125 riddles for kids that will keep them busy and entertained

Riddles are a great activity to pass the time after school, on a road trip or on a snowy afternoon. Not only are riddles an enjoyable game, riddles can also help children use their brains differently by using critical thinking and problem-solving skills. They can also help kids with reading and vocabulary while honing their complex thinking skills at the same time.

Riddles can be short or long, and often require thinking "outside the box" to solve a question or statement that may have multiple meanings. Check out all sorts of riddles below. Happy guessing!

Best Riddles For Kids

Ready to offer your kids a fun, safe and mind-stretching activity? Here are riddles for kids that will tease their brains and tickle the funny bones.

• What question can you never answer "yes" to? "Are you asleep yet?"
• You’re running a race and at the very end, you pass the person in 2nd place. What place did you finish the race in? 2nd place.
• I am so simple that I can only point, yet I guide people all over the world. A compass.
• What has 13 hearts, but no other organs? A deck of cards.
• What comes down but never goes up? Rain/snow.
• What is always in front of you but can't be seen? The future.
• I’m light as a feather, yet the strongest person can’t hold me for five minutes. What am I? Your breath.
• What lets you look right through a wall? A window.
• What has one eye, but can’t see? A needle.
• What has many needles, but doesn’t sew? A pine tree.
• Emily has four daughters, and each of her daughters has a brother. How many children does Emily have? Five — each daughter has the same brother.
• What kind of band never plays music? A rubber band.
• What runs all around a backyard but never moves? A fence.
• What tastes better than it smells? Your tongue.
• What kind of coat is best put on wet? A coat of paint.
• Two fathers and two sons are in a car, yet there are only three people in the car. How? They are a grandfather, a father and a son.
• If there are three slices of pizza and you take away two, how many slices do you have? Two.
• I am a word that begins with the letter “i.” If you add the letter “a” to me, I become a new word with a different meaning, but that sounds exactly the same. What word am I? Isle (add “a” to make “aisle”)
• The first two letters in this word signify a male, the first three letters signify a female, the first four letters signify a great, while the entire word signifies a great woman. What is the word? Heroine.
• There is a rooster sitting on top of a barn. If it laid an egg, which way would it roll? Roosters don't lay eggs.
• What can jump higher than a building? Anything that can jump because buildings can't jump.
• I make a loud sound when I’m changing, and when I'm finished changing, I get bigger but weigh less. What am I? Popcorn.
• What's the one thing your right hand can hold but your left hand cannot? Your left elbow.
• You can always count on me, even when things go wrong. What am I? Your fingers.
• What is easier to get into than out of? Trouble.
• I can run but not walk, and you often follow me around. What am I? Your nose.
• What has a bottom at its top? Your leg.
• During which month do people sleep the least? February (because it has the fewest nights).
• What starts with a "P," ends with an "E" and has thousands of letters? The post office.
• I jump when I walk and sit when I stand. What am I? A kangaroo.
• I go around the world, but never leave the corner. What am I? A stamp.
• What gets bigger the more you take away? A hole.
• Which letter of the alphabet has the most water? The letter "C"
• I am easy to lift, but hard to throw. What am I? A feather.
• What's black and white and read all over? A newspaper.
• What has a head and tail but no body? A coin.
• What's a frog's favorite game? Leapfrog.
• An electric train is heading east at 400mph. How fast will the smoke blow? Electric trains do not produce smoke.
• What month of the year has 28 days? All months have at least 28 days.
• I will fill a room, but take up no space. What am I? Light.
• What four-letter word can be written the same forward and backward, as well as upside down? Noon.
• What has to be broken before you can eat it? An egg.
• The more of this there is, the less you can see. What is it? Darkness.
• Bobby's mother has three children: Snap, Crackle and ___? Bobby.
• The more you take, the more you leave behind. What am I? Footsteps.
• You won't see me at all in March, May or January, but catch me once in June and twice in November. What am I? The letter "E".
• What is so fragile that saying its name will make it break? Silence.
• What has legs but cannot walk? A stool.
• Kids can make it, but never hold it or see it. What is it? Noise.
• What word begins and ends in "E," but only has one letter? Envelope.
• If you don't keep me, I'll break. What am I? A promise.
• I'm not in Venus or Neptune, but you can find me in Mercury, Earth, Mars, Jupiter and Uranus. What am I? The letter "R."
• What has many keys, but cannot unlock a single door? A piano.
• Everyone has it, but no one can lose it. What is it? A shadow.
• Where will you find Friday before Thursday? A dictionary.
• What has holes all over, but still holds water? A sponge.
• What is as big as an elephant but weighs nothing? An elephant's shadow.
• People buy me to eat, but I cannot be eaten. What am I? A plate.
• What is always answered without being questioned? A doorbell.
• What is at the end of a rainbow? The letter "W."
• What game is dangerous for your mental health? Marbles; you don't want to lose them.
• I have no life, but I can die. What am I? A battery.
• What English word has three consecutive double letters? Bookkeeper.

