We have compiled a list of over 190 of the best riddles for kids. You may view riddles as short jokes designed to make everyone groan, but they have a purpose beyond making you chuckle.
Riddles can help kids learn how to solve problems, look past the basic information they are given, and think creatively.
Easy Riddles for Kids
What gets wetter as it dries?
A boy and his father get into a car accident. When they arrive at the hospital, the doctor sees the boy and exclaims, “That’s my son!” How can this be?
The Dr. is the boy’s mom.
What can fill an entire building but doesn’t take up any space?
A sister, a brother, and their dog left home without their umbrella. Why didn’t they get wet?
It wasn’t raining.
What can go up and down without moving?
I am tall when I’m young but short when I’m old. What am I?
What has to be broken before you can use it?
Three men went sailing. When their boat capsized, only two got their hair wet. Why did the third man not have wet hair?
He was bald.
Where does Friday come before Thursday?
In the dictionary.
What can you catch but never throw?
If two’s company, and three’s a crowd, what are four and five?
What can’t you keep until you give it?
How many letters are in the alphabet?
There are 11 letters in “The Alphabet.”
Peppa was born on December 15th but always celebrates her birthday in the summer. Why?
She lives in the Southern hemisphere.
What ancient invention that’s still in use today lets you see through walls?
I am always running but never get tired or hot. What am I?
Why can’t someone living in New York be buried in Ohio?
Because they are still living.
What has a face and two hands but can’t smile or clap?
When I am clean, I am black. And when I am dirty, I am white. What am I?
How did the leopard change its spots?
It moved from one spot to another.
What travels around the world but stays in one spot?
I cover your body every day, but I am not clothes. What am I?
What has wings and can fly high in the sky for miles but isn’t a bird?
If a rooster laid one brown egg and one white egg, what color would the chickens be?
There would be no chickens. Roosters don’t lay eggs.
What is full of holes but still holds water?
How are an island and the letter T the same?
You can find them both in the middle of water.
What has six faces, no mouth, and 21 eyes but cannot see?
I have many keys, but none of them open doors. What am I?
Which is worth more: an old 100 dollar bill or a new one?
An old 100 dollar bill because it’s worth $99 more than a one.
What is easy to get into but hard to get out of?
David’s parents have three sons. Their names are Snap, Crackle, and…?
What goes up and down the stairs without moving?
What type of stone can never be found on the ocean floor?
A dry stone.
Which weighs more: a ton of feathers or a ton of rocks?
Neither. They both weigh a ton.
You give me food and I live longer. You give me water and I die. What am I?
What has fingers and thumbs but no flesh or bones?
A pair of gloves.
How many months have 28 days?
All of them have at least 28.
What has towns, cities, and villages but no people?
The more you take away, the bigger I get. What am I?
I can be cracked, played, told, and made. What am I?
Which tire doesn’t turn while you drive?
The spare tire.
What five-letter word becomes shorter when you add two letters to it?
If you are running a race and you overtake the person in second place, what place are you in?
Can a man marry his widow’s sister?
No, because he’s dead.
Which question can you never truthfully answer yes to?
Are you asleep?
What goes up but can never come down?
Tricky Riddles for Kids
There is a house with four walls that all face south. Outside the house, there’s a bear. What color is the bear?
White. The house is on the North Pole, so it’s a polar bear.
A child throws a ball and it comes straight back, but the ball doesn’t touch anything or anyone else. How is this possible?
The child is throwing the ball upwards.
A truck driver is driving without any headlights on, and the moon is not out. When someone steps in front of the truck, how does the driver see them to stop in time?
What can you hold with your right hand but never hold with your left hand?
Your left hand.
I can travel at nearly 100 miles per hour, but I never leave the room. You can cover me up, but that won’t slow me down. You never know if I’m going to show up once or return many times. What am I?
There are 30 bears in the woods and 28 rabbits. How many didn’t?
Read it out loud: There are 30 bears and 28 (twenty ATE) rabbits. So two bears did not eat rabbits!
