These 35 winter riddles are about snow, ice, snowmen, mittens, sledding, igloos, emperor penguins and Arctic foxes. Each one has two hints and a hidden answer, plus a short line that explains the trick. They suit ages 4 to 12, from short read-aloud puzzles to number and science riddles.
Cozy clothes, snowy play and warm things at home, in short riddles that a grown-up can read aloud.
I fall from the clouds in the winter. I am cold, soft and white, and you can roll me into big balls. What am I?
I cover the ground and the rooftops in white.
Children make angels and forts out of me.
Snow
Why it works: Snow is frozen water falling as soft white flakes.
Did you guess it?
I have a carrot nose and two stones for eyes. I wear a scarf but I never feel cold. When the sun comes out, I melt. What am I?
I am made of three big rolled balls of white stuff.
Children stack me up in the yard and give me a hat.
A snowman
Why it works: A snowman is built from rolled snow, with a carrot nose, and melts in the sun.
Did you guess it?
I keep your hands warm, but my fingers all share one room. Only my thumb has a room to itself. What am I?
You wear me in pairs on your hands.
I am like a glove, but with no separate fingers.
Mittens
Why it works: Mittens keep four fingers together with a separate thumb.
Did you guess it?
I am long and soft and I wrap around your neck. I keep the cold wind off your chin. What am I?
I am made of wool and sometimes have tassels.
Wrap me around twice on a very cold day.
A scarf
Why it works: A scarf wraps round your neck to keep out the cold.
Did you guess it?
I sit on your head and keep your ears warm. I am made of wool and sometimes have a fluffy ball on top. What am I?
You pull me down over your ears.
People wear me outdoors when it is freezing.
A winter hat
Why it works: A wool hat covers the head and ears to keep the heat in.
Did you guess it?
I am soft and cozy. On a cold night I wrap around you in bed, and I make you warm as toast. What am I?
I go on top of your bed.
Pull me up to your chin before you sleep.
A blanket
Why it works: A blanket traps your body heat to keep you warm.
Did you guess it?
I cover your body over your other clothes. Zip my front and pull up my hood before going into the cold. What am I?
I have sleeves and pockets.
My thick lining helps keep your body warm.
A winter coat
Why it works: A winter coat is a thick outer layer that holds in body heat.
Did you guess it?
I steam in a bowl on a chilly day. Scoop me up with a spoon to enjoy my broth and vegetables. What am I?
I am a warm, liquid meal.
I might contain noodles or pieces of potato.
Soup
Why it works: Soup is a liquid dish served in a bowl and eaten with a spoon.
Did you guess it?
Sit on me at the top of a hill and hold my rope. I have no engine, but I carry you down the slope with a whoosh! What am I?
I need a hill covered in white to work well.
I slide on two thin runners.
A sled
Why it works: A sled carries riders downhill over snow on runners.
Did you guess it?
I am a long, clear spike that hangs from the edge of a roof. I am made of frozen drips, and I disappear when it warms up. What am I?
I am frozen water.
I hang with my sharp point facing the ground.
An icicle
Why it works: Dripping water freezes into a pointed icicle, which melts in warm weather.
Did you guess it?
I am a cozy spot in the living room where logs crackle and glow. On a cold night everyone sits near me to get warm. What am I?
I have a chimney above me.
A grown-up puts wood inside me and lights it.
A fireplace
Why it works: A fireplace is a hearth where wood burns to heat the room.
Did you guess it?
I sit like two soft pads over your ears, joined by a band over your head. I don't play music, but I keep your ears warm. What am I?
I keep out chilly wind.
I warm both ears without covering the top of your head.
Earmuffs
Why it works: Earmuffs are two warm ear coverings joined by a band.
Did you guess it?
Snowflakes, ice and igloos, plus snowman jokes and a few puns.
I fall from the clouds as a tiny crystal with six points. I melt on your tongue, and I am one of millions in a storm. What am I?
I look like a little star.
I land softly on your mitten.
