Want to make your clever kid laugh? We rounded up the best riddles of 2024 for kids of all ages.
Fact checked by Sarah ScottFact checked by Sarah Scott
One of the best ways to connect with kids is to engage in silly time together. And what better way to get those giggles going than to try to solve some riddles together? Whether you’re faced with a long car ride, a lengthy wait at the doctor’s office, or you’re trying to lighten the mood at bedtime—riddles are a great way to pass the time with your kids.
But it’s not just fun to solve riddles, it can also be beneficial for your little one’s development. According to Chelsey Borson, pediatric recreational therapist and founder of pediatric sleep site Luna Leaps, “Riddles have several benefits for kids. Most importantly, they promote critical thinking and problem-solving skills.”
What is a Riddle?
A riddle is a type of brain teaser that typically presents a question or statement that requires creative thinking to solve. According to Borson, “It often involves wordplay, logic, or clever twists.”
Benefits of Riddles for Kids
The benefits of riddles for kids of all ages are many. Borson says, “When children try to solve riddles, they exercise their memory, concentration and attention span.” Here’s a list of other benefits kids can gain by trying to solve these fun brain twisters.
Solving riddles:
Encourages children to think outside the box and come up with creative solutions.
Improves language skills and vocabulary through the use of puns, metaphors, and wordplay.
Enhances cognitive development by stimulating reasoning, logical thinking, and problem-solving abilities.
Improves verbal communication skills as kids need to articulate their thoughts and ideas when discussing or explaining the answers.
Fosters creativity and imagination.
Helps teach various subjects such as math, science, or history.
Related: 53 Thought-Provoking "Would You Rather?" Questions for Kids
The Best Riddles for Kids
Below, we’ve listed 75 of the best riddles for kids of all ages, separated into groups. If you’re looking for more great ways to connect with your kids once you’ve worked through these riddles, check out these conversation starters and tongue twisters, too!
Easy Riddles for Preschoolers
Your littlest learners will love these silly yet simple riddles for preschoolers, which will challenge their expanding view of the world in a funny way.
Q: Why did the scaredy-cat cross the road?
A: It was too chicken not to.
Q: What color does a cat like best?
A: purrr-ple.
Q: What has hands but does not clap?
A: A clock.
Q: If you throw a yellow stone into a blue sea, what would it become?
A: Wet.
Q: What has no beginning, no end, and no middle?
A: A doughnut.
Q: If there are three bananas and you take two, how many do you have?
A: Two.
Q: What’s bright orange with green on top and sounds like a parrot?
A: A carrot.
Q: What do you call a bear with no teeth?
A: A gummy bear.
Q: Where do you take a sick boat?
A: To the dock.
Q: Why is 6 afraid of 7?
A: Because 7, 8 (ate), 9!
Q: What animal can jump higher than a building?
A: Buildings can’t jump!
Q: Why are teddy bears never hungry?
A: Because they’re always stuffed.
Q: What is a bunny’s favorite type of music?
A: Hip hop.
Q: What is a monster’s favorite dessert?
A: I-scream.
Q: What animal can you never trust?
A: A lion.
Q: What is yours but is mostly used by others?
A: Your name.
Q: What kind of cake does a mouse eat on its birthday?
A: Cheesecake.
Q: What goes up and never comes down?
A: Your age.
Q: What’s black, white, and blue?
A: A sad zebra.
Q: What kind of lion never roars?
A: A dandelion.
Q: What has legs but can’t walk?
A: A chair.
Q: What is a frog’s favorite game?
A: Leapfrog.
Q: Everyone has one, but no one can lose it. What is it?
A: A shadow.
Q: What can go through glass without breaking it?
A: Light.
Q: What has holes all over it but still holds water?
A: A sponge.
Related: 71 Activities to Keep Kids Busy While You're Working From Home
Fun Riddles for School-Aged Kids
School-aged kids will get a kick out of these funny riddles, with topics ranging from animals to spelling to math.
Q: Why is the snow leopard so popular?
A: Because it’s the coolest cat around.
Q: Why do cheetahs dislike playing hide and seek?
A: Because they’re always spotted.
Q: In which month do dogs eat the least?
A: February—it’s the shortest month.
Q: I’m taller when I’m young and shorter when I’m old. What am I?
A: A candle.
Q: What begins with T, ends with T, and has a T in it?
A: A teapot.
Q: What word begins and ends with E, but only has one letter?
A: An envelope.
Q: What do you find at the end of a rainbow?
