riddles for children
Welcome to Quiz questions about riddles for kids - perfect for those who want clever quiz questions and answers to run directly online. Here you'll get two rounds of mixed riddles that practice logic, language and problem solving without feeling like homework. The questions are suitable for families, friends and anyone who likes to think outside the box, from classic nursery rhymes to more quirky puzzles. Each question has a clear answer and a short explanation, so it's easy to play by yourself or take turns reading aloud. The aim is to have a laugh and get a bit smarter: find patterns, interpret clues and see things from new angles. Choose one of the two parts and start figuring it out - it works just as well on your mobile as at the kitchen table.
Riddles are a great form of playful learning that develops children's ability to think abstractly and creatively. When a child is faced with a riddle like "What has eyes but can't see?", they are forced to think beyond the literal meaning of the word "eyes". They have to re-evaluate their understanding and look for alternative interpretations, which in this case leads to the answer "a potato" or "a dice". This process trains the brain in 'lateral thinking' - the ability to solve problems by approaching them from unexpected angles. It is a fundamental skill that is valuable in everything from maths and science to social interaction and artistic creation.
In addition, riddles play an important role in children's language development. They teach children to appreciate the ambiguity of words and to play with metaphors and similes. A riddle like "What goes and goes but never comes to the door?" (the bell) illustrates how the same word can have completely different meanings depending on the context. When children solve riddles, or even create their own, they are not only building their vocabulary, but also developing a deeper understanding of the structure and nuances of language. It is a fun and sociable activity that strengthens both logical thinking and communication skills at the same time.
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Part 1
What thing in a riddle has a mouth but can't eat?
Answer: Bottle
In many riddles, "mouth" refers to an opening. A bottle has a mouth for pouring or drinking, but it cannot eat because it is not alive.
In tricky questions for kids: what gets wetter the more you dry?
Answer: Towel
A towel is used to dry water from skin or surfaces. As it absorbs more water, it gets wetter, even if it also makes something else drier.
Which word in a riddle becomes shorter when you add two letters?
Answer: Short
The word "short" can be made "shorter" by adding the suffix "-are". This makes the word longer in letters but means that something is shorter in length.
What can go up and down without ever moving from its place?
Answer: Temperature
Temperature can rise and fall in the same room without anything moving. It describes the state of heat in the air or an object and changes over time.
In riddles for kids: what has a neck but no head?
Answer: Sweater
A jumper has a neck opening called a neck. It is part of the shape of the garment, but it has no biological head or face.
What can you catch but never throw away?
Answer: Colds
A cold can be 'caught' through infection in everyday life. It cannot be thrown away like an object, but must subside with time and rest.
What thing has teeth but can't chew?
Answer: Comb
A comb has 'teeth' that separate hairs when combing. They are solid spines and cannot chew food because they are not a mouth.
What does an eye have but cannot see in a riddle?
Answer: Needle
A needle has a needle eye where the thread passes through. It is called an eye because of its shape, but it cannot detect light or see.
What can fill a room but takes up no space?
Answer: Light
Light spreads and can brighten an entire room. It is energy that is perceived by the eye and does not take up space in the same way as an object.
In brainteasers: what goes round all the time but never gets anywhere?
Answer: Clock hands
Clock hands move in circles on the dial and return to the same positions. They show the passage of time but do not 'travel' to a new location.
What gets bigger the more you take away?
Answer: Hole
A void grows as you remove more material around it. The void itself gets bigger as the border moves outwards.
In riddles for children: what can you hear but not see or touch?
Answer: Eko
An echo is a reflection of sound bouncing off surfaces. You can hear it with your ears, but it is not visible and cannot be touched.
What can you hold without using your hands?
Answer: The spirit
You can hold your breath by stopping breathing for a while. It is a bodily control and requires no hands.
What thing has legs but can't walk?
Answer: Table
A table has legs that support the top. The legs are parts of the furniture and cannot move like living bones.
What can you break without touching it?
Answer: Promise
A promise can be broken by not doing what you promised. It is a commitment, not a physical object that requires touching.
In riddles: what has keys but no locks?
Answer: Piano
A piano has keys that are often called keys. They are used to play notes, but they do not fit in locks or open doors.
What can fly without wings and cry without eyes?
Answer: Clouds
Clouds move across the sky with winds even though they have no wings. They can also bring rain, which in riddles is described as crying.
In clever riddles for kids: what can you see once a minute?
Answer: The letter M
In the phrase "once a minute", the letter M appears only once. It is a word riddle counting characters in the phrase, not time.
What is always in front of you but can never be reached?
Answer: The future
The future is always ahead of the present in time. When a moment arrives, it becomes the present, so the future cannot be "reached" as a fixed point.
What thing has a back but no stomach?
Answer: Book
A book has a spine where the pages are bound. It has no stomach because it is an object and not a body.
