These 40 Thanksgiving riddles are about turkey, pie, parades, football and being thankful. Every riddle has two hints and a hidden answer, so a stuck child gets help without being told. They are sorted by age, from short food riddles for little ones to number and logic puzzles for older kids. Print them as cards for the table or the classroom.
Short riddles about the food on the table, perfect for reading aloud before the meal.
I say gobble, gobble. I have a big fan of feathers for a tail. I am the star of the Thanksgiving dinner. What am I?
I am a big bird that lived on a farm.
Grown-ups carve me at the table, and my legs are called drumsticks.
A turkey
Why it works: A turkey gobbles, has a fan tail and is the main dish at Thanksgiving dinner.
Did you guess it?
I am a sweet dessert with a flaky crust. My filling is smooth and soft, and whipped cream sits on top. What am I?
I come out after the big dinner.
My filling is made from a big orange squash that many kids carve at Halloween.
Pumpkin pie
Why it works: Pumpkin filling baked in a crust is the classic Thanksgiving dessert.
Did you guess it?
I am a red, wobbly sauce served in a little bowl. I taste sour and sweet at the same time. I sit beside the turkey. What am I?
I am made from tiny red berries.
The berries grow in wet bogs and are squished and sweetened to make me.
Cranberry sauce
Why it works: Cranberries are cooked with sugar until they turn into a tart, sweet red sauce.
Did you guess it?
I am yellow, with hundreds of little kernels in neat rows. You hold me with both hands and nibble from side to side. What am I?
I grow on a tall green stalk in a field.
Butter melts on me, and you turn me round and round to eat me.
Corn on the cob
Why it works: Kernels grow in rows on a cob, and people hold the cob to eat them.
Did you guess it?
I am a small, round bread, warm from the oven. People tear me open and spread butter inside. What am I?
I am baked, soft inside and golden outside.
Several of me fit in a basket passed around the table.
A dinner roll
Why it works: A dinner roll is a small, soft bread you tear open and butter.
Did you guess it?
I am two little words that are polite. At the table, you say me to the cook after dinner. What am I?
I am something kind to say when someone helps you.
I am said after someone passes you the rolls.
Thank you
Why it works: Saying thank you is the heart of the holiday, and it is what we say to the cook.
Did you guess it?
I sit on your lap at dinner and wipe your messy face. I am made of cloth or paper, and I never eat a bite. What am I?
I sit near your fork and plate.
You use me to wipe sticky fingers and buttery lips.
A napkin
Why it works: A napkin sits in your lap and cleans hands and faces during a meal.
Did you guess it?
I have sharp little teeth, but I never bite. I lift peas and turkey to your mouth. What am I?
I sit to the left of your plate.
My teeth are called tines, and you also twirl spaghetti with me.
A fork
Why it works: A fork's pointy tines are its teeth, and it carries food to your mouth.
Did you guess it?
I am soft, white and fluffy. I started as a vegetable that grows underground, and then someone squished me with a special tool. What am I?
French fries are made from the same vegetable as me.
Butter melts into me on a hot dinner plate.
Mashed potatoes
Why it works: Potatoes grow underground, and mashing them turns them into a soft, fluffy side dish.
Did you guess it?
I am brown, warm and smooth. I am poured from a jug onto the dinner plate to make everything a little wet and a lot yummier. What am I?
I am made from the juices that drip from the roast.
My name rhymes with navy.
Gravy
Why it works: Gravy is a warm sauce made from roast juices, poured over meat and potatoes.
Did you guess it?
After the big dinner, I am the food still in the fridge. Tomorrow, I might turn into a sandwich. What am I?
Think about food nobody finished at dinner.
It can be saved for another meal instead of thrown away.
Leftovers
Why it works: Leftovers are the food that is left over after a meal, ready for sandwiches.
Did you guess it?
I am as big as a house. Ropes hold me as I float down a street while crowds cheer. What am I?
I can be shaped like an animal or a cartoon character.
You blow up a little one of me for a birthday party.
A giant balloon
Why it works: Huge balloons filled with a light gas float over the street at a Thanksgiving parade.
Did you guess it?
I am a root that grows under the ground. My insides are bright orange and very sweet. What am I?
Grown-ups sometimes melt tiny marshmallows on top of me at dinner.
Mashed or baked, I am orange and sweet, but I am not a carrot.
A sweet potato
Why it works: A sweet potato is an orange root vegetable with a sweet taste.
Did you guess it?
Funny thanksgiving jokes and riddles with puns, parade clues and one easy math puzzle.
I am made of bread cut into little cubes and mixed with onion and herbs. I get cooked and served as a side dish. What am I?
The dish often contains sage or other herbs.
Its name relates to filling something until it is full.
Stuffing
Why it works: Stuffing gets its name from being stuffed inside the bird, or baked in a dish beside it.
Did you guess it?
I am white, fluffy and light like a cloud. I sit on a slice of pie, and I come out of a can with a pssht. What am I?
