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Most kids are quite inquisitive in their learning years. Trick questions for kids can help them develop a fun yet intellectual hobby. It also helps them think out of the box, improves their problem-solving abilities, and keeps them engaged for a long time. Additionally, you get to spend some quality time with them that can strengthen your bond with your little one.
Katey, a blogger and teacher, shares her experience as a middle school teacher when students eagerly looked forward to participating in intriguing riddles. She shares, “When I was a middle school teacher, I used to have a classroom rule that if there were thunderstorms during class on a Friday, we would scrap the lesson plan for that class and instead do riddles. Every Friday, my kids would scan the sky anxiously, looking for thunderclouds. On the Fridays that it actually stormed, they were so excited they could hardly sit still (i)!”
We’ve compiled a list of some fun trick questions for kids to help them enhance their creative and critical thinking skills. Do not reveal the answers immediately; instead, encourage them to think and guess.
200 Trick Questions For Kids
These questions, ranging from funny to logical puzzles, are perfect for challenging children’s thinking and sparking curiosity.
Funny Trick Questions
Get ready for giggles! These questions have surprising twists that will make kids laugh while they figure out the answers.
1. A blue house has blue bricks; a yellow house has yellow bricks. What is a greenhouse made of?
Glass
2. What type of dress can never be worn?
Address
3. What is a Tornado’s favorite game?
Twister
4. What are the two things that we can’t eat before breakfast?
Lunch and dinner
5. If I have it, I don’t share it. If I share it, I don’t have it. What is it?
A secret
Infographic: Trick Questions For Children
Illustration: Momjunction Design Team
6. What word is spelled incorrectly in every single dictionary?
Incorrectly
7. I am full of holes, but I can hold water. Who am I?
Sponge
8. What has many keys but can’t open a door?
A piano
9. I love to dance and twist and prance, I shake my tail, as away I sail, wingless I fly into the sky. What am I?
A kite
10. What can’t be used until it is broken?
A coconut
Image: IStock
11. What has one eye but cannot see?
A needle
12. What is it the more you take, the larger it becomes?
A hole
13. What gets wet while drying?
Towel
14. What never asks a question but gets answered all the time?
A telephone
15. If a plane crashes on the border between the United States and Canada, where do they bury the survivors?
Survivors are never buried
16. How can you go 25 days without sleep?
Sleep at night.
17. How do you make the number one disappear?
Add a ‘G,’ and it’s gone!
18. A cowboy rode into town on Friday. He stayed in town for three days and rode out on Friday. How is that possible?
His horse is named Friday
19. If a green man lives in a greenhouse, a purple man lives in a purple house, a blue man lives in a blue house, a yellow man lives in a yellow house, a black man lives in a black house. Who lives in a White House?
The President
20. Why is the math book sad?
Because it has problems
21. If a monkey, a squirrel, and a bird are racing to the top of a coconut tree, who will get the banana first?
Coconut trees don’t grow bananas.
22. What has four wheels and flies?
A garbage truck
23. What always goes to bed with its shoes on?
A horse
24. If a rooster lays an egg on top of the barn roof, which way will it roll?
Roosters do not lay eggs
25. How can you lift an elephant with one hand?
You cannot because the elephant does not have hands.
26. How can you drop a raw egg onto a concrete floor and not crack it?
Concrete floors are hard to crack
27. What moves faster: heat or cold?
Heat because you can always catch a cold.
28. Beth’s mother has three daughters. One is called Lara, and the other one is Sara. What is the name of the third daughter?
Beth
29. What type of son does no parent want?
An arson
30. What kind of umbrella do most people carry on a rainy day?
A wet one
31. What happens if you throw a white hat into the Black Sea?
The hat gets wet
32. He has married many women but has never been married. Who is he?
A priest
33. What tastes better than it smells?
A tongue
34. Shoot at me a thousand times, and I may still survive; one scratch from you and me will find your prospects take a dive. What am I?
An eight ball
35. What happens when you throw a blue rock into the yellow sea?
It sinks
36. Which popular cheese is made backward?
Edam
37. How can you physically stand behind your friend as he physically stands behind you?
Back to back
38. Which bow can’t be tied?
Rainbow
39. What ship has no captain but two mates?
Courtship
40. What is black when it’s clean and white when it’s dirty?
A chalkboard
Image: Shutterstock
41. What kind of street does a ghost like?
Deadend
42. A deep well full of knives.
Mouth
43. Although my cow is dead, I still beat her. What a racket she makes!
A drum
44. What’s the difference between a well-dressed man on a bicycle and a poorly-dressed man on a tricycle?
A tire
45. If two’s company, and three’s a crowd, what are four and five?
Nine
46. Three doctors said that Bill was their brother. Bill says he has no brothers. How many brothers does Bill actually have?
None. He has three sisters.
47. Two fathers and two sons are in a car, yet there are only three people in the car. How?
They are a grandfather, father, and son.
48. What has hands but can’t clap?
A clock
49. What has legs but doesn’t walk?
A table
50. What has words but never speaks?
A book
51. What has a thumb and four fingers but is not a hand?
A glove
52. What has a head and a tail but no body?
A coin
53. What building has the most stories?
The library
54. What has 13 hearts but no other organs?
Pack of cards
55. What kind of coat is best put on wet?
A coat of paint
56. I have no life, but I can die, what am I?
A battery
57. What has lots of eyes but can’t see?
A potato
58. It stalks the countryside with ears that can’t hear. What is it?
Corn
59. What kind of band never plays music?
A rubber band
60. The captain took a bath without his belly getting wet.
Canoe
61. What kind of room doesn’t have physical walls?
A chat room
62. April showers bring May flowers. What do May flowers bring?
Pilgrims
63. What is all over a house?
A roof
64. I saw a man in white; he looked quite a sight. He was not old, but he stood in the cold. And when he felt the sun, he started to run. Who could he be? Please answer me.
