Ages 7–8 · 25 riddles · answers hidden
Second grade is the turning point. Kids start to catch double meanings on their own, so classic riddles like “What has eyes but can't see?” finally click. Mix in a couple of logic and math riddles to keep the fast solvers busy.
I have lots of eyes, but I can't see a thing. I grow under the ground, and you can mash me. What am I?
You can bake me, or slice me thin to make crunchy chips.
A potato
Why it works: The little spots on a potato where new sprouts grow are called 'eyes,' but they can't see anything.
I have cities but no houses, mountains but no rocks, and rivers but no water. I can fold up flat. What am I?
Explorers use me to find their way.
A map
Why it works: A map shows drawings and names of cities, mountains and rivers, but they are only pictures, not the real things.
The more of me you take, the more of me you leave behind. What am I?
Walk across fresh snow or wet sand, then look behind you.
Footsteps
Why it works: Every step you take leaves a footprint behind you, so the more steps you take, the more you leave behind.
I have a head and a foot, but no body. You lie down on me every night. What am I?
I have a pillow at one end and blankets on top.
A bed
Why it works: The 'head' of a bed is the end where your head rests, and the 'foot' is the end where your feet go.
I stand in a field with my arms stretched out. I'm stuffed with straw, and I keep the crows away. What am I?
I wear old clothes and a floppy hat out in the cornfield.
A scarecrow
Why it works: Farmers stuff old clothes with straw to make a scarecrow, which looks like a person, so birds stay away from the crops.
Which building has the most stories?
Think about stories you read, not floors you climb.
A library
Why it works: A 'story' can mean a floor of a building or a tale in a book, and a library is packed with book stories.
You have to break me before you can use me. I can be scrambled, fried or boiled. What am I?
Chickens lay me, and I come in a carton of twelve.
An egg
Why it works: You have to crack an egg's shell to get to the inside before you can cook or bake with it.
I have four legs, but I can't walk or run. You put your plate on my flat top at dinnertime. What am I?
Chairs are usually pulled up all around me.
A table
Why it works: A table's 'legs' are the posts that hold it up, so it has legs but can never walk.
I am a number. If you add me to myself, you get 16. What number am I?
Think of a doubles fact, like 5 + 5 = 10, that makes 16.
Eight
Why it works: 8 + 8 = 16, so 8 is the number you double to make 16.
I have no mouth, but I can talk back to you. I only say what you just said. What am I?
Shout 'hello' in a canyon or a big empty gym, then listen.
An echo
Why it works: An echo is the sound of your own voice bouncing off walls or cliffs and coming back to your ears.
What kind of room has no doors, no windows and no walls?
Look for it growing in the grass after a rainy day, or on top of a pizza.
A mushroom
Why it works: The word 'mushroom' ends in 'room,' but a mushroom grows outdoors and is not a room you can walk into.
The more I dry, the wetter I get. What am I?
Grab me after a bath or a swim.
A towel
Why it works: A towel soaks up the water from your wet skin, so as it dries you, it gets wetter itself.
I have bark, but I never woof. I have rings, but I don't wear them on my fingers. What am I?
Squirrels and birds make their homes in my branches.
A tree
Why it works: 'Bark' is the rough skin on a tree's trunk, and its 'rings' are circles inside that show how old it is.
I say 'gobble, gobble.' I have a fan of colorful tail feathers. You might trace your hand to draw me in November. What am I?
I am a big farm bird you see in lots of Thanksgiving pictures.
A turkey
Why it works: Turkeys gobble and spread their tail feathers like a fan, so a traced hand with spread fingers looks like one.
I go up and down, but I never move. You can find me in houses and schools. What am I?
You climb me, one step at a time, to reach the next floor.
Stairs
Why it works: Stairs take people up and down between floors, but the steps themselves always stay in the same place.
What starts with T, ends with T, and has T inside it?
Say the letter T out loud, then think of a warm drink that sounds just like it.
A teapot
Why it works: 'Teapot' starts and ends with the letter T, and it holds tea, which sounds just like the letter T.
I'm a bird, but I can't fly. I waddle on ice and zoom through icy water. My feathers are black and white. What am I?
Many of my kind live near the cold South Pole.
A penguin
Why it works: Penguins are birds, but their wings work like flippers, so they zoom through water instead of flying in the air.
I have a mouth, but I never eat. I run and run, but I never get tired. Fish live in me. What am I?
I flow downhill until I reach the ocean.
A river
Why it works: A river 'runs' when its water flows, and its 'mouth' is the spot where it empties into a lake or the sea.
The more you take away from me, the bigger I get. What am I?
Grab a shovel and start digging in the dirt.
A hole
Why it works: When you dig, you take dirt away, so the space you are digging gets bigger instead of smaller.
I am tall when I am young and short when I am old. I glow on top of birthday cakes. What am I?
Make a wish and blow me out!
A candle
Why it works: A candle's wax melts as it burns, so it starts out tall and gets shorter the longer it is lit.
I am an odd number. Take away one letter, and I become even. What number am I?
Write the number words from one to ten, then try covering up the first letter of each.
Seven
Why it works: Seven is an odd number, but if you take away the 'S,' the letters left spell the word 'even.'
I hang from the roof in winter. I'm long, pointy and made of ice. When the sun comes out, I drip! What am I?
I grow longer when melting snow drips down and freezes again.
An icicle
Why it works: Icicles form when dripping water freezes bit by bit, and they drip again when the sun warms them up.
I live in the hot, dry desert. I store water inside me. Instead of soft leaves, I am covered in prickly spines. What am I?
I am a green plant you should look at, but not touch.
A cactus
Why it works: A cactus stores water in its thick stem and has spines instead of leaves, which helps it live in the dry desert.
I go up and up every year, but I never come back down. What am I?
Every birthday, I grow by one.
Your age
Why it works: Your age goes up by one year on every birthday, and it can never go back down.
A farm has 3 chickens and 2 cows. How many legs do the animals have in all?
Chickens stand on 2 legs, and cows stand on 4 legs.
Fourteen
Why it works: 3 chickens have 6 legs, 2 cows have 8 legs, and 6 + 8 = 14 legs in all.