160 Fun Riddles for Kids to Solve

Andrew Kreeger

2 years ago

There’s nothing better than stumping your kids with some fun riddles. You can break them out on the family game night as a way to warm up or use them to pass time when you’re on a road trip. Riddles for kids can be asked anywhere which makes them a versatile tool for a parent to have in their back pocket to cure boredom and get your little ones’ brains working.

We did some digging and found 100 riddles for kids from a variety of categories like science, nature, humor, geography, and much more! Below you will start with some basic riddles that kids will love getting right, then we will move on to more nuanced riddles that very well may stump your little one. Riddles activate kids’ minds and problem-solving capabilities which means they are the equivalent to exercise for their brains! Let’s engage those young minds and get to riddling!

Can Your Little Ones Solve These Riddles for Kids?

Basic Riddles for Kids

The more of this there is, the less you see. What could it be? Darkness.
I have branches, but no fruit, trunk, or leaves. What am I? A bank.
What can’t talk but will reply when spoken to? An echo.
You see a boat filled with people, yet there isn’t a single person on board. How is that possible? All the people on the boat are married.
You walk into a room that contains a match, a kerosene lamp, a candle, and a fireplace. What would you light first? The match.
What has a face and two hands but no arms or legs? A clock.
What has a neck but no head? A bottle.
Why did the girl bury her flashlight? Because the batteries died.

More Basic Riddles for Kids to Warm Them Up

What goes up but never comes back down? Your age.
What can you keep after giving it to someone? Your word.
I shave every day, but my beard stays the same. Who am I? A barber.
A man who was outside in the rain without an umbrella or hat didn’t get a single hair on his head wet. How? He’s bald.
What gets wet while drying? A towel.
What type of cheese is made backward? Edam
What letter of the alphabet has the most water? C.
Why would the man living in New York not get buried in Atlanta? Because he’s still alive.

Funny Riddles for Kids

What is full of holes but will still hold water? A sponge.
There’s a one-story house in which everything is yellow. Yellow walls, yellow doors, yellow furniture. What color are the stairs? There are none.
What is always in front of you but can’t be seen? The future.
What can you break, even if you never pick it up or touch it? A promise.
What question can you never answer yes to? Are you asleep?
What is the difference between a jeweler and a jailer? A jeweler sells watches. A jailer watches cells.
What ship has two mates but no captain? A relationship.
Mary’s father has five daughters: Nana, Nene, Nini, Nono. What is the fifth daughter’s name? Mary.

More Funny Riddles for Kids

Two children are born on the same day from the same mother but they are not twins. How is that possible? They’re triplets.
What tastes better than it smells? A tongue.
What kind of room has no doors or windows? A mushroom.
What is orange and sounds like a parrot? A carrot.
During which month do people sleep the least? February. It’s the shortest month of the year.
What kind of tree do you carry in your hand? A palm.
If an electric train is traveling south, which way does the smoke blow? There is no smoke. The train is electric.
What makes an octopus laugh? Ten tickles.

Even More Riddles for Kids to Make Them Giggle

What goes up and down but never moves? Stairs.
Jack’s mother had three children. The first child was named April The second child was given the name May. What was the third child’s name? Jack, of course.
How much dirt is there in a hole that measures two feet by three feet by four feet? None. It’s a hole.
What grows when it’s eating but dies when it drinks? A fire.
What part of the chicken has the most feathers? The outside.
Why do lions eat uncooked meat? They never learned to cook.
What does a lazy dog do for entertainment? He chases a parked car.
Why did Mickey Mouse become an astronaut? He had a desire to see Pluto.

Riddles for Kids About Words

Forward I am heavy, but backward I am not. What am I? The word not.
What word is pronounced the same if you take away four of its five letters? Queue.
What word of five letters has one left when two are removed? Stone.
What is 3/7 chicken, 2/3 cat, and 2/4 goat? Chicago.
What 4-letter word can be written forward, backward or upside down, and can still be read from left to right? NOON.
What word starts and ends with an “E” but only has one letter? Envelope.
What five-letter word becomes shorter when you add two letters to it? Short.
What starts with a “P” ends with an “E” and has thousands of letters? The Post Office.

More Riddles for Kids About Words

What English word has three consecutive double letters? Bookkeeper.
Can you name three consecutive days without using the words Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, or Sunday? Yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
What 7 letter word is spelled the same way backward and forwards? Racecar.
What word contains all of the twenty-six letters? Alphabet.
What is the longest word in the dictionary? Smiles. There’s a mile between the two S’s.
What begins with “T” ends with “T” and has “T” in it? A teapot.
Forward I am heavy, but backward I am not. What word am I? Ton.
What is the longest word in the English dictionary? Smiles. There’s a whole mile between the S’s.

