179 Riddles for Kids With Answers, Sorted by Age

A riddle is a question with a trick in it — the wording points one way and the answer goes another, which is exactly why kids love the moment it clicks. Below are 179 riddles for kids with answers, sorted by age and then by subject, so you can jump straight to the right ones for whoever is guessing. Want a fresh one on demand instead of a list? Our riddle generator pulls a new one every tap, and there is a kids joke generator for the younger ones.

Easy Riddles for Younger Kids (Ages 4 to 6)

Start here. These land in one guess and the answer is always something a small child has seen with their own eyes — no wordplay to unpick, nothing that needs reading twice.

1. I am yellow, I am long, and monkeys love me. What am I? A banana.
2. What has four legs and says moo? A cow.
3. What goes up when the rain comes down? An umbrella.
4. What has wings and lives in a nest? A bird.
5. I am round, I bounce, and you kick me. What am I? A ball.
6. What is white, cold, and falls in winter? Snow.
7. What animal says woof and wags its tail? A dog.
8. I am bright in the sky in the daytime. What am I? The sun.
9. What do you wear on your feet before your shoes? Socks.
10. I am sweet, I am cold, and I melt on a hot day. What am I? Ice cream.
11. What has petals and grows in a garden? A flower.
12. I carry my house on my back and I move very slowly. What am I? A snail.
13. What has stripes and is orange and black? A tiger.
14. You sleep on me and put your head down at night. What am I? A pillow.
15. What has a trunk but is not a car? An elephant.
16. I am long, I am green, and I grow in a pod. What am I? A pea.
17. What has a shell and lives in the sea? A crab.
18. I light up a dark room when you flick a switch. What am I? A light.
19. What is red, round, and grows on a tree? An apple.
20. What has hands, a strap, and sits on your wrist? A watch.
21. I hop, I am green, and I say ribbit. What am I? A frog.
22. What comes out at night and is full of stars? The night sky.

Riddles for Ages 7 to 9

Now there is a trick in the wording. These are the ones where a child gets it, groans, and immediately wants to try it on somebody else.

23. What can you break without ever touching it? A promise.
24. What runs all around the garden but never moves? A fence.
25. What has a bed but never sleeps? A river.
26. What can fill a room but takes up no space? Light.
27. What goes through towns and over hills but never moves? A road.
28. What can you hold in your left hand but never in your right? Your right elbow.
29. What is easy to lift but hard to throw? A feather.
30. What has a ring but no finger? A telephone.
31. The more of these you take, the more you leave behind. What are they? Footsteps.
32. What is always in front of you but cannot be seen? The future.
33. What kind of band never plays music? A rubber band.
34. What has one head, one foot and four legs? A bed.
35. What can run but never walks, and has a mouth but never talks? A river.
36. Where does today come before yesterday? In a dictionary.
37. What has a horn but does not honk? A rhino.
38. What kind of coat is best put on wet? A coat of paint.
39. What has a top but no bottom? A hill.
40. What has feathers but cannot fly? A shuttlecock.
41. What is black and white and read all over? A newspaper.
42. What has a hand and a face but cannot wave or smile? A clock tower.
43. What has keys, a space and a shift, but you cannot unlock anything with it? A keyboard.
44. What kind of tree fits in your hand? A palm tree.

45. What has a tongue but cannot taste? A shoe.
46. What is so fragile that saying its name breaks it? Silence.
47. What can you serve but never eat? A tennis ball.
48. What has a neck, a body, and strings, but no arms? A guitar.
49. What is taken before you get it? Your photograph.
50. What kind of nut has a hole in the middle? A doughnut.

Riddles for Ages 10 to 12

These need a second read, and that is the point — a riddle that lands straight away is not much of a riddle by this age.

51. I speak without a mouth and hear without ears. I have no body, but I come alive with wind. What am I? An echo.
52. The more you take away from me, the bigger I get. What am I? A hole.
53. I am not alive, but I grow. I do not have lungs, but I need air. What am I? Fire.
54. What belongs to you, but other people use it far more than you do? Your name.
55. I follow you all day but disappear at night. What am I? Your shadow.
56. What can travel the world without leaving its corner? A postage stamp.
57. I am light as a feather, but the strongest person cannot hold me for five minutes. What am I? Your breath.
58. What gets broken every time it is spoken? Silence.
59. I have branches, but no fruit, trunk or leaves. What am I? A bank.
60. What has many needles but does no sewing? A pine tree.
61. I go in dry and come out wet, and the longer I stay the stronger I get. What am I? A tea bag.
62. What has thirteen hearts but no other organs? A pack of cards.
63. I am always coming but never arrive. What am I? Tomorrow.
64. Forwards I am heavy, backwards I am not. What am I? The word ton.
65. What has an eye but cannot see, and is fiercer than any animal? A storm.
66. What can be cracked, made, told and played? A joke.
67. I have no doors but plenty of keys, no rooms but plenty of space. What am I? A keyboard.
68. What runs but never gets tired? Water.
69. What is at the end of everything? The letter G.
70. What starts with an E, ends with an E, and usually contains one letter? An envelope.
71. What word is spelled wrong in every dictionary? Wrong.
72. If you drop me I will crack, but smile at me and I will smile back. What am I? A mirror.
73. I am tall when I am young and short when I am old. What am I? A candle.
74. What gets sharper the more you use it? Your brain.
75. I am found in the sea and on land, but I never move. What am I? A rock.
76. What can you put in a bucket to make it lighter? A hole.
77. I have hands that wave, but no fingers. What am I? A tree.