I start as a liquid that comes from a cow.
Someone beats me with a whisk until I get thick and puffy.
Whipped cream
Why it works: Cream is beaten until it fills with air and turns into fluffy white topping.
Did you guess it?
I cover the dinner table and hang over its edges. Plates sit on me, but I am not furniture. What am I?
I can be made from fabric.
Spills land on me instead of the wood underneath.
A tablecloth
Why it works: A tablecloth is a covering spread over a table beneath the place settings.
Did you guess it?
After the feast, I am a tall tower on the kitchen counter. Everyone is full, but nobody volunteers to deal with me. What am I?
I include plates, cups and forks.
You need soap and warm water to make me clean.
The dishes
Why it works: After a big meal, dirty plates and pots pile up and someone has to wash them.
Did you guess it?
Why did the turkey join the school band?
Think about what the legs of a turkey are called.
Drummers use sticks to hit the drums.
Because he already had the drumsticks
Why it works: Turkey legs are called drumsticks, and drummers play with drumsticks.
Did you guess it?
I am shaped like the letter Y, and I come from a turkey. Two people pull me apart, and the one with the bigger piece gets to make a wish. What am I?
I come from the chest of the bird.
I dry out first, and then I snap when two people pull.
A wishbone
Why it works: A wishbone is a Y-shaped bone people pull apart, and the winner makes a wish.
Did you guess it?
Two teams, an oval ball and lots of cheering. Many families watch me on TV after the big meal. What am I?
Players try to carry or throw the ball across a line at the end of the field.
When a team scores, the crowd shouts touchdown.
A football game
Why it works: An oval ball and touchdowns point to American football, a Thanksgiving tradition on TV.
Did you guess it?
I am shaped like a curly horn and I overflow with fruit, vegetables and nuts. I mean there is plenty to share. What am I?
I am a basket shaped like a curled horn.
My name begins with cornu, and my spilling contents suggest abundance.
A cornucopia
Why it works: A cornucopia is a horn-shaped basket spilling over with harvest food, a symbol of plenty.
Did you guess it?
You cannot touch me, but you can feel me when someone does something kind. I am what you feel when you count what you love. What am I?
I am a feeling, not a thing, and I live inside you.
My name rhymes with attitude.
Gratitude
Why it works: Gratitude is the warm feeling of being thankful, which is what the holiday is about.
Did you guess it?
I come after the big dinner. I make grown-ups quiet on the couch, and sometimes snoring comes with me. What am I?
People may stretch out on the couch for me after lunch.
I am a brief daytime rest with your eyes closed.
A nap
Why it works: A nap is a short daytime sleep, and a full tummy makes people want one.
Did you guess it?
What is a turkey's favorite dessert?
It is a warm fruit dessert baked in a dish.
Its name starts with a fuzzy fruit, then ends with a word that sounds like a turkey's noise.
Peach gobbler
Why it works: A turkey gobbles, so a peach cobbler becomes a peach gobbler.
Did you guess it?
I am a noise a turkey makes. I am also what you might do to a plate of food when you are very hungry. What am I?
I rhyme with wobble.
Turkeys say me over and over, and hungry people eat fast like this.
Gobble
Why it works: Gobble is the turkey's sound, and it also means eating quickly and greedily.
Did you guess it?
A family cuts 2 pies into 8 slices each. After dinner, 5 slices are left. How many slices did they eat?
First find how many slices there were at the start.
2 times 8 is 16. Now take away the 5 that are left.
11
Why it works: 2 x 8 = 16 slices to start, and 16 - 5 = 11 slices eaten.
Did you guess it?
I move along the street with marching bands, giant balloons and fancy floats. Crowds line the sidewalk to watch me. What am I?
I happen outside, and I am full of music.
I march past slowly, so I am a long line of bands and floats.
A parade
Why it works: A parade is a line of bands, floats and balloons that moves past a crowd.
Did you guess it?
Trickier riddles with number puzzles, logic and wordplay for older kids and adults.
Grandma bakes 4 pies, each cut into 8 slices. Twenty guests eat 1 slice each, then 5 guests eat another slice each. How many slices remain?
Count all the slices first, then count how many were eaten in total.
There are 32 slices. 20 plus 5 slices were eaten.
7
Why it works: 4 x 8 = 32 slices, 20 + 5 = 25 eaten, and 32 - 25 = 7 left.
Did you guess it?
Four guests sit in a row. Jo sits at the left end, Kai next to Jo, and Mo at the right end. Where does Lee sit?
Place the two end guests first.
Kai occupies the seat beside Jo; find the remaining seat.
Third from the left
Why it works: Jo, Kai, Lee and Mo fill the row, so Lee is third from the left.
Did you guess it?
Three cooks peel 3 bags of potatoes in 3 hours, and they all work at the same speed. How many hours would 1 cook need to peel 1 bag?
Each cook is peeling a bag at the same time as the others.
Three cooks and three bags means one bag for each cook, all in the same time.
