151 Basic Riddles for Elementary Students
Hey, elementary school children! Looking for something exciting to test your nerves? We have got you. We understand that you are in an exciting time of your life and you need a lot to satisfy your ever-increasing curiosity. We have, therefore, made a humble effort for your curious souls. These are perfect for classrooms looking to incorporate educational riddles.
Remember, learning and fun go hand in hand. Never compromise on one for the sake of other but try to strike a balance between the two. In this article, we are going to ask you 151 intriguing riddles and solving them would require a real effort on you part. Girls and guys, accept this challenge and join us in this mental saga as we embark on the journey of finding hidden answers to the puzzles.
Riddles for Elementary Students
Riddle: How many months have 28 days?
All of them.
Riddle: What has a head and a tail but no body?
A coin.
Riddle: I have many teeth, but I can’t bite. What am I?
A comb.
Riddle: What can you hold in your right hand, but never in your left?
Your left hand.
Riddle: There’s only one word in the dictionary that’s spelled wrong. What is it?
The word “wrong.”
Riddle: What has a thumb and four fingers, but is not a hand?
A glove.
Riddle: What’s full of holes but still holds water?
A sponge.
Riddle: What kind of band never makes music?
A rubber band.
Riddle: What can fill a room but takes up no space?
Light.
Riddle: What two things can you never eat for breakfast?
Lunch and dinner.
Riddle: What can you catch but not throw?
A cold.
Riddle: What comes down but never goes up?
Rain.
Riddle: What is so simple it can only point, yet guides people all over the world?
A compass.
Riddle: What is easier to get into than out of?
Trouble.
Riddle: What goes up and down but never moves?
A stairway.
Riddle: Which question can you never answer “yes” to?
“Are you asleep?”
Riddle: What can go up a chimney down, but can’t go down a chimney up?
An umbrella.
Riddle: What gets bigger the more you take away?
A hole.
Riddle: What word begins with E and ends with E, but only has one letter?
Envelope.
Riddle: What can you break without touching it?
A promise.
Riddle: What is in seconds, minutes, seasons, and centuries, but not in decades, years, or days?
The letter “N.”
Riddle: This word’s first two letters reference a man, and its first three letters a woman. Its first four letters mean a great person, while the word as a whole means a great woman. What is the word?
Heroine.
Riddle: What can run but never walks, has a mouth but never talks, has a head but never weeps, and has a bed but never sleeps?
A river.
Riddle: A man went out for a walk and it started to rain. He didn’t have a hat, umbrella, or anything to cover his head. But no hair on his head got wet. How is this possible?
He was bald.
Riddle: What word contains 26 letters, but only has three syllables?
Alphabet.
Riddle: A rooster that was sitting on the roof of a barn and facing east laid an egg. Did the egg roll to the west, north, or south?
Roosters don’t lay eggs.
Riddle: You’re in a race and you pass the person in second place. What place are you in now?
Second place.
Riddle: There is a one-story house that’s completely red. The walls, doors, furniture, and floors are all red. What color is the staircase?
There isn’t any staircase. (It’s a one-story house.)
Riddle: If you have me, you want to share me. If you share me, you haven’t got me. What am I?
A secret.
Riddle: It belongs to you, but your friends use it more. What is it?
Your name.
Riddle: A boat filled with people. It hasn’t sunk, but when you look again there isn’t a single person on it. Why not?
They’re all married.
Riddle: A truck driver was going down a busy street. He went past four stop signs, went the wrong way, and was texting, but didn’t break any laws. How?
He was walking.
Riddle: A cowgirl rode into town on Friday. She stayed for three nights and rode out on Friday. How is this possible?
Her horse’s name is Friday.
Riddle: It’s the only place in the world where today comes before yesterday. Where is it?
The dictionary.
Riddle: Everyone has one, but no one can lose it. What is it?
A shadow.
Riddle: Amber threw the ball as hard as she could. It came right back to her, even though no one and nothing touched it. How is this possible?
She threw the ball straight up in the air.
Riddle: A railroad crossing without any cars. Can you spell that without any Rs?
T-H-A-T.
Riddle: A man fell from a 50-foot ladder but wasn’t hurt. How is this possible?
He was standing on the bottom rung.
Riddle: A woman called her dog across a river. The dog crossed without using a boat or bridge and didn’t get wet. How is this possible?
The river was frozen.
Riddle: I weigh almost nothing, but even the world’s strongest man couldn’t hold me for long. What am I?
Breath.
Riddle: What goes forward but never comes back?
Time.
Riddle: What speaks without a mouth and hears without ears?
An echo.
Riddle: What moves without ever stopping, yet stays in one place?