Animal Riddles

Every one of these has an animal for an answer, which narrows it down and makes them ideal for the youngest guessers in the room.

78. I have a long neck and I can reach the top leaves of a tree. What am I? A giraffe.
79. I sleep upside down and I hunt at night. What am I? A bat.
80. I change colour to hide, and my eyes move in two directions at once. What am I? A chameleon.
81. I have eight arms and no bones at all. What am I? An octopus.
82. I am the biggest animal on Earth, and I live in the sea. What am I? A blue whale.
83. I have black and white stripes, and no two of us look the same. What am I? A zebra.
84. I carry my baby in a pocket and I hop. What am I? A kangaroo.
85. I spin a home out of my own body. What am I? A spider.
86. I start life in water with a tail, and end it on land with legs. What am I? A frog.
87. I am covered in spikes and curl into a ball when I am scared. What am I? A hedgehog.
88. I never forget, and my nose is also my hand. What am I? An elephant.

89. I look like a horse but I live in the sea and I am tiny. What am I? A seahorse.
90. I sleep all winter and love honey. What am I? A bear.
91. I have a shell I can hide inside, and I am slow on land but quick in water. What am I? A turtle.
92. I make honey and I dance to tell my friends where the flowers are. What am I? A bee.
93. I am a bird but I swim instead of fly, and I live where it is very cold. What am I? A penguin.
94. I have more legs than any other creature you will meet in the garden. What am I? A millipede.
95. I am the fastest animal on land over a short distance. What am I? A cheetah.
96. I can regrow my tail if I lose it. What am I? A lizard.
97. I am awake all night, I turn my head almost all the way round, and I say twit twoo. What am I? An owl.

Food Riddles

Good for the dinner table, and the answer is usually sitting somewhere in the kitchen.

98. I am red on the outside, white on the inside, and I crunch. What am I? An apple.
99. I make you cry but I have never hurt anybody. What am I? An onion.
100. I am round, I am cheesy, and I come in a box with slices. What am I? A pizza.
101. I am a fruit with my seeds on the outside. What am I? A strawberry.
102. I am brown, I am sweet, and I melt in your hand. What am I? Chocolate.
103. I am long, orange, and rabbits love me. What am I? A carrot.
104. I am white, I am poured on cereal, and I come from a cow. What am I? Milk.
105. I am flat, round, and I get flipped in a pan. What am I? A pancake.
106. I am a vegetable that looks like a tiny tree. What am I? Broccoli.
107. I am salty, I am thin, and I come in a crinkly bag. What am I? A crisp.
108. I am frozen, I am on a stick, and I drip if you are slow. What am I? An ice lolly.
109. I am spread on toast and made by bees. What am I? Honey.

Nature and Weather Riddles

Everything outside the window. These work well on a long walk when nobody has a screen to hand.

110. I fall but never get hurt, and I come down in millions. What am I? Rain.
111. I have a bow but I cannot shoot, and I appear after the rain. What am I? A rainbow.
112. You cannot see me, but you can feel me and watch me move the trees. What am I? The wind.
113. I am white and fluffy and I float across the sky. What am I? A cloud.
114. I come out at night and I change shape all month. What am I? The moon.
115. I flash before you hear me. What am I? Lightning.
116. I am made of water but I am hard enough to slip on. What am I? Ice.
117. I am the only thing that gets bigger the more you dig at me. What am I? A hole.
118. I go up in the day and down at night, but I never move at all. What am I? The sun, from where you are standing.
119. I am tall and made of rock, and climbers take days to reach my top. What am I? A mountain.
120. I cover the ground in autumn and crunch under your feet. What am I? Fallen leaves.
121. I roll in from the sea and I make everything grey and quiet. What am I? Fog.
122. I am buried in the ground, then I push up into the light. What am I? A seed.

School Riddles

For the walk to school, or for a wet break.

123. The more you use me, the shorter I get. What am I? A pencil.
124. I get rubbed out for a living. What am I? An eraser.
125. I hold everything you need for the day and I sit on your back. What am I? A schoolbag.
126. I have numbers and I help you count, but I am not a person. What am I? A calculator.
127. I ring and everybody moves at once. What am I? The school bell.
128. I am full of writing but I am not a book, and you hand me in. What am I? Your homework.
129. I have a point, but I am not trying to argue. What am I? A pencil.
130. I show every country in the world but I am flat. What am I? A map.
131. You sit at me all day and I never complain. What am I? A desk.
132. I am a place full of books where you have to be quiet. What am I? A library.

