Try this easy riddle with your child: What has hands but can't clap, and a face but can't smile? A clock! The 45 riddles below start with familiar objects for ages 4 to 6, then move on to wordplay and trickier clues for ages 7 to 9. Keep the answer closed while you guess, and open a hint if you're stuck.
Read these clues aloud and let your child picture the answer. They're about familiar animals, food, toys and things around the house.
I have hands but I cannot clap. I have a face but I cannot smile. What am I?
You can find me on a classroom wall or in a kitchen.
I help you know when it is time for school.
A clock
Why it works: A clock's pointers are called hands and its front is called a face.
Did you guess it?
A hen makes me. I have a shell but no legs. Crack me open and you find a yellow middle. What am I?
I am often eaten at breakfast.
I can be boiled, fried or scrambled.
An egg
Why it works: An egg has a hard shell and a yolk, which is the yellow middle.
Did you guess it?
My neck reaches high into the trees. My coat has brown patches. What am I?
I am a tall animal.
I reach leaves that other ground animals cannot.
A giraffe
Why it works: A giraffe has a long neck and a coat covered in patches.
Did you guess it?
I paddle on a pond with webbed feet. I say quack. What am I?
I am a water bird.
My broad, flat beak scoops food from the water.
A duck
Why it works: A duck has webbed feet, a broad bill and a familiar quacking call.
Did you guess it?
I am yellow and very sour. Squeeze me to make a cool drink. What am I?
I am a fruit with a thick peel.
My juice makes your mouth pucker.
A lemon
Why it works: A lemon is a yellow citrus fruit with sour juice.
Did you guess it?
I am a sweet fruit with a narrow top and a wide, round bottom. My name sounds like two together. What am I?
I grow on a tree.
I sound like a word used for two matching shoes.
A pear
Why it works: Pear names a fruit and sounds like pair, meaning two together.
Did you guess it?
I am big and green on the outside and red and juicy inside. I have black seeds you can spit out. What am I?
I am a fruit you eat in summer.
I am so big that you cut me into wedges.
A watermelon
Why it works: A watermelon has a green rind, red juicy flesh and black seeds.
Did you guess it?
I wear a yellow coat that you peel off. I am curved like a smile, and monkeys love me. What am I?
I am a fruit.
You take off my skin before you eat me.
A banana
Why it works: A banana has a yellow peel and a curved shape.
Did you guess it?
I am cold and sweet and I come in a cone. I melt in the sun, so lick me fast. What am I?
I am a dessert.
You might get me in a scoop on a hot day.
Ice cream
Why it works: Ice cream is a cold, sweet treat served in a cone that melts when warm.
Did you guess it?
I roll down a string from your hand. Give me a tug and I roll back up. What toy am I?
I am round, with a string wound inside.
You can play with me without letting go of my string.
A yo-yo
Why it works: A yo-yo unwinds down its string and can roll back up to your hand.
Did you guess it?
I sit on a log and I hop in the bog. I am green, and I croak. I started out as a tadpole. What am I?
I live near ponds.
I leap with strong back legs.
A frog
Why it works: Frogs are green, croak and begin life as tadpoles.
Did you guess it?
I swim without legs and I have fins and tiny shiny scales. I never need a bath. What am I?
I live in water.
You might see me in a tank or in the sea.
A fish
Why it works: Fish swim with fins and are covered in scales, and they live in water.
Did you guess it?
I twinkle high in the night sky. You can make a wish on me. What am I?
You see me when it is dark.
I look like a tiny light far away.
A star
Why it works: Stars twinkle in the night sky, and there is a famous wish on the first one.
Did you guess it?
I sit on your head. I keep the sun off your face, and a cowboy wears me. What am I?
You wear me outside.
I can have a brim all the way around.
A hat
Why it works: A hat sits on the head and shades the face.
Did you guess it?
I fall from the clouds with a pitter-patter sound. I make big puddles all over the ground. What am I?
I come from the sky.
You need an umbrella when I arrive.
Rain
Why it works: Rain falls from clouds and makes puddles on the ground.
Did you guess it?
I am big and yellow, and I have lots of wheels and seats. I carry children to school each day. What am I?