I am always in front of you. You cannot avoid me, but you can never catch me. What am I?
Jack and Jill are lying on the floor of a house, dead. They died from lack of water, but there is a broken glass beside them and a pool of water on the floor. Can you explain what happened?
Jack and Jill are fish. The broken glass was their fishbowl that fell off the table.
What is easy to lift but difficult to throw?
The town barber shaves all of the men in the town. None of the men in the town are allowed to shave themselves. The barber lives in the town. Who shaves the barber?
Nobody because the barber is a woman.
I am dug up from a mine, put in a wooden case, and never released, but people use me every day, what am I?
A pencil lead.
You see a boat full of people. You look away, but when you look back, you cannot see a single person, even though the boat and the people are still there. How is this possible?
All of the people are married, not single.
The window cleaner was cleaning the window on a four-storey house. He fell off his ladder but wasn’t hurt, how?
He was only standing on the second rung.
A girl is sitting in her room at night. It is dark out, the lights are off, and she doesn’t have a flashlight, but she is reading a book, how?
The girl is blind, and she’s reading braille.
A child leaves home and runs. They turn left and run some more, turn left again and run some more, turn left a third time and run back home. There, they find two people in masks. What’s happening?
The child is playing baseball and the two people are the catcher and umpire.
Monday, Joe, and Wesley go out for a meal. When they finish, they leave the restaurant. Neither Joe nor Wesley pays the bill. Why do they not get in trouble?
Monday paid the bill.
I grow, but I am not alive. I need air, but I do not have lungs. I don’t have a mouth, but water drowns me. What am I?
What are the next three letters in this series: MTWT
FSS. They are the first letters of the days of the week.
There are three firefighters who all claim Robert is their brother. Robert says he only has one brother. Who is lying?
Nobody. Two of the firefighters are Robert’s sisters.
Two babies are born to the same parents at the same time on the same day in the same month, but they are not twins. How?
They are born in different years.
A person is on one side of a river and their dog is on the other. They call the dog, and it gets to them without getting wet, using a boat, or crossing a bridge. How is this possible?
The river is frozen.
Who can shave every day, but still have a big bushy beard?
What has a neck and wears a cap but doesn’t have a head?
If an electric train is traveling west at 60 mph, and the wind is blowing south at 50 mph, which way does the smoke from the train blow?
There isn’t any smoke, it’s an electric train.
A sundial is the timepiece with the fewest parts. Which timepiece has the most parts?
An hourglass because it is full of grains of sand.
What doesn’t ask questions but is still answered?
Take off my skin and I won’t cry, but you will. What am I?
The more there is, the less you see. What is it?
What building do you go into blind but come out of seeing?
If A is B’s brother, B is C’s brother, and C is D’s father, how is A related to D?
A is D’s uncle.
I live on a farm and have ears, but I can’t hear you if you call. What am I?
When you need it, you throw it away. When you don’t need it, you bring it back. What is it?
What is brown and has a tail it cannot wag, a head it cannot turn, and no legs?
You can see me, but I am weightless. If you put me in a barrel of water, the barrel will get lighter. What am I?
When I was making dinner I threw away the outside of this item and cooked the inside. Then I ate the outside and threw away the inside. What was I eating?
Corn on the cob.
What can you fill with empty hands?
Peppa is standing behind her dad. At the same time, Peppa’s dad is standing behind her. How?
They are standing back to back.
The person who makes me is making me for someone else. The person who buys me doesn’t use me. The person who uses me doesn’t know they have me. What am I?
You’re in a room with three doors. The room is on fire, and you have to escape through one of the three doors. Behind door number one is a pool of hot lava. Behind door number two is a lion who hasn’t eaten for three months. And behind door number three is a swarm of poisonous insects. Which door do you go through?
Door number two because a lion who hasn’t eaten for three months would be dead.
A bus driver is going down a city street in Utah. He is texting, so he goes the wrong way down a one-way street and goes past two stop signs without stopping. How did he not get into trouble?