A clock.
Riddle: The more you share, the more you have. What am I?
Knowledge.
Riddle: What’s empty but still holds something?
A pocket.
Riddle: What can sleep for 100 years but can wake in seconds?
A volcano.
Riddle: I’m not seen but I help people see. What am I?
Glasses.
Riddle: What door can’t be opened?
A door in a dream.
Riddle: What melts when it gets warmer?
Ice.
Riddle: What can you climb but never reach the top of?
Your imagination.
Riddle: 50 Math Riddles for Elementary Students There are 5 apples, and you take away 2. How many apples do you have?
2 apples (since you took 2).
Riddle: 2 apples (since you took 2).
18 (1 + 8 = 9, and 9 × 2 = 18).
Riddle: What three numbers result in the same when added and multiplied?
1, 2, and 3 (1 + 2 + 3 = 6 and 1 × 2 × 3 = 6).
Riddle: What is the smallest positive number that is divisible by both 3 and 5?
15.
Riddle: I am an odd number. Take away one letter, and I become even. What number am I?
Seven (Remove the “s” to get “even”).
Riddle: What is half of 2 + 2?
3 (Half of 2 is 1, and 1 + 2 = 3).
Riddle: I am a three-digit number. My tens digit is five more than my ones digit, and my hundreds digit is eight less than my tens digit. What number am I?
194.
Riddle: What comes after the number 999?
1000.
Riddle: I am a number that when divided by 3 gives 2 as a remainder. What number am I?
5.
Riddle: How many times can you subtract 5 from 25?
Once (After the first subtraction, it’s no longer 25).
Riddle: What is the sum of the angles in a triangle?
180 degrees.
Riddle: I am a number divisible by 6 and 4 but not by 3. What number am I?
8.
Riddle: What is one-quarter of one-quarter of 64?
4.
Riddle: What is the result of 81 ÷ 9?
9.
Riddle: What is the square root of 144?
12.
Riddle: I am a number that is both the sum and product of the same digits. What am I?
1 × 2 × 3 = 6 and 1 + 2 + 3 = 6.
Riddle: What number is divisible by every number from 1 to 10?
2520.
Riddle: If two is company, and three is a crowd, what are four and five?
Nine.
Riddle: What is 15% of 200?
30.
Riddle: What number is 25% larger than 80?
100.
Riddle: I am thinking of a number. When I multiply it by 4 and subtract 5, the result is 19. What number am I thinking of?
6 (4 × 6 − 5 = 19).
Riddle: What is the next number in the sequence: 2, 4, 8, 16, ___?
32.
Riddle: I am a number whose digits add up to 9, and I am divisible by 9. What number am I?
81.
Riddle: What is the only even prime number?
2.
Riddle: If you have a dozen eggs and eat three, how many eggs do you have left?
9.
Riddle: What is the smallest prime number greater than 10?
11.
Riddle: A dozen is equal to how many?
12.
Riddle: If a train travels at 60 mph for 2 hours, how far will it travel?
120 miles.
Riddle: How many sides does a pentagon have?
5 sides.
Riddle: I am a number. If you divide me by 4, the result is 3. What number am I?
12.
Riddle: How many times does 9 go into 81?
9 times.
Riddle: I am an even number greater than 10 but less than 20. When divided by 4, my remainder is 2. What number am I?
14.
Riddle: What is the perimeter of a square with sides measuring 4 units?
16 units (4 × 4).
Riddle: A father is three times as old as his son. In 10 years, the father will be twice as old as his son. How old is the son now?
10 years old.
Riddle: What is the area of a rectangle that is 7 units long and 3 units wide?
21 square units.
Riddle: If you multiply this number by itself, you get 64. What number is it?
8
Riddle: What is 50% of 50?
25.
Riddle: A book costs $20. If there is a 10% discount, how much will you pay?
$18.
Riddle: What is the sum of the first five even numbers?
30 (2 + 4 + 6 + 8 + 10 = 30).
Riddle: A triangle has angles of 40 degrees and 60 degrees. What is the measure of the third angle?
80 degrees (180 − 40 − 60 = 80).
Riddle: What is 15 × 6?
90.
Riddle: I am a number that is less than 20 and more than 10. When you multiply me by 2, you get 28. What number am I?
14
Riddle: If you buy 5 apples and each costs $1.20, how much do you spend?
$6.00 (5 × $1.20 = $6.00).
Riddle: What is the next number in this sequence: 7, 14, 21, 28, ___?
35.
Riddle: A car travels 90 miles in 1.5 hours. What is its speed in miles per hour?
60 mph (90 ÷ 1.5).
Riddle: How many degrees are in half a circle?
