Riddles for kids
Tap a riddle to see the answer
🌱 Easy riddles (Preschool to K)
I say moo. I give you milk. What am I?
🐮 cow
I say quack. I swim on the pond. What am I?
🦆 duck
I say meow. I love to chase mice. What am I?
🐱 cat
I hop and I say ribbit. I live near a pond. What am I?
🐸 frog
I am big and round and yellow. I shine in the sky in the day. What am I?
☀️ sun
I come out at night. Sometimes I look like a banana in the sky. What am I?
🌙 moon
I have two wheels. You pedal me with your feet. What am I?
🚲 bike
I am red and round. I grow on a tree. A worm might live in me. What am I?
🍎 apple
I am long and yellow. Monkeys love to eat me. What am I?
🍌 banana
I fall from the clouds. Put on your boots and splash in me! What am I?
🌧️ rain
I am cold and white. You can roll me into a snowman. What am I?
❄️ snow
I have a long trunk and big ears. What am I?
🐘 elephant
I have a big mane. I say ROAR! What am I?
🦁 lion
I fly at night and I say hoot. What am I?
🦉 owl
I live in the water. I have fins and a tail. What am I?
🐟 fish
I have long ears and I hop. I love carrots. What am I?
🐰 bunny
I buzz around the flowers and make honey. What am I?
🐝 bee
You wear me on your feet. I come in a pair. What am I?
👟 shoes
You wear me on your head when the sun is hot. What am I?
👒 hat
I wag my tail and bark. I fetch sticks. What am I?
🐶 dog
I am sweet and cold. You lick me on a hot day. What am I?
🍦 ice cream
I have eight legs. I spin a web. What am I?
🕷️ spider
I tell you the time. I have a face and two hands. What am I?
🕐 clock
I have pages and a story inside. You read me. What am I?
📖 book
I have four wheels and I go beep beep on the road. What am I?
🚗 car
I have wings and I fly high. I am not a bird. People ride inside me. What am I?
✈️ airplane
I am tall. I have leaves and a trunk. Birds make nests in me. What am I?
🌳 tree
I am green and I hop. I eat bugs with my long tongue. What am I?
🐸 frog
🌿 Medium riddles (1st and 2nd)
What has hands but cannot clap?
a clock
What goes up when the rain comes down?
an umbrella
What has teeth but cannot bite?
a comb
What has a bed but never sleeps?
a river
What can you catch but not throw?
a cold
What has one eye but cannot see?
a needle
What gets wetter the more it dries?
a towel
What has a neck but no head?
a bottle
What has legs but cannot walk?
a table
What runs but has no legs?
water
I am tall when I am young and short when I am old. What am I?
a candle
What has to be broken before you can use it?
an egg
What kind of room has no doors or windows?
a mushroom
What is full of holes but still holds water?
a sponge
What has keys but cannot open a door?
a piano
What has a bark but no bite?
a tree
What has words but never speaks?
a book
What has a tail and a head but no body?
a coin
What can you hear but never see or touch?
a sound
What has four legs and a back but cannot walk?
a chair
What goes into the water black and comes out red?
a lobster
🌳 Hard riddles (3rd to 5th)
I have cities but no houses, mountains but no trees, and water but no fish. What am I?
a map
What gets bigger the more you take away from it?
a hole
What goes up but never comes down?
your age
The more of me you take, the more you leave behind. What am I?
footsteps
What has thirteen hearts but no other organs?
a deck of cards
What belongs to you but other people use it more than you do?
your name
What can you break without ever touching it?
a promise
What is black when it is clean and white when it is dirty?
a chalkboard
What has a thumb and four fingers but is not alive?
a glove
What has one head, one foot and four legs?
a bed
Which month has twenty-eight days?
all of them
Which is heavier: a pound of feathers or a pound of bricks?
they weigh the same
A farmer has 17 sheep, and all but 9 run away. How many are left?
9
What building has the most stories?
a library
What can you serve but never eat?
a tennis ball
What has a ring but no finger?
a telephone
What is always coming but never arrives?
tomorrow
What two things can you never eat for breakfast?
lunch and dinner
What goes up and down the stairs without moving?
the carpet
What can you hold in your left hand but never in your right hand?
your right elbow
🚀 Super riddles (6th to 8th)
I speak without a mouth and hear without ears. I have no body, but I come alive with the wind. What am I?
an echo
The more of me there is, the less you can see. What am I?
darkness
I am light as a feather, yet the strongest person cannot hold me for more than a few minutes. What am I?
your breath
What can fill a whole room but takes up no space?
light
I am always hungry and I must always be fed. The finger I touch will soon turn red. What am I?
fire
What is cut on a table but never eaten?
a deck of cards
Where does Friday come before Thursday?
in the dictionary
I shave every day, but my beard stays just as long. What am I?
a barber
Mary's father has five daughters: Nana, Nene, Nini and Nono. What is the fifth daughter's name?