He was walking.
Math Riddles for Kids
Sam is eight years old, and his brother is half his age. When Sam is 14, how old will his brother be?
He’ll be 10 because when Sam was eight, his brother was four. When Sam is 14, his brother will still be four years younger, making him 10.
I have a money box that is ten inches long, eight inches high, and four inches wide. If ten coins take up one square inch, how many coins can I get in the money box until it’s no longer empty?
One. Once you put one coin in the box it is no longer empty.
81 x 9 = 801 — How can you make this true?
Turn it upside down and it reads 108 = 6 x 18.
If two parents have six sons, and you are one of them, and each son has one sister, how many people are in the family?
There are six sons, one daughter, and two parents.
In a field, there are 90 sheep, 2 sheepdogs, and one shepherd. How many feet are there altogether?
Sheep have hooves, dogs have paws, only the shepherd has feet.
When does 11 plus 2 equal 1 and 9 plus 5 equal 2?
When they are on a clock face. Eleven o’clock plus two hours is one o’clock, and nine o’clock plus two hours is two o’clock.
You meet a girl who has the same number of brothers as sisters. Each of her brothers has half as many brothers as sisters. How many brothers and sisters are there?
Four sisters and three brothers.
What is the next number in this sequence? 1, 11, 21, 1211, 111221, 312211.
13112221 because each number describes in words the number written before:
- 1 = There is one (1) one (1): 11
- 11 = two (2) ones (1): 21
- 21 = one (1) two (2) and one (1) one (1): 1211
- 1211 = one (1) one (1), one (1) two (2), two (2) ones (1): 111221
- 111221 = three (3) ones (1), two (2) twos (2), and one (1) one (1): 312211
- 312211 = one (1) three (3), one (1) two (2), two (2) twos (2), two (2) ones (1): 13122221
Two coins added together make 30 cents. One isn’t a nickel. Which coins are they?
A quarter and a nickel. We only said ONE wasn’t a nickel.
Using only eight eights and addition, how can you make 1000?
In a pet store, a parrot costs $9, a tarantula costs $36, and a praying mantis costs $27. How much does a kitten cost?
$18. The animals each cost $4.50 per leg.
Which three numbers can you multiply together or add together to get the same answer?
1, 2, and 3.
What is 3/7 chicken, 2/3 cat, and 2/4 goat?
Chicago. Chicken has seven letters, and the first three are CHI. Cat has three letters, and the first two are CA. Goat has four letters and the first two are GO. CHI+CA+GO.
If you have a 7-minute egg timer and an 11-minute egg timer, how do you boil an egg for 15 minutes?
- Turn both egg timers over together.
- When the 7-minute timer runs out, turn it back over to start again.
- When the 11-minute timer runs out, turn the 7-minute timer over again.
- There will be four minutes remaining on the seven-minute timer. When it runs out, a total of 15 minutes will have passed from the starting point.
The water level in a reservoir doubles every day. If it takes 60 days to fill the reservoir, how many days will it take to fill it halfway?
59. If the water level doubles in a day, there must be half the amount on the day before. So the reservoir is half full on day 59.
If you take 30, divide by half, and add ten, what is the answer?
70 because you are dividing 30 by half and there are 60 1/2s in 30. You are not halving 30 to make 15.
What number can you double, then multiply by four, divide by eight, and end up with the number you started with?
Any number because when you double it and multiply by four you are just multiplying by eight. After that, when you divide by eight you end up with the same number you started with.
Peppa was 11 the day before yesterday. Next year she will turn 14. How is this possible?
Today is January 1st, and Peppa’s birthday is December 31st. The day before yesterday, December 30th, was the day before her 12th birthday, so she was still 11. On December 31st of this year, she will be 13. So, next year she will turn 14.
You can multiply this number by any other number and the result will always be zero. What number is it?
If four carpenters can build four tables in four hours, how many tables can eight carpenters build in eight hours?