A: The letter W.
Q: If you have it, you don’t share it. If you share it, you don’t have it. What is it?
A: A secret.
Q: Give me a drink, and I will die. Feed me, and I'll get bigger. What am I?
A: A fire.
Q: I go all around the world, but never leave the corner. What am I?
A: A stamp.
Q: Nobody empties me, but I never stay full for long. What am I?
A: The moon.
Q: What did the triangle say to the circle?
A: You are pointless.
Q: What kind of tree can you hold in your hand?
A: A palm tree.
Q: What is a vampire’s favorite fruit?
A: A blood orange.
Q: When things go wrong, what can you always count on?
A: Your fingers.
Q: What do you call a chihuahua in the summertime?
A: A hot dog.
Q: What is a tree’s favorite drink?
A: Root beer.
Q: If Mr. Red lives in the red house, and Mr. Blue lives in the blue house. Who lives in the White House?
A: The president.
Q: What building has the most stories?
A: The library.
Q: What do you get when you cross a snowman and a vampire?
A: Frostbite.
Q: What has a bottom at the top?
A: Legs.
Q: I jump when I walk and sit when I stand. What am I?
A: A kangaroo.
Q: First, you throw away my outside and cook the inside. Then you eat my outside and throw away the inside. What am I?
A: Corn on the cob.
Q: What gets bigger the more you take away?
A: A hole.
Q: I will fill a room but take up no space. What am I?
A: Light.
Tricky Riddles for Tweens and Teens
Older kids and teens need slightly more difficult riddles in order to keep them engaged. We’ve rounded up 25 challenging riddles for teens they can solve with you, or share with their friends.
Q: What kind of ship has two mates but no captain?
A: A relationship.
Q: What is easier to get into than out of?
A: Trouble.
Q: There is one word spelled wrong in every English dictionary. What is it?
A: Wrong.
Q: You’re in a race and you pass the person in second place. What place are you in now?
A: Second place (you would have to actually pass the person in first place to be in first place).
Q: What has 13 hearts, but no lungs or organs?
A: A deck of cards.
Q: The person who makes it has no need of it, and neither does the person who buys it. But the person who uses it can neither see nor feel it. What is it?
A: A coffin.
Q: A cat was outside in the rain without shelter and got completely soaked by the rain, yet not a single hair was wet. How could this be?
A: It was a hairless cat.
Q: Jake is younger than Dave but older than Taylor. Aidan is older than Quinn who is older than Jake. Dave is older than Aidan. Who is the middle child?
A: Quinn
Q: What appears once in a minute, twice in a moment, but not once in a thousand years?
A: The letter M.
Q: I’m light as a feather, yet the strongest person can’t hold me for five minutes. What am I?
A: Your breath.
Q: A rooster is sitting on the roof of a barn facing west. If it laid an egg, would the egg roll to the north or to the south?
A: Roosters don’t lay eggs.
Q: I can be cracked or made; told, or played. What am I?
A: A joke.
Q: How many seconds are there in a year?
A: 12 - January 2nd, February 2nd, etc…
Q: Ms. Johnson has four daughters. Each daughter has a brother. How many kids are there in total?
A: Five. There are four daughters and one son. Each daughter has the same brother.
Q: What kind of foods are the most fun at parties?
A: Fungi
Q: I speak without a mouth and hear without ears. I have no body, but I come alive with wind. What am I?
A: An echo.
Q: What is seen at the middle of March and April that can’t be seen at the beginning or end of each?
A: The letter R.
Q: You see a boat filled with people. When you look again, the boat hasn’t sunk, but there isn’t a single person on the boat. How can this be?
A: The people on the boat are all married.
Q: Identify this word: The first two letters indicate a male, the first three letters indicate a female. The first four letters indicate a great person, while the whole word indicates a great woman. What is the word?
A: Heroine.
Q: What disappears as soon as you say its name?
A: Silence.
Q: What can you hold in your right hand, but never in your left?
A: Your left hand.
Q: Three different doctors said that Jackson is their brother, yet Jackson claims to have no brothers. How can this be?
A: The doctors are all women, so Jackson has three sisters.
Q: How can you stand behind your sister while she is standing behind you?
A: You and your sister are standing back to back.
Q: What four-letter word can be written the same forward, backward and upside down?
A: noon
Q: What game is dangerous for your mental health?
A: Marbles - you don’t want to lose them.
Related: Get Your Kids Talking With These 105 Conversation Starters
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