The place where today comes before yesterday

Many of us can agree: the triumph that comes with solving a tough riddle is a feeling like no other. And chances are, your child will love riddles too!

There are plenty of reasons to introduce riddles to your child. Riddles are a great way to stimulate children’s minds. Plus, they’re a fun activity to keep kids occupied and learning at home. 

We collected the 43 best riddles for kids (and adults, too!) to keep your child entertained and get their brains working. 

Try them out below!

What is a riddle?

A riddle is a fun type of brain teaser that exists as a question or statement to be solved. 

Usually, riddles are worded in a puzzling or misleading way. Many have a double or hidden meaning that requires creative, outside-the-box thinking. Their answers are often unexpected, so the reader must think very carefully when solving them. 

43 Fun riddles for kids

We sorted our riddles for kids into these categories:

• Easy riddles for kids
• Hard riddles for kids
• Funny riddles for kids
• Math riddles for kids 

Put your thinking caps on and see how many you can solve with your child!

P.S. Want to print these to use later? Download our PDF version of the riddles list!

Easy riddles for kids

These riddles will engage your child without causing too much frustration. Perfect for warming up their brain so they can keep solving more!

1. How many months of the year have 28 days?

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2. What has hands and a face, but can’t hold anything or smile?

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3. It belongs to you, but your friends use it more. What is it?

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4. Kate’s mother has three children: Snap, Crackle and ___?

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Kate! 

It’s Kate’s mother, after all. 

This is a good example of how riddles use your existing expectations to trick you. Even though the answer is right in front of you, you’re tempted to continue the pattern instead. 

Image source: PopIcon

5. If you don’t keep me, I’ll break. What am I?

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6. There’s only one word in the dictionary that’s spelled wrong. What is it?

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7. 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?

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8. I have a tail and a head, but no body. What am I?

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9. What 2 things can you never eat for breakfast?

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10. Which word becomes shorter when you add 2 letters to it? 

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11. What’s the capital of France?

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Hard riddles for kids 

Did your child ace the last category? Try to stump them with these brain-teasing riddles that are more of a challenge. 

1. I go all around the world, but never leave the corner. What am I?

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2. You’ll find me in Mercury, Earth, Mars and Jupiter, but not in Venus or Neptune. What am I?

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3. What can go up a chimney down, but can’t go down a chimney up?

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4. I make a loud sound when I’m changing. When I do change, I get bigger but weigh less. What am I?

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5. A bus driver was heading down a busy street in the city. He went past three stop signs without stopping, went the wrong way down a one-way street, and answered a message on his phone. But the bus driver didn’t break any traffic laws. How? 

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6. It has keys, but no locks. It has space, but no room. You can enter, but can’t go inside. What is it?

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7. I can fill a room, but I take up no space. What am I?

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8. It’s the only place in the world where today comes before yesterday. Where is it?

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9. If I have it, I don’t share it. If I share it, I don’t have it. What is it?

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10. What goes away as soon as you talk about it?

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11. A railroad crossing without any cars. Can you spell that without any R’s?

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Funny riddles for kids

Want to get your child giggling? 

Show them these riddles that also double as jokes! 

The answers might not be what you expect, because each one comes with a funny punchline for the solution.  

1. What can jump higher than a building?

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2. An elephant in Africa is called Lala. An elephant in Asia is called Lulu. What do you call an elephant in Antarctica?

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3. Imagine you are in a room with no windows or doors. How will you get out?

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4. A group of bunnies were having a birthday party. What kind of music were they listening to?

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5. Where would you take a sick boat?

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6. What kind of room has no doors or windows?

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7. I’m orange, I wear a green hat and I sound like a parrot. What am I?

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8. What fruit can you never cheer up?

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9. What did the zero say to the eight?

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Math riddles for kids

Math riddles are a good way to get your child practicing math while having fun. They’ll need to use their math knowledge and problem-solving skills to find the answer to these riddles. 

Tip: Pair your math riddles with math puzzles and math jokes to keep your child entertained with math for ages!

1. When Grant was 8, his brother was half his age. Now, Grant is 14. How old is his brother?

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2. Two fathers and 2 sons spent the day fishing, but only caught 3 fish. This was enough for each of them to have one fish. How is this possible?

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3. Liam was 11 the day before yesterday, and next year he’ll turn 14. How is this possible?

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4. Mrs. Brown has 5 daughters. Each of these daughters has a brother. How many children does Mrs. Brown have?

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5. It’s raining at midnight, but the forecast for tomorrow and the next day is clear. Will there be sunny weather in 48 hours?

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6. There are 3 apples in the basket and you take away 2. How many apples do you have now?

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7. What can you put between 7 and 8, to make the result greater than 7, but less than 8?

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8. A new clothing store has a unique method of pricing items. A vest costs $20, a tie costs $15, a blouse costs $30, and underwear costs $45. How much would pants cost?

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9. 81 x 9 = 801. What do you need to do to make this equation true?

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10. Double it and multiply it by 4. Then divide it by 8 and you’ll have it once more. What number is it?

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11. What 3 numbers give the same result when multiplied and added together?

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12. Zoey has a very big family. She has 20 aunts, 20 uncles and 50 cousins. Each of her cousins has an aunt who is not Zoey’s aunt. How is this possible? 

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Benefits of riddles for kids

Kids of all ages love solving riddles. But do you know how many great benefits they have for your child’s learning and development? 

Riddles for kids can:  

• Improve reading comprehension
• Help children focus and pay attention. 
• Boost problem solving and critical thinking.
• Strengthen language skills and linguistic awareness.
• Promote analytical thinking and deductive reasoning

Riddles can also boost your kid’s mood, make them laugh, and give them a sense of accomplishment. 

And best of all, it gives you a chance to bond. Work on solving each riddle together as a fun family activity!

How to help your child create their own riddles

Once your child has completed our list of riddles, take their skills to the next level with homemade riddles! Encourage your child to create their own riddles using the following steps: 

1. Start with the answer

Come up with the solution to your riddle first, then work backwards to create your question. Your solution can be almost anything, but choosing a physical object is an easy way to start. 

Ex. The answer to my riddle is “carrot.”

2. Brainstorm

Write down any words or phrases that could be associated with your answer. 

Consider:

• Synonyms 
• Similar things
• Things it does 
• Features it has
• How to describe it

Ex. Carrots are orange with green leaves on top. 

3. Think like your answer

If your answer were a person, what would they think? What would they do? How would they describe themselves? How would they see the world around them? 

Ex. If I were a carrot, I might think I was wearing a green hat.

4. Think outside the sentence

Use figurative language — like a metaphor, simile, personification or hyperbole — to make comparisons or describe your answer in new ways. This is often what makes the riddle tricky for the reader to solve. 

Ex. A carrot sounds like “a parrot.” 

5. Write your riddle!

Now that you have the backbone of your riddle, the only thing left to do is write! Use clear, descriptive language to write out your riddle, then share it with friends and family to see if they can solve it. 

Ex. I’m orange, wear a green hat and sound like a parrot. What am I? 

A carrot!

How many riddles did your child get right? Which one was their favorite? 

Let us know in the comments below!

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