3 hours
Why it works: Each cook peels their own bag in 3 hours, so 1 cook with 1 bag also needs 3 hours.
Did you guess it?
A parade has 6 giant balloons. Each balloon has 10 ropes, and 2 people hold each rope. How many people hold balloon ropes in all?
First find how many ropes there are in all.
6 balloons times 10 ropes is 60 ropes. Then think about 2 people on each.
120
Why it works: 6 x 10 = 60 ropes, and 60 x 2 = 120 people.
Did you guess it?
I am a smooth brown nut from a tall tree. Bakers pour me into a sticky, sweet pie, and families argue about how to say my name. What am I?
These nuts have oblong shells and grow on a kind of hickory tree.
Their rich halves are baked in a sticky Thanksgiving pie.
A pecan
Why it works: Pecans are oblong nuts used in sticky pies, and their name has several common pronunciations.
Did you guess it?
I am a vegetable on the harvest table. I am also what you do to a marshmallow when you flatten it, and the name of a racket sport. What am I?
I come in shapes such as butternut and acorn.
Pumpkins are my relatives.
Squash
Why it works: Squash is a vegetable, a verb meaning to flatten, and a racket game.
Did you guess it?
At the end of dinner, the turkey is this and so are you. What word fits both?
Think about what is inside the bird and what is inside you.
It rhymes with fluffed and puffed.
Stuffed
Why it works: The turkey is stuffed with stuffing, and you are stuffed with food.
Did you guess it?
In the US, Thanksgiving is always on a Thursday. What day of the week is it 10 days later?
A week after Thursday is Thursday again.
After 7 days, count 3 more: Friday, Saturday and the next one.
Sunday
Why it works: 7 days later is Thursday again, and 3 more days make it Sunday.
Did you guess it?
Dinner is at 5 o'clock. The turkey needs to cook for 4 hours, then rest for 30 minutes before carving. What time must it go into the oven?
Add the cooking time and the resting time first.
That is 4 hours and 30 minutes. Count back from 5 o'clock.
12:30
Why it works: 4 hours + 30 minutes = 4 hours 30 minutes, and 5:00 minus 4:30 is 12:30.
Did you guess it?
Which Thanksgiving dessert always gets an A in math?
It is round, baked and sweet.
Its first name is a big orange squash, and its last name is a number that starts 3.14.
Pumpkin pi
Why it works: Pi is approximately 3.14 and sounds like pie, turning a dessert into a math pun.
Did you guess it?
I sit beneath a hot serving dish to protect the dinner table. My feet are tiny, and I never walk. What am I?
I can be made of metal, cork or wood.
Put a hot pot on me instead of directly on the table.
A trivet
Why it works: A trivet supports a hot dish and helps protect the table underneath.
Did you guess it?
I am a fun race some families run or walk on Thanksgiving morning, before the big meal. My name pairs a gobbling bird with a way of jogging. What am I?
Lots of people join in and some wear silly costumes.
My first word is the bird, and my second word is a slow, steady run.
A turkey trot
Why it works: The turkey trot joins the holiday bird with the word for a gentle run.
Did you guess it?
A farm has turkeys and pigs. Together they have 20 heads and 56 legs. How many turkeys are there?
Every animal has one head, so there are 20 animals.
If all 20 were turkeys, there would be 40 legs. Each pig adds 2 more legs, and you need 16 extra.
12
Why it works: 16 extra legs / 2 per pig = 8 pigs, so 20 - 8 = 12 turkeys.
Did you guess it?
No riddles match both filters. Try another age or difficulty.
Print the cards and slip one under each plate. Before the meal, go around the table and let each guest read their riddle aloud for everyone to guess.
Serve one riddle before each course: the roll riddle with the bread, the gravy riddle when the gravy comes round, the pie riddle before dessert.
Keep a basket of cards for the kids' table. Older cousins can read the riddles to the little ones and give the hints.
Let guests take turns as riddle host, reading the hints only after two wrong guesses. The first correct answer wins a pick of pie.
Save the number and logic puzzles for after the meal, when everyone is full and happy to think slowly.
The first group, for ages 4 to 6, has short riddles about food they know, such as turkey, corn and napkins. Read them aloud and use the hints freely. The 7 to 9 group adds puns and parade clues.
Print the cards and put one under each plate, or read one riddle before each course. Each guest reads their riddle, the table guesses, and the hints are revealed one at a time. Keep it light so nobody feels put on the spot.
Show the first hint, wait a moment, then show the second hint. Each hint moves closer to the answer. If the child is still stuck, reveal the answer and read the one-line explanation together, because that is where the fun of the trick is.
Yes. Use the print button to make cards with the riddles on the front, plus a separate answer key for the teacher. Cut the cards apart and hand them out, or tape one to each desk.
Thanksgiving is a US holiday, but the riddles are about food, family and being thankful, so anyone can play. Kids who do not celebrate it may need a hint about the parade or the football game.