By Hannah · former primary-school teaching assistant & mum of two · 9 October 2026
Quick answer
100 riddles for kids with answers: easy, funny, animal, food, tricky and seasonal riddles, sorted by age. Plus 32 free printable riddle cards.
Key takeaways
- Here are 100 riddles for kids with answers: 20 easy, 20 funny, 15 animal, 10 food, 20 tricky and 15 seasonal riddles.
- Start 5–7 year olds on easy and animal riddles, add funny ones from about six, and save the tricky riddles for 9+ (and smug grown-ups).
- Riddles are brilliant for car journeys, lunchboxes, rainy days — and as treasure hunt clues.
- Download 32 free printable riddle cards with the answers on the back.
Short on time? If your riddler wants a bigger challenge, our printable hunts are packed with riddles and a story.
In this guide 20 Easy riddles · 20 Funny riddles · 15 Animal riddles · 10 Food riddles · 20 Tricky riddles · 15 Seasonal riddles · Free riddle cards · Riddles by age · Ways to use riddles · FAQs
Our two went through a phase of asking riddles at every meal, every car journey and, memorably, during a very quiet bit of a school assembly. These are the ones that got the biggest reactions — tested on Lily, Oscar and a fair few of their friends. The answer is underneath each riddle, so cover it with your hand if you’re playing along.
20 Easy Riddles for Kids
Perfect for 5 to 7 year olds — everyday objects with a twist.
- What has to be broken before you can use it? — Answer: An egg
- What has legs but can’t walk? — Answer: A table
- What gets wetter the more it dries? — Answer: A towel
- What has one eye but can’t see? — Answer: A needle
- What has a neck but no head? — Answer: A bottle
- What has lots of keys but can’t open a door? — Answer: A piano
- What has teeth but can’t bite? — Answer: A comb
- What goes up but never comes down? — Answer: Your age
- What can you catch but not throw? — Answer: A cold
- What has a thumb and four fingers but isn’t alive? — Answer: A glove
- What is full of holes but still holds water? — Answer: A sponge
- What has words but never speaks? — Answer: A book
- What runs but never walks? — Answer: A river
- What has a head and a tail but no body? — Answer: A coin
- What has four wheels and flies? — Answer: A bin lorry
- What month of the year has 28 days? — Answer: All of them
- What belongs to you, but other people use it more than you do? — Answer: Your name
- What can travel around the world while staying in a corner? — Answer: A stamp
- What has a bottom at the top? — Answer: Your legs
- Which building has the most stories? — Answer: A library
Want more for little ones? We’ve 40 more in our easy riddles for kids post.
Hannah’s tested tip: With younger children, give a clue if they’re stuck — “it’s something in the kitchen” — rather than the answer. The look on their face when they get it themselves is worth the wait.
20 Funny Riddles for Kids
Guaranteed groans and giggles — brilliant for the dinner table and the car.
- Why did the teddy bear say no to pudding? — Answer: Because she was stuffed
- What do you call a sleeping dinosaur? — Answer: A dino-snore
- Why can’t Elsa have a balloon? — Answer: Because she’ll let it go
- What do you call a fish with no eyes? — Answer: A fsh
- Why did the cow go to space? — Answer: To see the moooon
- What has ears but can’t hear? — Answer: A field of corn
- What do you call a bear with no teeth? — Answer: A gummy bear
- Why are fish so clever? — Answer: Because they live in schools
- What did one wall say to the other wall? — Answer: I’ll meet you at the corner
- What kind of tree fits in your hand? — Answer: A palm tree
- Why did the golfer take two pairs of trousers? — Answer: In case he got a hole in one
- What do you call a pig that does karate? — Answer: A pork chop
- What’s orange and sounds like a parrot? — Answer: A carrot
- What do you call cheese that isn’t yours? — Answer: Nacho cheese
- Why did the scarecrow win an award? — Answer: Because he was outstanding in his field
- What gets bigger the more you take away? — Answer: A hole
- What has lots of eyes but can’t see? — Answer: A potato
- Why do bees have sticky hair? — Answer: Because they use honeycombs
- What do you call a dog magician? — Answer: A labracadabrador
- What did the big flower say to the little flower? — Answer: Hi, bud!
