Ages 6–7 · 25 riddles · answers hidden
First graders are ready for three-clue riddles and their first taste of wordplay: a comb has teeth, a clock has hands. Keep the answers familiar and talk about the double meaning every time, because that is where the learning happens.
I have a face and two hands, but I can't smile or clap. I hang on the classroom wall. What am I?
Look at me to find out when it is time for lunch.
A clock
Why it works: A clock's 'face' is its front and its 'hands' are the pointers that show the time, so they can't smile or clap.
I am green all summer. In the fall, I turn red, orange or yellow. Then I float down from a tree. What am I?
Kids love to jump into a big raked pile of me.
A leaf
Why it works: Many tree leaves change color in the fall and drop to the ground before winter comes.
I wear a big helmet and heavy boots. I ride a red truck with a long hose. I help keep people safe. Who am I?
When the alarm rings at the station, I hurry to help.
A firefighter
Why it works: Firefighters wear helmets and boots for protection and use the hoses on their red trucks to put out fires.
I have lots of ears, but I can't hear a sound. I grow tall on a farm. What am I?
My little yellow kernels can be buttered, or popped into a movie snack.
Corn
Why it works: An 'ear' of corn is the long cob covered in kernels, so corn has ears but can't hear.
I follow you on sunny days. I copy everything you do. But in the dark, I disappear! What am I?
I am dark and flat, and I lie on the ground right next to you.
Your shadow
Why it works: Your body blocks the sunlight and makes a dark shape that moves when you move and vanishes when there is no light.
I have a pointy tip and a pink eraser on top. You write with me at school. What am I?
When my tip gets dull, you put me in a sharpener.
A pencil
Why it works: A pencil has a point for writing and an eraser on the other end to fix mistakes.
I have lots of teeth, but I never bite or chew. I help make your hair neat. What am I?
You pull me through your hair after a bath.
A comb
Why it works: The thin points on a comb are called 'teeth' because they line up like teeth, but they only untangle hair.
I fall from the sky in winter. I am tiny, white and cold. No two of me look exactly the same. What am I?
Try to catch me on your tongue or your mitten.
A snowflake
Why it works: Snowflakes are tiny ice crystals that fall in winter, and each one grows into its own special shape.
I walk slowly on four short legs. I carry my house on my back. When I feel shy, I hide inside it. What am I?
I have a hard shell, and I can swim in ponds too.
A turtle
Why it works: A turtle's hard shell is part of its body, like a house it carries, and it can pull its head inside.
Three birds sat on a branch. Two more birds landed next to them. Then one bird flew away. How many birds are left?
Count up for the birds that came, then count back for the one that left.
Four
Why it works: 3 birds plus 2 more makes 5 birds, and when 1 flies away, 4 birds are left.
What do you call a dinosaur that is fast asleep?
Listen to the noisy sound some people make while they sleep.
A dino-snore
Why it works: 'Snore' is the noise a sleeper makes, and it rhymes with the end of the word 'dinosaur.'
I bring letters and packages to your home. I come rain or shine. I put things in the box by your door. Who am I?
I work for the post office and visit every house on my route.
A mail carrier
Why it works: Mail carriers deliver letters and packages to each home's mailbox, even on rainy days.
I shine in the night sky. Sometimes I'm a big round circle, and sometimes I'm a thin curve like a banana. What am I?
Astronauts have walked on me.
The moon
Why it works: The moon shines at night, and its shape seems to change as we see more or less of its sunlit side.
I have a thumb and four fingers, but I am not a hand. I keep you warm in winter. What am I?
You wear two of me when you build a snowman.
A glove
Why it works: A glove has a separate spot for your thumb and each finger, so it is shaped like a hand without being one.
I have a tongue, but I can't talk or taste. I have laces, and you wear me on your foot. What am I?
Look down, because you probably have two of me on right now!
A shoe
Why it works: The 'tongue' of a shoe is the soft flap under the laces, so a shoe has a tongue but can't talk.
I am very small. You plant me in the dirt. Give me water and sunshine, and I will grow into a plant! What am I?
Sunflowers and bean plants start out as me.
A seed
Why it works: A seed holds a tiny new plant inside, and with soil, water and sunlight, it sprouts and grows.
I stay awake all night. I have big round eyes. I say, 'Hoo, hoo!' What am I?
I am a bird who can turn my head way around to look behind me.
An owl
Why it works: Owls are night birds with big eyes for seeing in the dark, and they call out 'hoo, hoo.'
I float in the sky. I can be white and fluffy or dark and gray. When I'm full, rain falls out. What am I?
Sometimes I look like a bunny or a dragon if you use your imagination.
A cloud
Why it works: Clouds are made of tiny water drops floating in the sky, and when the drops get heavy, they fall as rain.
I am full of holes, but I can still hold water. You squeeze me to help wash the dishes. What am I?
I am soft and squishy, and I sit by the kitchen sink.
A sponge
Why it works: A sponge's tiny holes soak up and trap water, so it holds the water until you squeeze it out.
I wear a bright vest. I hold up a big stop sign. I help kids cross the street to school. Who am I?
You can find me at the corner near school in the morning and afternoon.
A crossing guard
Why it works: A crossing guard holds up a stop sign so cars wait while kids walk safely across the street.
I run all the way around your backyard, but I never move. I have a gate. What am I?
I help keep a pet dog safe inside the yard.
A fence
Why it works: We say a fence 'runs' around a yard because it stretches all the way around, even though it never moves.
I need wind to fly, but I'm not a bird. You hold my long string so I don't blow away. What am I?
I often have a long tail with bows tied on it.
A kite
Why it works: The wind pushes a kite up into the sky, and you hold its string so it can't blow away.
I have a cover and lots of pages. I am full of words, but I never say a thing. What am I?
Open me up and read, and I will tell you a story.
A book
Why it works: A book holds words on its pages, but it can't talk, so you have to read the words yourself.
A cat and a chicken are playing in the yard. How many legs do they have all together?
Picture each animal standing up, then count every leg you see.
Six
Why it works: A cat has 4 legs and a chicken has 2 legs, and 4 plus 2 makes 6 legs.
I'm built at the beach with a bucket and shovel. I have towers. When a big wave comes, I wash away! What am I?
I am made of wet, packed grains from the shore, not bricks.
A sandcastle
Why it works: A sandcastle is a little castle made of wet sand, so ocean waves can easily wash it away.