of the hour. I am not a total lie. I am a sibling through one parent.
Every clue pairs with the word 'half' - half-baked, half-lit, half-moon, half-wit, half hour, half-truth, and half-sibling.
I can be found on fingers, in toolboxes and in snails. What am I?
A nail tips every finger, fills a toolbox as a hardware fastener, and the letters n-a-i-l are hidden right inside the word 's-NAIL-s.'
I am gentle enough to soothe your skin, light enough to fly in the sky, strong enough to crack rocks. What am I?
Water can be a soft, soothing bath, rise as light clouds and rain, or -- over time, as a raging river -- erode and split solid rock.
In the middle of night, I surround the gong. In the middle of sight, I end the song.
G is the middle letter of "night" and "sight," bookends the word "gong," and is the final letter of "song."
I cannot be used until I have been broken. What am I?
An egg's contents can't be cooked, poured, or eaten until its shell has first been cracked open.
Passed from father to son and shared between brothers, its importance is unquestioned though it is used more by others.
A surname is inherited from your father and shared by your siblings, and though it defines your identity, other people actually say and write your last name more often than you do yourself.
When we stand up it lies flat. When we lie back it stands up.
When you stand, the sole of your foot lies flat on the ground, but when lying down, your foot can point upward at the ankle.
The distance from the top of your head to the floor standing up straight.
This is simply the definition of a person's height: how tall they stand from head to floor.
I pass before the sun, yet make no shadow. What am I?
The wind constantly moves in front of (and around) everything, including passing in the sunlight, but being invisible it casts no shadow.
It moves around in circles. We see it as we turn. It keeps us always warm. Always alive and always dying, Across the sky we see it flying, But touch it and we burn.
The sun appears to circle the sky each day, warms the earth, seems to be born and die with every sunrise and sunset, and would scorch anyone who could touch it.
What do you call the mother-in-law of your sister's husband?
Your sister's husband's mother-in-law is the mother of his wife -- your sister -- which means it's simply your own mother.
I have a heart of gold and I smell when I'm old. What am I?
An egg has a golden yolk at its "heart," and once it goes bad with age, it develops a notoriously foul smell.
I am green but not a tree. You can see me and sit on me and I grow around the world. What am I?
Grass grows in lawns and fields worldwide, and it's common to sit or lie down on it outdoors.
What doesn't get any wetter, no matter how much rain falls on it?
Water is already water, so no matter how much more rain lands in it, it can't become any "wetter" than it already is.
Has its teeth on your head but doesn't bite.
A comb has "teeth" that run through your hair on your head, but they don't bite you.
What time of day, when written in capital letters, is the same forwards, backwards, and upside down?
"NOON" written in capitals is a palindrome and its symmetrical letters also look the same when flipped upside down.
Cold head and feet; Round as a ball; Always turning around itself.
The Earth's poles ("head and feet") are icy cold, it's roughly spherical, and it constantly rotates on its own axis.
I run distances, often making many turns, yet I never move one foot. What am I?
A watch's hands sweep endlessly around its face, tracking countless laps of 'distance,' while the watch itself sits perfectly still.
The more I dry the wetter I get. What am I?
A towel is used to dry other things, but as it does so, it soaks up moisture and becomes wetter itself.
Seven brothers, five work all day, The other two, just play or pray.
A week has seven days: five weekdays for working and two weekend days for leisure, with Sunday traditionally set aside for worship.
I have every color, but no gold. What am I?
A rainbow displays the full spectrum of colors (red through violet), but gold is not one of the actual colors of light it contains.
Though I wander the earth, I am no longer here. I am pale and I chill everyone near. Who am I?
A ghost is imagined as the pale spirit of someone no longer alive, wandering the earth and giving people chills when nearby.
I help you carry your books. What am I?
A backpack is worn on the back and is the classic item students use to carry their books.
When you are inside me, you will be encouraged to slam other cars. What am I?
Bumper cars at an amusement park are specifically designed and driven for the fun of crashing into other riders' cars.
Not my sister nor my brother but still the child of my mother and father. Who am I?
The riddle describes the speaker's own relationship to their parents; the child who is neither the sibling's sister nor brother is the speaker.
What does someone else have to take before you can get?
Someone else has to take your photograph before you can get a copy of that picture -- a play on the two meanings of "take" and "get."
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