TalentJR apps
Read the riddle, have a think, then tap “Show answer”. Easy riddles for little ones, animal and “what am I?” riddles, funny riddles, tricky brain teasers for older kids and maths riddles — great for the car, the dinner table or the classroom.
What has a neck but no head?
A bottle
What has hands but can’t clap?
A clock
Its “hands” point to the time.
What has keys but can’t open a single lock?
A piano (or a computer keyboard)
What gets wetter the more it dries?
A towel
What has to be broken before you can use it?
An egg
What has four legs but can’t walk?
A table
What goes up but never comes down?
Your age
What has one eye but can’t see?
A needle
The thread goes through its “eye”.
What has a neck but no head?
A bottle
What can you catch but not throw?
A cold
What is full of holes but still holds water?
A sponge
What has teeth but can’t bite?
A comb
What runs but never walks, and has a bed but never sleeps?
A river
Water runs, and a river has a riverbed.
What belongs to you, but other people use it more than you do?
Your name
What has a thumb and four fingers but is not alive?
A glove
What can fill a room but takes up no space?
Light
I have a long trunk and big flappy ears. Who am I?
An elephant
I am called the king of the jungle and I have a loud roar. Who am I?
A lion
I carry my house on my back and move very slowly. Who am I?
A snail
I look like a horse in black-and-white stripes. Who am I?
A zebra
I hop on two big feet and carry my baby in a pouch. Who am I?
A kangaroo
I am India’s national bird and I spread my colourful tail feathers to dance. Who am I?
A peacock
I sleep in the day, hoot at night and can turn my head a long way round. Who am I?
An owl
I start life as a caterpillar and end up with colourful wings. Who am I?
A butterfly
I have eight legs and I spin a web to catch my food. Who am I?
A spider
I am the tallest animal in the world. Who am I?
A giraffe
I start life as a tadpole, then live in water and on land. Who am I?
A frog
I have a hump on my back and can walk across the desert for days without drinking. Who am I?
A camel
I am yellow and hot, and I shine in the sky all day. What am I?
The sun
I fall from the clouds and make puddles. What am I?
Rain
The more you take, the more you leave behind. What am I?
Footsteps
I have leaves but I am not a tree. I have a spine but no bones. What am I?
A book
Pages are called leaves, and the back edge is the spine.
I follow you on a sunny day but disappear in the dark. What am I?
Your shadow
I am tall when I am young and short when I am old. What am I?
A candle
It gets shorter as it burns.
I have cities but no houses, rivers but no water, and forests but no trees. What am I?
A map
You can see me in water, but I never get wet. What am I?
Your reflection
I have a bark but no bite. What am I?
A tree
Bark is the skin of a tree.
I can travel around the world while staying in a corner. What am I?
A postage stamp
It stays in the corner of the envelope.
Why is 6 afraid of 7?
Because 7 “ate” 9
Say it aloud: seven, eight (ate), nine.
What do you call a bear with no teeth?
A gummy bear
What do you call a sleeping dinosaur?
A dino-snore
Why did the bicycle fall over?
Because it was two-tired
Two tyres — too tired!
Why are fish so clever?
Because they live in schools
A group of fish is called a school.
Why did the cookie go to the doctor?
Because it felt crummy
What did one wall say to the other wall?
“I’ll meet you at the corner!”
Why did the student eat their homework?
The teacher said it was a piece of cake
“A piece of cake” means very easy.
What has four wheels and flies?
A rubbish truck
Flies — the insects — buzz around it.
What kind of tree fits in your hand?
A palm tree
What comes once in a minute, twice in a moment, but never in a thousand years?
The letter M
Look at the letters of each word.
I am an odd number. Take away one letter and I become even. What number am I?
Seven
Take away the S: “even”.
What word is always spelled wrong in the dictionary?
The word “wrong”
Forwards I am heavy, backwards I am not. What am I?
The word “ton”
Backwards it spells “not”.
What begins with T, ends with T and has T in it?
A teapot
It has tea in it!
If you have me, you want to share me. If you share me, you don’t have me. What am I?
A secret
What can you break without touching it?
A promise
Riya’s mother has four children: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and… what is the fourth child’s name?
Riya
Read the first two words again.
What has a head and a tail but no body?
A coin
How many months have 28 days?
All 12 of them
Every month has at least 28 days.
What can you hold without ever touching it?
Your breath
You can “hold your breath”.
The more of me there is, the less you see. What am I?
Darkness
I am a number. Double me, add 4, and you get 20. What number am I?
8
20 − 4 = 16, and half of 16 is 8.
I am an even number between 10 and 20. My digits add up to 5. What number am I?
14
1 + 4 = 5, and 14 is even.
A farmer has 5 hens. Each hen lays 2 eggs a day. How many eggs in one week?
70
5 × 2 = 10 a day, and 10 × 7 = 70.
How many sides do 3 triangles and 2 squares have altogether?
17
3 × 3 = 9 and 2 × 4 = 8; 9 + 8 = 17.
I am a 3-digit number. My tens digit is 5 more than my ones digit, and my hundreds digit is 8 less than my tens digit. What am I?
194
The tens digit must be 9 (so the hundreds digit is 1), and the ones digit is 9 − 5 = 4.
If 2 cats catch 2 mice in 2 minutes, how many cats are needed to catch 6 mice in 6 minutes?
2 cats
The 2 cats catch 2 mice every 2 minutes, so 6 mice in 6 minutes.
Riddles make children read carefully, think about words with two meanings and try different ideas before giving up — and they are fun to share with family and friends.
Read it slowly, and notice any word that could mean two things (a clock’s “hands”, a book’s “leaves”). Ask what the riddle is really describing. If you are stuck, think of the shape, the use or the sound of the words.
Easy and animal riddles suit ages 5–8, “what am I?” and funny riddles ages 6–12, and the hard riddles and maths riddles ages 9–14.