15 Animal Riddles for Kids
“What am I?” riddles for little animal lovers.
- What animal can jump higher than a house? — Answer: Any animal — houses can’t jump
- I have a trunk, but I’m not a car or a tree. What am I? — Answer: An elephant
- I’m black and white, I live where it’s cold, I can’t fly but I’m a brilliant swimmer. What am I? — Answer: A penguin
- I have a very long neck and spots, and I eat leaves from tall trees. What am I? — Answer: A giraffe
- I carry my house on my back and leave a silvery trail. What am I? — Answer: A snail
- I have stripes, but I’m not a zebra — I’m a very big cat. What am I? — Answer: A tiger
- I hop, I have a pouch, and I live in Australia. What am I? — Answer: A kangaroo
- I’m a bird that hoots at night. What am I? — Answer: An owl
- I have eight legs and I spin webs. What am I? — Answer: A spider
- I start life as a caterpillar and end up with beautiful wings. What am I? — Answer: A butterfly
- I have a big mane and I’m called the king of the jungle. What am I? — Answer: A lion
- I’m green, I hop and I say “ribbit”. What am I? — Answer: A frog
- What kind of key opens a banana? — Answer: A monkey
- Which animal keeps the best time? — Answer: A watchdog
- What do you call an alligator in a vest? — Answer: An investigator
10 Food Riddles for Kids
For hungry riddlers.
- I’m yellow, I’m curved and monkeys love me. What am I? — Answer: A banana
- I’m purple, I have a skin and a stone inside. What am I? — Answer: A plum
- What do you call a sad strawberry? — Answer: A blueberry
- I’m green outside, red inside and full of seeds. What am I? — Answer: A watermelon
- What room can you eat? — Answer: A mushroom
- Why did the tomato blush? — Answer: Because it saw the salad dressing
- What kind of nut has no shell? — Answer: A doughnut
- I’m white, sweet and fluffy, and you toast me over a fire. What am I? — Answer: A marshmallow
- What’s the best thing to put into a pie? — Answer: Your teeth
- I get chopped up and make people cry, but I’m never sad. What am I? — Answer: An onion
20 Tricky Riddles for Kids (Ages 9+)
Brain-teasers for older children — and grown-ups who think they’re clever.
- What has cities but no houses, forests but no trees, and water but no fish? — Answer: A map
- The more you take, the more you leave behind. What am I? — Answer: Footsteps
- What can fill a room but takes up no space? — Answer: Light
- What begins with T, ends with T and has T in it? — Answer: A teapot
- What has one head, one foot and four legs? — Answer: A bed
- I’m tall when I’m young and short when I’m old. What am I? — Answer: A candle
- What is always in front of you but can’t be seen? — Answer: The future
- What can you hold in your right hand but never in your left hand? — Answer: Your left hand
- What has lots of rings but no fingers? — Answer: A tree trunk
- If you have me, you want to share me. If you share me, you don’t have me. What am I? — Answer: A secret
- What can run but never walks, has a mouth but never talks, and has a bed but never sleeps? — Answer: A river
- Which word is spelled wrong in every dictionary? — Answer: “Wrong”
- What starts with P, ends with E and has thousands of letters? — Answer: A post office
- What comes once in a minute, twice in a moment, but never in a thousand years? — Answer: The letter M
- Forward I’m heavy, but backward I’m not. What am I? — Answer: A ton
- What gets broken without being held? — Answer: A promise
- What has lots of needles but never sews? — Answer: A pine tree
- What goes through towns and fields but never moves? — Answer: A road
- What has 13 hearts but no other organs? — Answer: A pack of cards
- What two things can you never eat for breakfast? — Answer: Lunch and dinner
Got a ten-year-old who finds these too easy? Try our riddles for 10 year olds — logic puzzles and maths riddles included.
15 Seasonal Riddles for Kids
For Christmas, Easter, Halloween, winter and autumn.