I am a vehicle.
I stop to let children on and off.
A bus
Why it works: A school bus is a big vehicle that takes children to school.
Did you guess it?
I am soft and fluffy, with two button eyes, and I sleep on your bed. You hug me at night when you feel sleepy. What am I?
I am a toy.
I look like a bear but I am made of cloth.
A teddy bear
Why it works: A teddy bear is a soft toy bear that children cuddle at bedtime.
Did you guess it?
I am round and I bounce. You can throw me, kick me or catch me. What am I?
I am a toy.
You use me in games on the playground.
A ball
Why it works: A ball is a round toy that bounces and can be thrown, kicked and caught.
Did you guess it?
I am a small, flat, crunchy circle with chocolate chips. You might dunk me in milk. What am I?
I am a baked treat.
I am often shared at a party.
A cookie
Why it works: A cookie is a baked sweet treat, and the chocolate chips are the bits inside.
Did you guess it?
I have wings and feathers and I sing in the morning. I build a nest in a tree. What am I?
I can fly.
I lay eggs in my nest.
A bird
Why it works: Birds have wings and feathers, sing, and build nests.
Did you guess it?
You hold me to eat soup or cereal. My end is round and shallow like a tiny bowl. What am I?
I am a tool for eating.
I come in the same drawer as the fork.
A spoon
Why it works: A spoon has a rounded scoop at the end for soup and cereal.
Did you guess it?
I have a handle and soft hairs. Dip me in color and sweep me over paper. What am I?
Artists use me.
My hairs spread wet color into lines and shapes.
A paintbrush
Why it works: A paintbrush spreads paint using soft bristles attached to a handle.
Did you guess it?
I am straight and flat, with numbers along my edge. Use me to measure your drawing. What am I?
You might keep me in a pencil case.
I also help you draw a straight line.
A ruler
Why it works: A ruler has a straight edge and a marked scale for measuring.
Did you guess it?
I am round and flat and covered in melted cheese. You cut me into slices. What am I?
I am a favorite dinner.
Some people put tomato sauce on me.
Pizza
Why it works: Pizza is a round, flat food covered in cheese and cut into slices.
Did you guess it?
I am colorful and waxy. You hold me to draw and color pictures, and I can snap if you press too hard. What am I?
You find me in a school pencil case or a color box.
I come in a box of many colors.
A crayon
Why it works: A crayon is a waxy stick of color for drawing, and it can snap under pressure.
Did you guess it?
Let your child read a question, then talk through the answer together. If a pun doesn't make sense, say it aloud.
I fix mistakes, but I get a little smaller each time I do. I live at the end of a pencil or in your pencil case. What am I?
I am used with a pencil.
I rub out wrong answers.
An eraser
Why it works: An eraser rubs out mistakes and wears away a little each time.
Did you guess it?
I roar as I roll across the carpet, swallowing dust into a bag. What am I?
I am an electric cleaning machine.
My hose sucks up crumbs from the floor.
A vacuum cleaner
Why it works: A vacuum cleaner uses suction to collect dust and crumbs.
Did you guess it?
I bite paper but I never eat it. I leave a tiny metal pin behind to hold the pages together. What am I?
I live on a desk at school or work.
You press down on my top.
A stapler
Why it works: A stapler presses a metal staple through paper to join pages.
Did you guess it?
I swallow plain bread and pop it back up warm and brown. What am I?
I live in the kitchen.
I am plugged into the wall.
A toaster
Why it works: A toaster swallows bread and pops it back up toasted.
Did you guess it?
What has wheels and flies, but never leaves the road?
Think of a vehicle that visits your street once a week.
It picks up the trash.
A garbage truck
Why it works: A garbage truck rolls on wheels, and its garbage can attract flies, the insects.
Did you guess it?
My teeth fit a lock, but I never chew. Turn me to open a door. What am I?
I am usually small enough for a pocket.
A matching lock has a slot shaped for me.
A key
Why it works: A key has shaped teeth that fit a lock and let it turn.
Did you guess it?
I have a handle but no door. You carry water or sand in me at the beach, and I am shaped like a short tube with an open top. What am I?