133. I am sticky on one side and I hold your work in place. What am I? Glue.

Number and Math Riddles

Sneaky math. The answer is usually simpler than the working-out a child will try first.

134. I am an odd number. Take away one letter and I become even. What am I? Seven.
135. If two is company and three is a crowd, what are four and five? Nine.
136. How many months of the year have 28 days? All of them.
137. A farmer has 17 sheep and all but nine run away. How many are left? Nine.
138. If you have me, you want to share me. If you share me, you no longer have me. What am I? A secret.
139. What three numbers give the same answer when added together and multiplied together? One, two and three.
140. I am a number that looks the same upside down. What am I? Eight — or zero.
141. There are three apples and you take away two. How many do you have? Two, because you took them.
142. What has four sides that are all the same length? A square.
143. How many sides does a circle have? Two — the inside and the outside.
144. If a rooster lays an egg on the top of a roof, which way does it roll? Nowhere. Roosters do not lay eggs.
145. What can you put between a seven and an eight to make the result bigger than seven but smaller than eight? A decimal point.
146. I am the only even prime number. What am I? Two.
147. A clock strikes six in five seconds. How long does it take to strike twelve? Eleven seconds — you count the gaps, not the strikes.

Funny Riddles That Are Basically Jokes

The answer is a groan. That is the correct reaction, and every child will repeat these until an adult begs them to stop.

148. Why did the picture go to jail? Because it was framed.
149. What did one wall say to the other wall? Meet you at the corner.
150. Why can you never trust an atom? They make up everything.
151. What do you call a fish with no eyes? A fsh.
152. Why did the math book look so sad? It had too many problems.
153. What do you call cheese that is not yours? Nacho cheese.
154. Why did the scarecrow win an award? He was outstanding in his field.
155. What kind of shoes do robbers wear? Sneakers.
156. Why did the bicycle fall over? It was two tired.
157. What do you call a sleeping dinosaur? A dino-snore.
158. Why was the broom late? It over-swept.
159. What did the ocean say to the shore? Nothing. It just waved.
160. Why do bees have sticky hair? Because they use honeycombs.
161. What do you call a bear with no teeth? A gummy bear.
162. Why did the cookie go to hospital? It was feeling crumby.
163. What is a tornado's favourite game? Twister.
164. Why did the banana go to the doctor? It was not peeling well.
165. What do you call a boomerang that does not come back? A stick.

Tricky Riddles for a Long Car Journey

Save these for the motorway. They take a while, which is the entire point.

166. A man leaves home, turns left three times, and comes back to find two masked people waiting. Who are they? The catcher and the umpire — he is playing baseball.
167. What can you hold without ever touching it? A conversation.
168. A girl falls off a twenty-foot ladder and is not hurt. How? She fell off the bottom rung.
169. I am an odd word. Remove one letter and I am still odd. What am I? Odd.
170. Two fathers and two sons went fishing and caught three fish, and each took one home. How? There were only three people — a grandfather, a father and a son.
171. What can you fill with empty hands? Gloves.
172. A boy is walking with his father and says he has as many brothers as sisters. His sister says she has twice as many brothers as sisters. How many children are there? Four boys and three girls.
173. What goes around the world but stays in one place? A stamp on a letter.
174. If you are running a race and you overtake the person in second place, what position are you in? Second.
175. What do you throw away to use and take back when you are done? An anchor.
176. A man is looking at a photograph. He says: brothers and sisters I have none, but that man's father is my father's son. Who is in the photo? His son.
177. What has one voice, walks on four legs in the morning, two at noon and three in the evening? A person — crawling, walking, then using a stick.
178. What can be swallowed, but can also swallow you? Pride.
179. How far can a dog run into a wood? Halfway. After that it is running back out.

How to Use Riddles With Kids

Read the riddle twice. The first time they hear the words, the second time they hear the trick — and the second reading is where most children solve it on their own, which is the bit worth waiting for.

Give a clue rather than the answer. "It is something in this room" turns a dead end into a win, and a child who gets there with one nudge will try the riddle on somebody else within the hour.

Let them be wrong out loud. Half the fun of a riddle is the confident wrong answer, and a table that laughs at a wrong guess is a table where the next child will happily guess too.

Why Riddles Are Good for Kids

Riddles teach a child that words can mean two things at once. That is the whole mechanism — "hands" on a clock, "bark" on a tree — and spotting it is the same skill that makes puns, poetry and most jokes land later on.

They also reward patience. A riddle cannot be rushed, cannot be googled quickly by a six-year-old, and has one clean answer at the end, which makes it one of the few screen-free games that works in a car, a queue or a waiting room.

Where to Find More

If you have burned through these, the riddle generator never runs out, and there are more for older solvers on our riddles with answers page. For something sillier, try knock knock jokes or jokes for kids by age.