27 Funny Riddles That Will Have You Laughing Out Loud

• What kind of tree can you carry in your hand? A palm tree.
• My teddy bear is never hungry. Why? He's stuffed.
• Where do you take a sick boat? To the dock-tor.
• What is something brown with a head and tail, but no legs? A penny.
• How do you make the word "one" disappear? Add a "G" in front and it's gone.
• What kind of room has no walls, door or windows? A mushroom.
• If you threw a black stone into the Red Sea, what would it become? Wet.
• What two things can you never eat for breakfast? Lunch and dinner.
• Imagine you are in trapped in a closet with a locked door. How will you get out? Stop imagining.
• What building has the most stories? A library.
• You walk into a room that has a match, a candle and a fireplace. Which should you light first? The match.
• Which fish costs the most? A goldfish.
• What loses a head in the morning, but gets it back at night? A pillow.
• How do you catch a school of fish? A bookworm.
• What it it called when a dinosaur makes a soccer goal? A dino-score.
• I have a face and arms, but no legs. What am I? A clock.
• What has a neck, but no head? A bottle.
• What is used by others, but only belongs to you? Your name.
• What two keys cannot open any doors? Monkey and donkey.
• Who wears shoes while sleeping? A horse.
• What goes up, but never comes down? Age.
• Why did the golfer put on a second pair of pants? He hot a hole in one.
• What happens when a sheep studies karate? A lamb chop.
• What did the sea say to the sand? Nothing, he just waved.
• Why did the football coach go to the bank? He wanted his quarterback.
• How do shells get around the ocean? A taxi crab.
• What has 88 teeth, but has never brushed them? A piano.

20 Tricky Riddles For Kids That Require Critical Thinking

• How many animals did Moses take on the ark? Zero. Noah took them.
• The one who makes me cannot use me. The one who buys me will not use me for themselves. The one who actually uses me, doesn't know it. What am I? A coffin.
• A woman called her horse from the opposite side of a river. The horse crossed the river without getting wet, and without using a boat or bridge. How? The river was frozen.
• Is it possible for a woman to go 10 days without sleeping? Yes, she will sleep at night.
• Three men jump into the water, but only two come out with wet hair. Why? The third man was bald.
• A woman fell from a 30-foot ladder without getting hurt. How? She was standing on the bottom rung.
• Sally's father has five daughters: Sammy, Stella, Sarah and Sadie. Guess the name of the fifth daughter? Sally.
• What comes once in a minute, twice in a moment, but never in a thousand years? The letter "M."
• After an electric train crashed, every single person died. Who lived? The couples.
• What is the fastest way to double your money? Place it in front of the mirror.
• Which word in the dictionary is always spelled incorrectly? Incorrectly.
• What would you call a man who does not have all fingers on one hand? A man, because humans have fingers on both hands.
• Amy threw the ball as hard as she could and it came back to her, without anything or anyone touching it. How? She threw the ball upward into the air.
• In a single story house, there is a green chair, green bed, green computer, green couch, green flowers, green carpet and green table. What could is the staircase? There is no staircase. It's a single story house.
• When the water comes down, I go up. What am I? An umbrella.
• What is white, but smells like blue paint? White paint.
• If a red house is made with red bricks, and a blue house is made with blue bricks, and an orange house is made with orange bricks, what is a greenhouse made of? Usually glass, so plants can grow more easily.
• A cowboy rode into town on Friday. He stayed for three nights and rode out on Friday. How is this possible? His horse's name is Friday.
• My life is measured in hours and I serve you by expiring. I’m quick when I’m thin and slow when I’m fat. The wind is my enemy. What am I? A candle.
• You see a boat filled with people. It has not sunk, but when you look again you don’t see a single person on the boat. Why not? They're all married.

15 Math Riddles

• Which number stays the same no matter what number you multiply it with? 0.
• Bill, Judy, and Dane attended a baseball game together and bought one ticket each. How many tickets did they buy in total? 3.
• I add 5 to 9 and get 2. The answer is correct, so what am I? A clock. When it is 9 a.m., adding 5 hours would make it 2 p.m.
• What are eight 8s that add up to 1,000? 8 + 8 + 8 + 88 + 888 = 1,000.
• Kavita has 3 strawberries and 2 oranges in one hand and 2 strawberries and 4 oranges in the other. How many oranges and strawberries did Kavita have? 6 oranges and 5 strawberries.
• How many times can you subtract 10 from 25? Once. After you subtract 10 from 25 the first time, it becomes 15.
• When my father was 30 years old, I was 9 years old. Now, I am 40 years old, so what will be his age now? 61.
• When Rebecca was 8 years old, her little brother, Bob, was half his age. If Rebecca is 20 years old today, how old is Bob? 16.
• What comes before 11 and after 15? 10 and 16.
• Rachel goes to the supermarket and buys 10 tomatoes. Unfortunately, on the way back home, all but 9 get ruined. How many tomatoes are left in a good condition? 9.
• What can you put between 4 and 5 so that the result is more than 4, but less than 5? A decimal.
• How do you make the number 7 even without adding, subtracting, multiplying or dividing? Take out the "S."
• When is 1500 plus 20 and 1600 minus 40 the same thing? When it's military time.
• If 2 is company and 3 is a crowd, what are 4 and 5? 9.
• How many sides does a square have? 4.