A pair of twins are having a bath with 15 rubber ducks each. The first twin throws eight ducks on the floor, and the other throws half as many. Their mom returns half of the ducks on the floor to the water. How many ducks are left alive?
None, rubber ducks aren’t alive.
The oldest person in an elderly care home has only celebrated 26 birthdays. How can this be?
They were born on February 29th.
It is midnight and raining. The forecast says it will rain tomorrow and be clear the next day. Will it still be sunny in 48 hours?
No. In 48 hours, it will be midnight, at which time it’s dark, not sunny.
What is the simplest way to divide 53 apples between 60 people?
If eggs cost $0.12 per dozen, how many can you buy for a dollar?
100 because $0.12 per dozen makes the eggs one cent each, and one dollar equals 100 cents.
In a clothing store, a tie costs $15, a vest costs $20, a blouse costs $30, and underwear is priced at $45. How much do pants cost?
$25. It costs five dollars for each letter needed to spell the item.
A farmer has 80 sheep. Four dogs run into the field, and each chases some sheep. All but seven run away. How many sheep are left?
Seven. All BUT seven ran away.
If you have a drawer with 14 red socks but 16 green socks. How many socks do you have to remove to guarantee a matching pair?
Three. If you pull different colors on the first two tries the third sock will definitely make a pair with one of them.
A cell phone and case cost $110 in total. If the cell phone costs $100 more than the case, how much was the cell phone?
$105, making the case $5.
How many times can you subtract 5 from 25?
Once because after the first time, you don’t have 25 anymore.
The zoo has a breeding program for 100 pairs of animals. Two pairs of babies are born for each of the original animals but 23 die. How many animals are left in total?
100 pairs = 200.
4 babies (2 pairs) x 200 original animals = 800 babies.
800 babies + 200 original animals = 1000 animals.
1000 – 23 (the babies that died) = 977.
If it takes nine people six hours to build a barn, how many hours does it take six people to build the same barn?
Zero. The barn is already built.
A building manager has to paint new numbers on all of the doors. Each home has one door, and there are 100 homes. How many times does the building manager have to paint the number 8?
20 times: 8, 18, 28, 38, 48, 58, 68, 78, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 98
If there is a basket of 40 apples and you take 4, how many apples do you have?
What can you put between 3 and 4 to make the result more than 3 and less than 4?
A decimal point, so you get 3.4, which is more than 3 but less than 4.
Word Riddles for Kids
This word has six letters, but when you take away one letter, you have 12. What word is it?
Which odd number becomes even when you take away a letter?
What word is spelled wrong in the dictionary?
Which word has three letters, but if you add two letters, you get less?
Few + er.
I am the beginning of the end and the end of time and space. I am essential for life and death. What am I?
The letter E.
I am full of words. I tell you lots of things, but I cannot speak. What am I?
What four-letter word looks the same when it’s written forward, backward, or upside down?
What belongs to you, but other people use it more than you do?
Which word, when pronounced correctly, is wrong, but when pronounced wrong, is correct?
This eight-letter word is still a word when you take away a letter. Take away another letter, and you still have a word. This process can continue until you have one letter remaining. What is the word?
Starting – staring – string – sting – sing – sin – in – I.
What’s the difference between a jailer and a jeweler?
A jailer watches cells and a jeweler sells watches.
Which phrase is correct: “The yolk of the egg is white” or “The yolk of the egg are white”?
Neither. Egg yolks are yellow.
Which seven-letter word is spelled the same backward and forward?
What kind of cheese is made backward?
What is the only English word that has two synonyms that are antonyms of each other?
Rearrange the following letters to make just one word: O N S O U W T D E J R.
“JUST ONE WORD”.
One night, a butcher, a baker, and a librarian went out for dinner. They each ate one meal. When the server brought the bill, there were four meals listed. Why?
There was one meal each for the butcher, the baker, the librarian, and the (k)night.
Which English word has three consecutive sets of double letters?
Which word has 26 letters and three syllables?
What can you see in the middle of March and April but not at the beginning or end of either month?
The letter R.