In riddles for children: what can go through glass without shattering it?
Answer: Light beam
Light can pass through transparent glass. It does not affect the shape of the glass, so nothing is shattered when light passes through.
What can rise but never fall?
Answer: Age
Age increases with time for a person. It cannot decrease in reality, as it measures how long someone has lived.
Which word can you mispronounce but still say correctly?
Answer: Wrong
If you mispronounce the word 'wrong', you still say the word 'wrong'. The puzzle is based on a linguistic game of meaning and pronunciation.
In brainteasers: what has many rings but no fingers?
Answer: Tree trunk
A tree trunk has annual rings that are visible in a cross-sectional area. The rings are patterns in the wood and are not on fingers.
Let's test your maths knowledge
If you've read the article on the front page of Quizfragor, you know the answer.
Part 2
In riddles for kids: what has a head but no body?
Answer: Coins
A coin can have a 'head side' with a portrait. It is a name for the side, not an actual head on a body.
What can be opened but not closed again?
Answer: Eggs
When an egg is cracked, the shell opens. It cannot be closed again in the same way, as the shell breaks and the shape changes.
What thing has a crown but is not a king?
Answer: Teeth
A tooth has a crown which is the visible part above the gums. The word crown is an anatomical term and does not mean royal status.
In tricky questions: what has a bed but never sleeps?
Answer: River
A river can have a riverbed, which is called a bed or bed. This is where the water flows, but the river is not a creature that sleeps.
What can be built up but never seen?
Answer: Tension
Excitement can be built up in a situation or story. It is an experience and a state, not something that appears as a physical thing.
In riddles for kids: what can you give but still keep?
Answer: A promise
You can make a promise to someone as a commitment. At the same time, you retain responsibility for the promise, as it remains valid until it is fulfilled.
What has a tail but no fur?
Answer: Comet
A comet can have a visible tail of gas and dust near the Sun. It is not an animal and therefore has no fur.
What thing can be full yet empty?
Answer: Calendar
A calendar can be full of bookings but empty of people and things. Here, "full" means occupied time, not filled volume.
In brainteasers: what can you read but never eat?
Answer: Menu
A menu is a list of dishes to choose from. You can read it, but the paper or list itself is not the food.
What has a heart but no feelings?
Answer: Artichoke
Artichokes have a part called the heart in the centre. It is an edible part of the vegetable and has no feelings.
In riddles for kids: what can run but has no legs?
Answer: Water
Water can 'run' in a stream or from a tap. The term describes movement, but water has no legs.
What can you write but never read?
Answer: Signature
A signature can be written as a dash. It is often difficult to read as text, as it is more of a mark than clear letters.
What thing has an arm but can't hug?
Answer: Crane
A tap may have an arm extending out from a base. The arm is used for lifting or water flow and cannot squeeze.
In clever riddles for kids: what can travel around the world without leaving a corner?
Answer: Stamp
A stamp is often placed in the corner of an envelope. The envelope can be sent a long way, while the stamp itself does not move from its place on the letter.
What comes once a year but twice a week?
Answer: The letter E
In the word "year", E appears once, but in the word "week", E appears twice. The puzzle is based on counting letters in words, not the calendar.
What thing can be light but still heavy for a while?
Answer: Breathing
Breathing is normally easy and automatic. Under exertion or stress, it can feel heavy, although it is still the same bodily function.
In riddles: what can you take but never keep?
Answer: Picture
You can take a picture with a camera or mobile phone. You can save the result, but the moment itself cannot be kept in reality.
What has a foot but no toes?
Answer: Mountain
A mountain has a foot at its base where it meets the ground. This is a geographical term and does not mean a real foot with toes.
In riddles for children: what can you see but not hear, and still 'speak'?
Answer: Text
Text can be seen with the eyes but has no sound in it. It can still convey a message, which in riddles is described as speaking.
What will be more and more, but less to share?
Answer: Secrets
Secrets can increase when you collect things you don't tell. At the same time, less is shared with others, as information is withheld.
Which thing has a top but no bottom?
Answer: Fire
Fire has a visible top where the flame ends, but no solid bottom like an object. It is shaped by fuel and air and changes all the time.
In brainteasers: what can be in front of you and behind you at the same time?
Answer: Mirror
A mirror may be in front of you, but shows what is behind you in the reflection. Therefore, you can see something behind without turning round.
What can you feel but never weigh?
Answer: Joy
Joy is an emotion that can be experienced clearly. It has no physical mass and therefore cannot be weighed on a scale.
In riddles for kids: what has a door but no room?
Answer: Oven
An oven has a door that acts like a door. It is an appliance with a space inside, but not a room that you enter.
What can you say without a voice and answer without a mouth?
Answer: Letter
A letter can express a message without a voice. You can also get a reply in the same way, with text, without anyone using their mouth in the moment.