Mary
What five-letter word becomes shorter when you add two letters to it?
short
What can run but never walks, has a mouth but never talks, and has a bed but never sleeps?
a river
If you have me, you want to share me. If you share me, you no longer have me. What am I?
a secret
What word starts with E, ends with E, and usually has only one letter in it?
envelope
What breaks when you say its name?
silence
Forward I am heavy, but backward I am not. What am I?
a ton
What is the beginning of the end, the end of time and space, and the end of every place?
the letter E
I have branches but no fruit, trunk or leaves. What am I?
a bank
What has a head and a tail but no body, and is worth more when it is flipped?
a coin
😂 Jokes
What do you call a sleeping dinosaur?
A dino-snore!
Why did the cookie go to the doctor?
It was feeling crummy!
What do you call a bear with no teeth?
A gummy bear!
Why can't a bike stand up by itself?
It is two tired!
What is a cat's favorite color?
Purr-ple!
Why did the teddy bear say no to dessert?
She was already stuffed!
Why was the math book sad?
It had too many problems.
What did the ocean say to the shore?
Nothing. It just waved!
What do you call a fish wearing a bow tie?
So-fish-ticated!
What is a ghost's favorite dessert?
I scream! (Ice cream!)
Why did the scarecrow win an award?
He was outstanding in his field!
How does a penguin build its house?
Igloos it together!
What kind of tree fits in your hand?
A palm tree!
Why did the student eat her homework?
The teacher said it was a piece of cake!
What do you call a dog magician?
A labracadabrador!
What did one wall say to the other wall?
I'll meet you at the corner!
Why couldn't the pony sing in the choir?
She was a little hoarse!
What has ears but cannot hear?
A cornfield!
Why are fish so smart?
They live in schools!
What time is it when an elephant sits on your fence?
Time to get a new fence!
Why did the banana go to the doctor?
It wasn't peeling well!
Why did the orange stop in the middle of the road?
It ran out of juice!
What do you call a dinosaur that crashes his car?
Tyrannosaurus Wrecks!
Why did the tomato turn red?
It saw the salad dressing!
Knock knock. Who's there? Boo. Boo who?
Don't cry, it's only a joke!
Knock knock. Who's there? Lettuce. Lettuce who?
Lettuce in, it's cold out here!
Knock knock. Who's there? Orange. Orange who?
Orange you glad to see me?
Knock knock. Who's there? Interrupting cow. Interrupting cow who?
MOO!
Why do birds fly south for the winter?
It's too far to walk!
How do you catch a squirrel?
Climb a tree and act like a nut!
What kind of books do ghosts read?
Boo-ks!
What did the pencil say to the paper?
I'm drawing a blank!
Why was the broom late?
It over-swept!
What do you call a snowman in the summer?
A puddle!
Why did the computer go to the doctor?
It had a virus!
What do you get when you drop a piano down a mine shaft?
A flat minor!
What did the zero say to the eight?
Nice belt!
Why is six afraid of seven?
Because seven eight nine!
What do you call a bee that can't make up its mind?
A maybe!
What do you call an alligator in a vest?
An investigator!
Riddles by age
| Size | Grades | How many | One to try |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🌱 Easy | Preschool to K | 28 | I say moo. I give you milk. What am I? |
| 🌿 Medium | 1st and 2nd | 21 | What has hands but cannot clap? |
| 🌳 Hard | 3rd to 5th | 20 | I have cities but no houses, mountains but no trees, and water but no fish. What am I? |
| 🚀 Super | 6th to 8th | 18 | I speak without a mouth and hear without ears. I have no body, but I come alive with the wind. What am I? |
How to use them
- At the table. Read one out and let everyone guess before you tap the card.
- On paper. The Print button puts every riddle on a sheet with the answers at the end, for a lunch box, a car ride or a class warm-up.
- As a game. Riddles and Jokes gives five riddles at a time with three answers to pick from, and remembers which ones a child has seen.
- With numbers. Math riddles for kids has 40 more, each with its working.
What riddles are good for
A riddle makes a child hold two meanings of a word at once, which is practice in inference and vocabulary dressed up as a joke. The Easy riddles have picture answers, so a child who cannot read yet can still play when someone reads the question aloud.
Everything here is free through the end of 2026, with no ads, no sign-up and nothing to download.
Questions parents and teachers ask
How many riddles are on this page?
87 riddles and 40 jokes, all written for children and sorted into four sizes by grade.
What is a good riddle for a 5 year old?
Start with an Easy one: "I say moo. I give you milk. What am I?" The answer is cow. Every Easy riddle has a picture for its answer.
Can I print the riddles?
Yes. Tap Print the riddles above the cards. The sheet has every riddle by size, and the answers are together at the end so the page can be folded.
Are the riddles free?
Yes. Everything here is free through the end of 2026, with no ads, no sign-up and nothing to download.
Teacher? Share this page to Google Classroom. Children open it with no sign-up.
Checked against how Peabody works on 6 November 2026. Written with help from AI, from Peabody's own code and library. Peabody is a learning app, not an assessment: if you're worried about your child's learning, talk to their teacher. How Peabody's pages are made.