- What do snowmen eat for breakfast? — Answer: Snowflakes
- Who delivers presents to cats? — Answer: Santa Paws
- What falls in winter but never gets hurt? — Answer: Snow
- What do you get if you cross a snowman with a vampire? — Answer: Frostbite
- Why did the turkey join the band? — Answer: Because it had the drumsticks
- What do you call an Easter egg from outer space? — Answer: An egg-straterrestrial
- Why did the Easter egg hide? — Answer: Because it was a little chicken
- How does the Easter Bunny keep his fur neat? — Answer: With hare spray
- Which room does a ghost not need? — Answer: A living room
- Why didn’t the skeleton go to the party? — Answer: He had no body to go with
- What do you call a witch at the seaside? — Answer: A sand-witch
- What is a ghost’s favourite pudding? — Answer: I scream
- What do you call a snowman in summer? — Answer: A puddle
- What goes up when the rain comes down? — Answer: An umbrella
- What do trees do in autumn? — Answer: They leave!
Free Printable Riddle Cards
32 riddles from this page — easy, funny, animal and tricky — on cut-out cards with the answer printed small at the bottom. Fold it under, and you’ve got a game for the car, the lunchbox or a rainy afternoon.
Free printable: 32 riddle cards for kids with answers.
Download the free riddle cards (PDF)
Download the free riddle cards (PDF)
Riddles by Age
| Age | Best riddles | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| 4–6 | Animal “What am I?” riddles and the simplest easy riddles | Read them aloud and give a clue if they’re stuck |
| 6–8 | Easy, animal, food and funny riddles | Let them read the riddle to you |
| 9–12 | Tricky riddles, logic and maths riddles | Time them, or play in teams |
| Teens and adults | Tricky riddles and lateral-thinking puzzles | Make it a family quiz round |
Brilliant Ways to Use Riddles
- As treasure hunt clues: hide each riddle at the answer to the one before. See our treasure hunt riddles for kids for riddles that point to hiding spots.
- In lunchboxes: a riddle on Monday, the answer on Tuesday.
- On car journeys: one riddle every ten miles.
- At parties: a riddle round between games — our children’s party games list has more ideas.
- At Christmas: swap cracker jokes for the seasonal riddles above.
Detective Treasure HuntRiddles, suspects and codes — crack the case of the stolen crown. Ages 6–12.View the hunt · £12.99 →
Magic & Wizards Treasure HuntEight magical stations full of riddles, two difficulty levels. Ages 6–12.View the hunt · £12.99 →
Indoor & Outdoor Treasure Hunt50 rhyming riddle clues for the house or garden. Ages 4–9.View the hunt · £4.29 →
Frequently asked questions
What is a good riddle for kids?
Short riddles about everyday things work best, such as “What has to be broken before you can use it?” (an egg) or “What gets wetter the more it dries?” (a towel).
What are some easy riddles for 5 year olds?
Animal “What am I?” riddles like “I have a trunk, but I’m not a car or a tree” (an elephant) and simple object riddles like “What has legs but can’t walk?” (a table).
What are some funny riddles for kids?
“What do you call a sleeping dinosaur?” (a dino-snore), “What do you call a bear with no teeth?” (a gummy bear) and “Why are fish so clever?” (because they live in schools).
What are some hard riddles for kids?
“What has cities but no houses, forests but no trees, and water but no fish?” (a map) and “What comes once in a minute, twice in a moment, but never in a thousand years?” (the letter M).
How do riddles help children?
Riddles encourage children to listen carefully, think about words with more than one meaning and look at a problem from a different angle — and they’re a screen-free way to pass the time.
Can I print these riddles?
Yes. The 32 riddle cards on this page are free to download and print for personal and classroom use.
More riddles: easy riddles for kids · riddles for 10 year olds · treasure hunt riddles.
Written and play-tested by Hannah — a Yorkshire mum of two and former primary-school teaching assistant. Last reviewed October 2026.
About the author
Hannah is the mum behind Riddlelicious — a former primary-school teaching assistant who tests every printable hunt on her own two before it reaches the shop.