I am a container.
Kids use me with a shovel to build sandcastles.
A bucket
Why it works: A bucket has a handle and an open top for carrying water or sand.
Did you guess it?
What do cows do for fun on a Saturday?
Think about how a cow talks.
The place has a big screen and popcorn.
Go to the movies
Why it works: Cows say moo, so their movies are moo-vies.
Did you guess it?
What goes up but never comes down?
It changes on your birthday.
It is a number that only grows.
Your age
Why it works: Your age goes up every birthday and never goes back down.
Did you guess it?
What kind of key can open a banana?
Think of an animal rather than something made of metal.
Its name ends with the same three letters as something that unlocks a door.
A monkey
Why it works: A monkey is the animal that opens bananas, and it has key at the end of its name.
Did you guess it?
I have two straps but I am not a dress. I carry your books to school on your back. What am I?
You wear me on your shoulders.
I am full of books and a lunchbox.
A backpack
Why it works: A backpack has two straps and is worn on the back to carry school things.
Did you guess it?
I have buttons but I am not a shirt. I carry people up and down a tall building without stairs. What am I?
I am found in tall buildings.
You press a button and my doors slide open.
An elevator
Why it works: An elevator has buttons and moves people between floors.
Did you guess it?
Why did the banana go to the doctor?
Think about what you do to a banana.
The answer sounds like how you feel when you are sick.
It was not peeling well
Why it works: Peeling sounds like feeling, so the banana was not peeling well.
Did you guess it?
What do you call a bear in the rain?
Think of a wild bear and a bit of rain.
A grizzly is a kind of bear.
A drizzly bear
Why it works: A drizzly bear plays on grizzly bear and drizzle, which is light rain.
Did you guess it?
I squeeze out as a sticky liquid, then dry to hold two pieces of paper together. What am I?
I belong in a craft box.
You spread a thin layer before pressing the pieces together.
Glue
Why it works: Glue sticks surfaces together as it dries.
Did you guess it?
What did the big flower say to the little flower?
Think of a friendly greeting between pals.
A baby flower has this name before it opens.
Hi, bud
Why it works: Bud is both a baby flower and a friendly word for a friend.
Did you guess it?
What has branches but no trunk or leaves, and keeps your savings safe?
You can put money inside it.
Grown-ups visit it to save.
A bank
Why it works: A bank has local branches, and it holds money, not leaves.
Did you guess it?
What month of the year has 28 days?
A month can contain a number of days without ending there.
Does a longer month still include its twenty-eighth day?
All of them
Why it works: Every month has at least 28 days, including the longer ones.
Did you guess it?
What can you give to someone and still keep for yourself?
It is not something you can carry in a bag.
When you say you will do something, you give it.
Your word
Why it works: You can give your word to a friend and still keep it, by doing what you said.
Did you guess it?
A family has three sisters. Each sister has exactly one brother. How many children are in the family?
Count the sisters first.
Do the sisters share the same brother?
4
Why it works: The three sisters share one brother, so three plus one makes four.
Did you guess it?
No riddles match both filters. Try another age or difficulty.
Read a riddle twice for ages 4 to 6, then pause. Give your child time to picture what the clues describe.
Open hint 1 before hint 2. The first points you in the right direction; the second brings you closer to the answer.
For ages 7 to 9, ask how your child worked it out. Read 'Why it works' together to check the wordplay.
Mix easy riddles with a few harder ones. You'll have some quick answers and others to puzzle over.
Print the cards for class and keep the answer key with you.
Start with the first group if you're reading to a child aged 4 to 6. Ages 7 to 9 can try the wordplay and trickier clues in the second group. The age bands are a rough guide, so choose clues your child knows.
Give hint 1, then wait a few seconds before trying hint 2. If your child still can't get it, open the answer and read 'Why it works' together.
Yes. They work as a morning warm-up, a transition game or a reward activity. Print cards without answers, let pairs guess, and check the answer key together at the end.
Open 'Print as cards' and choose 'On a separate key.' You'll get cards with riddles and hints, plus the answers on their own page. Keep that page with you while your child guesses.