Dottivo

Riddles for kids, with answers

Two hundred riddles to read aloud, from easy ones for five-year-olds to real brain teasers for middle schoolers. Each answer sits upside down under its riddle, the way old puzzle books did it.

Riddle of the day

No. 27Ages 5 to 7

Why did the bread stay on the sofa all weekend?

it just wanted to loaf around

A loaf is a whole bread, and to loaf around means to be lazy.

A handful to start with

200 riddles

No. 1Ages 5 to 7

I have big flappy ears and a long trunk for a nose. I spray water with it to keep cool. What am I?

an elephant

No. 21Ages 5 to 7

What do you call a great big pile of kittens?

a meow-ntain

Meow-ntain sounds like mountain.

No. 41Ages 5 to 7

Count the legs on a cat. Then add the legs on a duck. What number do you get?

6

A cat has 4 legs and a duck has 2, and 4 + 2 = 6.

No. 9Ages 8 to 10

I ask 'Who? Who?' all night long, but I never wait for an answer. I can turn my head almost all the way around. What am I?

an owl

No. 29Ages 8 to 10

Why did the clock get in trouble at school?

it kept tocking in class

Clocks go tick-tock, and tocking sounds like talking.

No. 49Ages 8 to 10

I'm an odd number. Take away one letter and I become even. What number am I?

seven

Take the S away from seven and you get even.

No. 16Ages 11 to 12

I have a bill like a duck, a tail like a beaver and fur like an otter. I'm a mammal, but I lay eggs. What am I?

a platypus

No. 36Ages 11 to 12

What has more letters than the whole alphabet?

the post office

The alphabet has 26 letters, but a post office is full of letters you mail.

No. 56Ages 11 to 12

A snail is at the bottom of a well 10 feet deep. Every day it climbs up 3 feet, and every night it slides back down 2 feet. On which day does it reach the top?

on day 8

After 7 days and 7 nights it is 7 feet up, and on day 8 it climbs the last 3 feet before it can slide back.

The printable riddle pack

All 200 riddles as cut-out cards with the answers upside down, six ready-made treasure hunts with a set-up sheet each, and an answer key. One PDF to print at home, as often as you like.

  • 200 riddle cards, sorted by age
  • 6 treasure hunts: indoor, garden, birthday, Easter, Halloween, Christmas
  • An answer key with the explanations

Scavenger hunt riddles for around the house

Each clue is a riddle that points to a place in your home. The children solve it, run there and find the next clue. The last one leads to the treasure.

Try the first five clues