Ages 6–108 questions
How Things Work
Rainbows, floating boats, and why the sky is blue. Eight questions about the everyday world - with the reason behind every answer.
Riddles & quizzes
32 riddles to puzzle over
Every riddle has a hint for when someone gets stuck, and an answer you reveal when you are ready. Nothing is timed and the riddles are never scored - being stuck for a while is the good part.
Quizzes
Eight questions each, and every answer comes with the reason behind it.
Ages 6–108 questions
Money Makes Sense
Saving, spending, and what money really is. Eight questions to help children think about money before they have to make big decisions with it.
Riddles
Animals
easyAges 3–5
I am a bird in a smart black-and-white suit. I cannot fly, but I am a brilliant swimmer. What am I?
Give me a hint
I live where it is very, very cold.
Reveal the answer
A penguin
mediumAges 6–10
I have eight arms, three hearts, and blue blood. What am I?
Give me a hint
I have no bones, so I can squeeze through very small gaps.
Reveal the answer
An octopus
mediumAges 6–10
I dance to tell my friends where lunch is, and I make something sweet enough to eat. What am I?
Give me a hint
My home is called a hive.
Reveal the answer
A honeybee
easyAges 3–5
I am the biggest animal that walks on land, my nose can pick up a peanut, and I remember my friends for years. What am I?
Give me a hint
I use my nose like a hose to spray water over my back.
Reveal the answer
An elephant
mediumAges 6–10
I can change my colour, and my eyes can look in two directions at once. What am I?
Give me a hint
My tongue can be as long as my whole body.
Reveal the answer
A chameleon
mediumAges 6–10
I am the only mammal that can truly fly, and I find my way in the dark using sound. What am I?
Give me a hint
The trick I use is called echolocation.
Reveal the answer
A bat
Nature
trickyAges 8–12
I speak without a mouth and hear without ears. I have no body, but I come alive when you call. What am I?
Give me a hint
Shout in a big empty hall and you will meet me.
Reveal the answer
An echo
mediumAges 6–10
I run but never walk, I have a bed but never sleep, and I have a mouth but never speak. What am I?
Give me a hint
You might skim a stone across me.
Reveal the answer
A river
easyAges 3–5
I appear after rain when the sun comes out, I have seven colours, and you can never reach my end. What am I?
Give me a hint
Red is always on my outside edge.
Reveal the answer
A rainbow
mediumAges 6–10
I stand still my whole life, I drink through my feet, and I keep a secret circle for every year I have lived. What am I?
Give me a hint
Birds build their nests in my branches.
Reveal the answer
A tree
easyAges 3–5
I float above you, I am made of tiny water drops, and sometimes I let them fall. What am I?
Give me a hint
I can be fluffy and white or grey and grumpy.
Reveal the answer
A cloud
mediumAges 6–10
I change my shape every night but I never really change at all. Some nights I vanish completely. What am I?
Give me a hint
The Sun decides how much of me you can see.
Reveal the answer
The Moon
easyAges 3–5
I am smaller than a coin, I sleep in the soil, and one day I will be taller than you. What am I?
Give me a hint
Water and warmth wake me up.
Reveal the answer
A seed
easyAges 3–5
You cannot see me or hold me, but you can watch me move the trees and feel me on your face. What am I?
Give me a hint
I am what makes a kite fly.
Reveal the answer
The wind
trickyAges 8–12
I can be hard as a rock, runny as a drink, or invisible as a puff of air - and I am always the same stuff. What am I?
Give me a hint
Temperature decides which one of me you meet.
Reveal the answer
Water (as ice, liquid water and water vapour)
Wordplay
mediumAges 8–12
What word is spelled the same forwards and backwards, and means a boat you paddle?
Give me a hint
A word that reads the same both ways is called a palindrome.
Reveal the answer
Kayak
trickyAges 8–12
Which five-letter word becomes shorter when you add two letters to it?
Give me a hint
Read the question very literally.
Reveal the answer
Short - add 'er' and it becomes 'shorter'
trickyAges 8–12
I come once in a minute, twice in a moment, but never in a thousand years. What am I?
Give me a hint
Do not count time - count letters.
Reveal the answer
The letter M
easyAges 6–8
I am a letter that hides silently in 'knee', 'knot' and 'know'. Which letter am I?
Give me a hint
You write me, but you never say me in those words.
Reveal the answer
The letter K
Numbers
trickyAges 8–12
I have two coins that add up to 30p, and one of them is not a 20p. What are my two coins?
Give me a hint
Read it again carefully: it says one of them.
Reveal the answer
A 20p and a 10p - only ONE of them isn't a 20p
trickyAges 10–14
On day one you get 1p. Every day after, your money doubles. How much do you have on day ten?
Give me a hint
Day one is 1p, day two is 2p, day three is 4p… keep doubling until you reach day ten.
Reveal the answer
512p - that is £5.12
mediumAges 8–12
A farmer has 17 sheep. All but 9 run away. How many sheep does the farmer have left?
Give me a hint
Ask yourself which sheep did NOT run away.
Reveal the answer
9 sheep
trickyAges 8–12
How can you take half of eight and be left with nothing?
Give me a hint
Think about the SHAPE of the number, not its value.
Reveal the answer
Cut the number 8 across the middle - the top half looks like a 0, which means nothing
Everyday things
easyAges 6–8
I follow you everywhere in the sunshine, but you will never find me in the dark. What am I?
Give me a hint
I am long in the evening and short at midday.
Reveal the answer
Your shadow
easyAges 6–8
I am tall when I am new, and I get shorter the more light I give. What am I?
Give me a hint
I am useful when the lights go out.
Reveal the answer
A candle
mediumAges 6–10
The more you take away from me, the bigger I get. What am I?
Give me a hint
A spade makes me grow.
Reveal the answer
A hole
mediumAges 8–12
I have keys but open no doors, space but no room, and you can enter but not go inside. What am I?
Give me a hint
You are probably looking at one right now.
Reveal the answer
A keyboard
easyAges 6–8
I have two hands and a face, but no arms and no eyes. What am I?
Give me a hint
I am very good at telling you when tea is ready.
Reveal the answer
A clock
mediumAges 6–10
The more I dry, the wetter I get. What am I?
Give me a hint
You reach for me after a bath.
Reveal the answer
A towel
mediumAges 8–12
I have cities but no houses, forests but no trees, and water but no fish. What am I?
Give me a hint
You unfold me when you are lost.
Reveal the answer
A map
easyAges 6–8
I get shorter the more you use me, and I leave a grey trail wherever I go. What am I?
Give me a hint
A sharpener is both my friend and my enemy.
Reveal the answer
A pencil
mediumAges 6–10
I have a spine but no bones, leaves but no branches, and I can take you anywhere without moving. What am I?
Give me a hint
You might read one at bedtime.
Reveal the answer
A book
Take them with you
Twelve of these riddles are also a free printable - cut them into cards for car journeys, lunchboxes, or a rainy afternoon.