Math Riddles for Kids

I am a three-digit number. My second digit is 4 times bigger than the third digit. My first digit is 3 less than my second digit. Who am I? 141.
A half is a third of it. What is it? 1 1/2.
Which weighs more? 16 ounces of soda or a pound of solid gold? Neither. They both are the same weight.
You are given 3 positive numbers. You can add these numbers and multiply them together. The result you get will be the same. Which are the numbers? 1, 2, and 3.
If there are 4 apples and you take away 3, how many do you have? Three.
How many sides does a circle have? Two. The inside and the outside.
If two is a company and three is s a crowd, what are four and five? 9.
What did the triangle say to the circle? “You’re pointless.”

Math Riddles for Kids Continued

Can you arrange four nines to make it equal to 100? 99+9/9=100
If seven people meet each other and each shakes hands only once with each of the others, how many handshakes will there have been? 21.
A man is twice as old as his little sister. He is also half as old as his dad. Over a period of 50 years, the age of his sister will become half of their dad’s age. What is the age of the man now? 50 years old.
A farmer has 17 sheep and all but 9 die. How many are left? Nine.
Two people in front of two people, two people behind two people, and two people beside two people. How many people are there? Four.
I add five to nine and get two. The answer is correct, but how is that possible? When it is 9 PM, add 5 hours to it and you will get 2 PM.
What number do you get when you multiply all of the numbers on a telephone’s number pad? 0.
Where can you add 2 to 11 and get 1? A clock.

Science Riddles for Kids

I am a god, a planet and I can measure heat. What am I? Mercury.
What two periodic elements, when combined, heal? HE + AL (helium + mercury).
Which chemical element hates to be a follower? Lead.
What is black when you buy it, red when you use it, and gray when you throw it away? Charcoal.
You can’t see me, but I can see you. Specifically, I see through you. What am I? An X-Ray.
I’m in Mercury, Earth, Mars, and Jupiter, but not in Venus or Neptune. What am I? The letter R.
What can go up and come down without moving? The temperature.
What has a foot on each side and one in the middle? A yardstick.

More Science Riddles for Kids

I am under your face but outside of your mind. What am I? Your skull.
What eats a lot of iron without getting sick? Rust.
I can burn your mouth and your eyes but I am eaten every day. What am I? Salt.
What do dogs have that no other animal has? Puppies.
Anyone can hold me, even without their hands, yet no one can do it for long. What am I? Your breath.
What breaks but will never fall? Dawn.
What has a mouth but can’t chew? A river.
What did one earthquake say to the other? “It’s not my fault.”

Nature and Animal Riddles for Kids

Why did the chicken, the pheasant, turkey, duck, and goose get in trouble? Fowl language.
What kind of music do rabbits like? Hip Hop
Why do cats make the best soldiers? They have nine lives.
What did the turkey say to the rooster when he challenged him to a fight? Are you chicken?
I can fly, I can walk and I can swim but I don’t get wet. What am I? A bird’s shadow.
What does a cat have that no other creature has? Kittens.
What sleeps with its shoes still on? A horse.
What is as big as an elephant but weighs nothing? The elephant’s shadow.

More Nature and Animal Riddles for Kids

I am a fruit, a bird, and a person. What am I? A kiwi.
I never leave the water, but I breathe air. I live in a school all my life. What am I? A dolphin.
What color chicks would hatch from brown and white rooster eggs? Roosters don’t lay eggs.
What do you call a pig with no legs? A groundhog.
I am an animal that holds the distinction of being the first word in many English dictionaries. What am I? An aardvark.
What can honk without a horn? A goose.
What has a horn but does not honk? A rhinoceros.
What kind of keys can’t open doors? Monkeys and donkeys.

Even More Nature & Animal Riddles for Kids

I touch your face, I’m in your words. I’m a lack of space and beloved by birds. What am I? Air.
I fly without wings, I cry without eyes. What am I? A cloud.
I am important to both human beings and animals. Both search for me but it is hard to find me. I travel to benefit them. What am I? Scent.
What falls but never breaks? Dusk.
What breaks but never falls? Dawn.
What fur do we get from a Tiger? As fur away as possible.
Why will dragons sleep all day? They prefer to hunt knights.
What has two heads, four eyes, six legs, and a tail? A cowboy on a horse.