What do the words voodoo, revive, potato, banana, grammar, dresser, assess, uneven all have in common?
If you take the first letter and place it at the end of the word, it spells the same word backward.
One word in the English language signifies a male with the first two letters, a female with the first three. The first four letters signify a great person, and the entire word signifies a great woman. What’s the word?
What always ends everything?
Using 13 letters, spell COW.
See O Double You.
When I am a five-letter word, people can eat me. Remove my first letter, and I am a form of energy. Remove the first two letters, and I am something you need to do to live. Mix my last three letters, and you can drink me. What word am I?
Wheat: Heat, eat, and tea.
What question should you answer yes to when you mean no?
Do you mind?
What word becomes shorter when you add two letters to it?
Funny Riddles for Kids
What do you call witches who live together?
Say racecar, backwards.
What did the thief get when he stole a dozen calendars?
Why are teddy bears never hungry?
Because they are stuffed.
What has a bottom at the top?
Why did the boy bury his RC car?
Because the batteries died.
What kind of tree do you have in your hand?
Which vegetable do you never want on a ship?
A leek (leak).
Why did Donald Duck become an astronaut?
Because he wanted to visit Pluto.
What did the sea say to the beach?
Nothing. It just gave a little wave.
If a butcher is six feet tall, has size ten shoes, and wears medium sized clothes, what does she weigh?
What did the beach say to the tide?
Long time no sea.
Why couldn’t the sailors play cards?
Because their captain was standing on the deck.
What room will you never find a ghost in?
The living room.
Which letter of the alphabet has the most water?
When is a door not a door?
When it’s ajar.
What is the tallest building in the world?
The library because it has thousands of stories.
Before Mount Everest was discovered, what was the highest mountain on Earth?
What do dogs have that no other animal in the world has?
Why couldn’t the pirate learn how to read?
He kept getting lost at C.
The blue family lives in the blue house. The yellow family lives in the yellow house. The red family lives in the red house. So, who lives in the white house?
What’s black and white and blue?
A sad panda.
Why do tigers eat raw meat?
Because they haven’t learned to cook.
If a house key opens a house, a car key opens a car, and a padlock key opens a padlock, what opens a banana?
What has feet on the inside but not on the outside?
How can someone go eight days without sleep?
They can sleep at night.
Why don’t zombies eat popcorn with their fingers?
Because they like to eat their fingers separately.
When is a car not a car?
When it turns into a parking lot.
What will you always find at the end of a rainbow?
Which type of band doesn’t play music?
An elastic band.
Why do dragons sleep through the day?
So they can hunt knights.
If snow is white, what color is the wind?
What has teeth but never bites?
A farmer has 100 cows, 60 pigs, and 50 chickens. If we call half of the two-legged animals cows, how many cows will the farmer have?
It doesn’t matter what we call the other animals, they aren’t cows.
In what way is the moon like a dollar?
They both have four quarters.
What makes an octopus laugh?
On which side of a church will you find the graveyard?
How far can a bear run into a forest?
Halfway. After that point, it is running back out again.
If you drop a yellow towel into the red sea, what does it become?
What item or activity is cowhide most used for?
Holding cows together.
Which one of Santa’s reindeer likes Valentine’s Day the most?
What can jump higher than a bridge?
Anything capable of jumping. Bridges can’t jump.
Benefits of Riddles for Kids
Riddles Provoke Creative Thinking
We all start out thinking literally, and have to learn how to think beyond the surface as we age. Riddles encourage children to think “sideways.”
You Have Fun Together
Anything that causes you and your kids to enjoy time together is of benefit to everyone concerned (1).
Riddles Can Make Learning Fun
Rather than formal learning, telling and solving riddles is a way to learn things without the pressures associated with lessons.
Riddle Me This
So, there you have it — a list of over 190 of the best riddles for kids, according to parents and kids themselves. We hope there are plenty on our list that are new to you and more than one or two you feel compelled to share with your family.
If we didn’t include your favorite riddle for kids, share it with us below. We always love to discover more.