A snowflake
Why it works: Snowflakes are ice crystals with six sides or arms.
Did you guess it?
I am a winter storm with strong winds and blowing white flakes that make it hard to see. What am I?
Stay indoors when I pass.
My wind blows snow around, both falling snow and snow already on the ground.
A blizzard
Why it works: A blizzard combines strong winds with blowing snow that greatly reduces visibility.
Did you guess it?
I have four fingers and a thumb, but I am not a hand. I keep yours warm on a freezing day. What am I?
I come in a pair.
Each of my fingers has its own little room.
A glove
Why it works: A glove has a separate sleeve for every finger and thumb.
Did you guess it?
I come in pairs and lace onto your feet. My thin metal blades help you glide across an ice rink. What am I?
I am a type of boot for the rink.
Wear me and you can spin and twirl on the ice.
Ice skates
Why it works: Ice skates have a thin metal blade that glides over frozen water.
Did you guess it?
I am a round house shaped like half a ball and made of blocks of packed snow. People in the Arctic have built me as a shelter. What am I?
I am a dome, often with a short tunnel for a door.
My snow blocks lean on each other to make a rounded roof.
An igloo
Why it works: An igloo is a dome-shaped shelter built from blocks of packed snow.
Did you guess it?
I am a truck with a huge shovel on the front. After a blizzard, I push the white stuff off the road so cars can drive. What am I?
I have flashing lights and I work after storms.
My blade is like a giant shovel for the road.
A snowplow
Why it works: A snowplow is a truck with a big front blade that clears roads.
Did you guess it?
I have numbers and a line that goes up when it gets hot and down when it gets cold. I am not a ruler. What am I?
I tell you how warm or cold it is.
A weather forecaster might check me outside.
A thermometer
Why it works: A thermometer shows temperature on a scale of numbers.
Did you guess it?
On a freezing day you can see me come out of your mouth like a little cloud. I am made by you, but I vanish quickly. What am I?
You make me every time you blow air out.
Moisture from your lungs forms tiny droplets in the cold.
Your breath
Why it works: Water vapor in warm breath condenses into tiny liquid droplets in cold air, making a visible cloud.
Did you guess it?
Some birds leave cold nesting places and travel far to spend winter somewhere warmer. What is this seasonal journey called?
Think of a regular journey between habitats.
It is a move to another region, followed by a return in another season.
Migration
Why it works: Migration is a regular seasonal journey between regions for resources or breeding.
Did you guess it?
What did one snowman say to the other snowman?
Think about a snowman's nose.
It is an orange vegetable that rabbits like.
Do you smell carrots?
Why it works: A snowman's nose is a carrot, so that is what he smells.
Did you guess it?
What is left of a snowman on a very hot day?
Think about what warmth does to a frozen shape.
Look for a wet patch where the figure stood.
A puddle
Why it works: Snow melts into water, which leaves a puddle.
Did you guess it?
What did the scarf say to the hat?
Think about where a scarf sits on you.
It drapes loosely on your neck while the hat sits on top.
You go on ahead, I'll hang around
Why it works: Ahead sounds like a head, where the hat goes, while hang around describes both waiting nearby and the scarf around your neck.
Did you guess it?
Number puzzles, science facts and wordplay for older kids.
A thermometer shows 4 below zero in the morning. By the afternoon the temperature has risen by 9. What does it show now?
Count up 4 steps to reach zero.
You have 9 steps to climb, and 4 of them get you to zero.
5
Why it works: From 4 below zero, rising 4 reaches zero, and 5 more steps give 5.
Did you guess it?
Sam rolls 4 snowballs a minute for 5 minutes. Then he throws 8 of them at the fence. How many are left?
First find how many snowballs he made.
He made 20, then 8 left the pile.
12
Why it works: 4 x 5 = 20, and 20 minus 8 = 12.
Did you guess it?
Hot cocoa costs 3 coins and a cookie costs 2 coins. Jo buys 4 cocoas and 3 cookies. How many coins does Jo spend?