Geography Riddles for Kids

I stay in the corner but travel around the world. What am I? A stamp.
What is the laziest mountain in the world? Mount Everest
What was the largest island in the world before Australia was discovered? Australia.
What rock group has four men that can’t sing? Mount Rushmore.
Eskimos are very good hunters, but they never hunt for penguins. Why not? Eskimos reside at the North Pole and penguins are only found at the South Pole.
What goes through towns and over hills but never moves? The road.
What is the worst thing that can happen to a geography teacher? Getting lost.
How many seas in the world touch three continents? One. The Mediterranean Sea touches Europe, Africa, and Asia.

Weather Riddles for Kids

What splits itself before splitting something else? Lightning.
I always follow my brother, although very different we are. You can see him, but not me. You can hear me, but not him. What am I? Thunder.
I have an eye but cannot see. I am stronger and faster than any man alive but have no limbs. Who am I? A hurricane.
What can be measured, but has no length, width, or height? Temperature.
What goes up when the rain comes down? Umbrellas.
What can clap without any hands? Thunder.
I am where most weather occurs. What am I called? Troposphere.
I have an eye but can’t see. I am stronger and faster than any living person but I have no limbs. What am I? A hurricane.

Famous Riddles for Kids

This is a thing that is devoured by all things; flowers, trees, beasts, birds; bites steel, gnaws iron; grinds hard stone to meal; beats mountain down, ruins town, and slays king. What is it? Time.
There is a house. One enters it blind and comes out seeing. What is it? A school.
What goes on four legs in the morning, on two legs at noon, and on three legs in the evening? A human.
As I was going to St. Ives, I met a man with seven wives, Each wife had seven sacks, Each sack had seven cats, Each cat had seven kits: Kits, cats, sacks, and wives. How many were there going to St. Ives? One.
There are 30 white horses on a red hill: first, they champ, then they stamp, then they stand still. What are they? Teeth.
I’m in you, But not in him, I go up, But not down, I’m in the colosseum, But not a tower, I’m in a puzzle, But not a riddle. What am I? The letter U.
A word I know, six letters it contains, subtract just one, and twelve is what remains. Dozens.
Why is a raven like a writing desk? Because neither is approached with caws.

More Famous Riddles for Kids

What type of dress can never be worn? Address.
If you drop me I’m sure to crack, but give me a smile and I’ll always smile back. What am I? A mirror.
What goes through cities and fields, but never moves? A road.
The person who makes it has no need for it; the person who buys it has no use for it. The person who uses it can neither see nor feel it. What is it? A coffin.
I have lakes with no water, mountains with no stone, and cities with no buildings. What am I? A map.
What squeals louder than a captured rat? Several captured rats.
A ship sank in perfect weather. If the weather had been worse the ship probably would not have sunk. What happened? The ship was the Titanic. It hit an iceberg on calm seas.
What is he that builds stronger than either the mason, the shipwright, or the carpenter? A gravedigger.

The Best Riddles for Kids

What am I when today comes before yesterday? A dictionary.
Where there is light is the only place I can live. Yet if light shines on me I die. What am I? A shadow.
What can run, but not walk? Water.
What has branches and leaves, but has no bark? A library.
What connects two people, but touches only one? A wedding ring.
What kinds of stones are never found in the ocean? Dry ones.
A man leaves home and turns left three times, only to return home facing two men wearing masks. Who are the two men? An umpire and a catcher.
What has a head but never cries, has a bed but never slumbers, can run but never walks, and has a bank but no money? A river.

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Our Favorite Riddles for Kids

If you drop a 15 lb iron bar and a 5 lb bag of cotton from a height of 50 feet which will reach the ground first? Gravity is a constant for all objects on earth. They will land at the same time.
I am a ball that can be rolled but never bounced or thrown. What am I? An eyeball.
At night they come without being fetched, and by day they are lost without being stolen. What are they? Stars.
I am sometimes full but I never overflow. What am I? The moon.
I am the child of the water, yet when I return to the water, I die. What am I? Ice.
What is as light as a feather, but even the world’s strongest person can’t hold it for more than ten minutes? Breath.
Two fathers and two sons go on a fishing trip. They each catch a fish and bring it home. Why do they only bring three home? A grandfather, a father, and a son are on the fishing trip.
What belongs to you but others use it more than you do? Your name.

There you go! Won’t little minds enjoy cracking these riddles for kids? We imagine they’ll have a ball trying to solve them and the best part about them is that you can break them out anywhere to help cure boredom. Waiting in line at the grocery store? Ask a riddle! Are they getting moody in the waiting room of a doctor’s office? Bust out a riddle! We hope they love them!