180 degrees.
Riddle: If you divide 81 by 9, and multiply by 3, what is the result?
27 (81 ÷ 9 = 9; 9 × 3 = 27).
Riddle: What is the product of 7 and 8?
56.
Riddle: How many sides does a hexagon have?
6 sides.
Riddle: If you subtract 20 from 50, then divide by 5, what is the result?
6 ((50 − 20) ÷ 5 = 6).
Riddle: 51 Animal Riddles for Elementary Students What kind of lion never roars?
A dandelion.
Riddle: What goes from Z to A?
A zebra.
Riddle: I grow down as I grow up. What am I?
A goose (goose feathers are called down).
Riddle: A rooster is sitting on the roof of a barn. If it laid an egg, would it roll to the north or south?
It’s impossible — roosters don’t lay eggs.
Riddle: Why do bees have sticky hair?
Because they use their honeycombs.
Riddle: What do you call a bear with no teeth?
A gummy bear.
Riddle: What’s black, white, and blue?
A sad zebra.
Riddle: What has a thousand needles but cannot sew?
A porcupine.
Riddle: I’m known as man’s best friend. Who am I?
A dog.
Riddle: Without me, Thanksgiving and Christmas would be incomplete. I’m on the table, and everyone tends to overeat. What am I?
Turkey.
Riddle: I jump when I walk and sit when I stand. What am I?
A kangaroo.
Riddle: A cowgirl rode into town on Friday and left three days later on Friday. How is that possible?
Friday is the name of her horse.
Riddle: I am a sea animal with eight arms and a soft body. I squirt ink to protect myself. Who am I?
An octopus.
Riddle: I am a big cat with black stripes and sharp claws. I love to hunt in the jungle. Who am I?
A tiger.
Riddle: I am a slow-moving animal with a hard shell on my back. I love to munch on leafy greens. Who am I?
A turtle.
Riddle: I have black and white stripes and live in Africa. I am the tallest land animal in the world. Who am I?
A zebra.
Riddle: I am a colorful bird with a curved beak. I love to imitate human speech. Who am I?
A parrot.
Riddle: What do you call a pig that does karate?
A pork chop.
Riddle: Why did the chicken cross the playground?
To get to the other slide.
Riddle: What do you call a camel that can play music?
A dromedary DJ.
Riddle: What do you get when you cross a zebra with a donkey?
A zonkey.
Riddle: Why did the frog call his insurance company?
He had a jump in his car.
Riddle: What do you call a dog magician?
A labracadabrador.
Riddle: What kind of dog never bites?
A hot dog.
Riddle: Why do gorillas have big nostrils?
Because they have big fingers.
Riddle: What has wings but can’t fly?
An ostrich.
Riddle: What do you call a French bulldog on a summer day?
A hot dog.
Riddle: Why do cheetahs hate playing hide and seek?
Because they’re always spotted.
Riddle: Why is the snow leopard so popular?
Because it’s the coolest cat around.
Riddle: What game do frogs love to play?
Leapfrog.
Riddle: A bunch of bunnies were having a party. What kind of music were they playing?
Hip-hop.
Riddle: Why don’t animals in Africa play games?
There are too many cheetahs.
Riddle: What animal has more lives than a cat?
A frog, because it croaks every night.
Riddle: Why did the scaredy-cat cross the road?
It was too chicken not to.
Riddle: How do you catch a school of fish?
With a bookworm.
Riddle: Why are seagulls called seagulls?
Because if they flew over the bay, they’d be called bagels.
Riddle: What do you get when you cross an elephant and a rhino?
Elephino (pronounced “I’ll-uh-fy-no”).
Riddle: What do you call a cow that just had a calf?
De-calf-einated.
Riddle: What do you call a dinosaur that’s sleeping?
A dino-snore.
Riddle: What do you call a snake who works for the government?
A civil serpent.
Riddle: What is the scariest type of fish?
A piranha.
Riddle: Why don’t fish like playing basketball?
Because they are afraid of the net.
Riddle: What do you get if you cross a shark with a snowman?
Frostbite.
Riddle: What do you call a smart group of dolphins?
A pod-cast.
Riddle: What do cats eat for breakfast?
Mice Krispies.
Riddle: Why was the ant so confused?
Because all of his uncles were ants.
Riddle: What did the duck say when it bought lipstick?
Put it on my bill.
Riddle: What do you call an alligator in a vest?
An investigator.
Riddle: What do frogs wear on their feet?
Open-toad sandals.
Riddle: Why did the lion eat the tightrope walker?
He wanted a well-balanced meal.
Riddle: Why do elephants never use computers?
Because they’re afraid of the mouse!