Work out the cost of the cocoas, then the cookies.
4 x 3 is one amount, and 3 x 2 is the other.
18
Why it works: 4 x 3 = 12 for the drinks plus 3 x 2 = 6 for the cookies makes 18.
Did you guess it?
I can be a liquid in a lake, a solid on a frozen pond, or a gas rising from a hot kettle. What am I?
You drink me every day.
Cooling or heating can change my state without changing what substance I am.
Water
Why it works: Water freezes into ice and boils into steam, so it can be solid, liquid or gas.
Did you guess it?
I am a thin, clear frozen layer on a dark road. My name suggests a color, but you are seeing the road beneath me. What am I?
I can look like ordinary wet pavement.
My first word names a very dark color.
Black ice
Why it works: Black ice is transparent, so the dark road underneath makes it look black.
Did you guess it?
Where do snowmen go to dance?
It is a fancy party where people dress up and dance.
It is also something you roll up and throw in winter.
A snow ball
Why it works: A ball is a dance party, and snow ball also sounds like a snowball.
Did you guess it?
Players slide a heavy stone across the ice while teammates sweep in front of it with brooms. What sport is this?
It is played at the Winter Olympics.
Sweeping in front of the stone helps it slide farther and straighter.
Curling
Why it works: Curling teams slide stones toward a target and sweep the ice to guide them.
Did you guess it?
I belong to the dog family and live in the far north. My brown summer coat turns white in winter, which hides me in the snow. What am I?
My name starts with the icy region near the top of the world.
I am a clever, bushy-tailed animal with a pointy nose.
An Arctic fox
Why it works: The Arctic fox's coat changes from brown to white, which camouflages it in snow.
Did you guess it?
I am the day with the least daylight in the whole year. After I pass, the days slowly get longer again. What am I?
I happen once a year, close to the 21st of December in the north.
My name comes from Latin words meaning 'sun stands still'.
The winter solstice
Why it works: On the winter solstice the noon Sun is at its lowest in the sky, which gives the shortest day of the year.
Did you guess it?
In July, kids in Australia wear coats while kids in the US go swimming. What causes the seasons to be opposite?
It is not about how close the Earth is to the Sun.
The Earth leans a little, so each half gets sunlight at a different angle.
The tilt of the Earth
Why it works: Earth's tilted axis means the two halves get the most direct sunlight at opposite times of year.
Did you guess it?
Every winter in Antarctica I stand for weeks in the freezing wind, balancing my family's one egg on my feet to keep it warm. What am I?
I am the tallest and heaviest of all my kind.
My name is a ruler's title.
An emperor penguin
Why it works: Male emperor penguins balance a single egg on their feet through the Antarctic winter.
Did you guess it?
No riddles match both filters. Try another age or difficulty.
Keep a few printed cards by the door and read one while everyone pulls on boots, mittens and scarves.
Turn a snow day or a cold afternoon into a riddle contest over hot cocoa, with one point for each answer.
In class, read one riddle at morning meeting and follow up with the black ice, water or solstice riddle for a quick science chat.
Use the 4 to 6 riddles on car trips: read the question, wait, then give hint one before hint two.
Yes. Winter in the southern hemisphere runs from June to August, so Australian kids can use them whenever it turns cold. The seasons riddle explains why July is cold in Australia, and the solstice hint says its December date is for the north.
Start with the group for ages 4 to 6. The snow, snowman, mittens and scarf riddles are the quickest to solve, and children can see or touch most of the answers in real life.
Yes. The emperor penguin, Arctic fox, bird migration and blizzard riddles stick to well-known facts, and the short line under each answer explains the fact or the trick so you can chat about it.
Give hint one, wait a few seconds, then give hint two. If they are still stuck, reveal the answer and read why it works. Many children enjoy guessing again once they know the trick.
Yes. Use the print option to make riddle cards with a separate answer key. They are handy for classroom centers, snow day activities and car trips, and each card prints both hints.