A snowman
65. What does man love more than life, hate more than death or mortal strife that which contented men desire; the poor have, the rich require; the miser spends, the spendthrift saves, and all men carry to their graves?
Nothing
66. If you sit a cup on the table facing south while you are on the north side of the table, on which side is the cup’s handle?
Outside
67. What two words, when combined, hold the most letters?
Post office
68. What goes up as soon as the rain comes down?
An umbrella
69. What kind of tree can you carry in your hand?
A palm tree
70. What’s as big as an elephant but weighs absolutely nothing?
Elephant’s shadow
Math Trick Questions
These puzzles, involving numbers and calculations, challenge kids to think beyond basic arithmetic.
71. I am an odd number. Take away one letter and I become even. What number am I?
Seven
72. 5 5 5 5 5 – Add a symbol somewhere in this row of fives to make an equation equaling 500.
555-55=500
73. If it takes eight men ten hours to build a wall, how long would it take four men?
Nothing. The wall is already built
74. If you have a bowl with six apples and you take away four, how many do you have?
The four you took
75. Forwards I’m heavy, but backward, I’m not. What am I?
A ton
76. If you were running a race and passed the person in second place, what place would you be in now?
Second
77. What is it that after you take away the whole, some still remains?
Wholesome
78. Where is 11+2=1?
In watches
79. Which two numbers come out the same whether you multiply or add them together?
2 x 2 = 4, 2 + 2 = 4
80. What three numbers, none of which is zero, give the same result whether they’re added or multiplied?
One, two, and three
81. If there are three apples and you take away two, how many apples do you have?
You have two apples
82. Mrs. Brown has five daughters. Each of these daughters has a brother. How many children does Mrs. Brown have?
Six
83. The day before yesterday, I was 21, and next year I will be 24. When is my birthday?
December 31; today is January 1.
84. A man describes his daughters, saying, “They are all blonde, but two; all brunette but two; and all redheaded but two.” How many daughters does he have?
Three: A blonde, a brunette, and a redhead
85. What is 3/7 chicken, 2/3 cat and 2/4 goat?
Chicago
Animal Trick Questions
Kids will have fun figuring out answers to these questions based on animal and bird characteristics.
86. If ten birds are sitting in a tree and a hunter shoots one, how many birds are left in the tree?
None. All birds fly away
87. What bird can lift the most weight?
A crane
88. What jumps when it walks and sits when it stands?
A Kangaroo
89. I am an insect, and the first half of my name reveals another insect. Some famous musicians had a name similar to mine. What am I?
Beetles
Trivia90. Four feet, jagged teeth. Fleet of movement, water, and land. I have no mood; to me you’re food as I drag you under.
Alligator
91. In my life, I die twice, once wrapped in silk, once covered in dust.
A caterpillar
92. He’s small, but he can climb a tower.
An ant
93. Armless, legless, I crawl around when I’m young. Then the time for changing sleep will come. I will awake like a newborn, flying beast,’ till then on the remains of the dead I feast.
Maggots
94. I sit in parliament. You’ll only see me at night. What am I?
An owl
Wordplay and Language Trick Questions
Words get wild in these clever riddles. These questions, based on letters, words, or phrases, will make kids think about language in a different light.
95. What English word retains the same pronunciation, even after you take away four of its five letters?
Queue
96. What occurs once in a minute, twice in a moment, and never in one thousand years?
The letter M
97. What starts with “e” and ends with “e” but only has one letter in it?
An envelope
98. I have seven letters and am something you eat. My only anagram can help your pain. If you remove my first two letters, I wear things down. Removing my first three letters is an adjective and removing my first four letters leaves a measure of time. What am I?
A sausage
99. What word starts with IS, ends with AND, and has LA in the middle?
Island
100. I am something many people don’t enjoy having as a friend, including you. But I am called upon anytime someone is injured. I have five letters, and when my last letter is put before my first letter, I become a country. What am I?
Pains
101. I’m in cooper but not in a dog. I’m in percent but not in money. What am I?
Letter C
102. What four-letter word can be written forward, backward, or upside down and can still be read from left to right?
Noon
103. I am a three-letter word; add two and fewer there will be. What word am I?
Few
104. What can you find in the middle of “every” but not at the start or end?
Letter V
105. What always ends everything?
Letter G
106. What word of five letters has one left when two are removed?
Stone
107. Two in a corner, one in a room, zero in a house, but one in a shelter. What is it?
Letter “R”
108. I am a word that begins with the letter “I.” If you add the letter “a” to me, I become a new word with a different meaning, but that sounds exactly the same. What word am I?
Isle
109. What word in the English language does the following: The first two letters signify a male, the first three letters signify a female, the first four letters signify a great, while the entire world signifies a great woman. What is the word?
Heroine
110. I am the beginning of everything, the end of everywhere. I’m the beginning of eternity, the end of time and space. What am I?
The letter “E”
111. I am the beginning of sorrow and the end of sickness. You can not express happiness without me, yet I am amid crosses. I am always in risk, yet never in danger. You may find me in the sun, but I am never out of the darkness.
The letter S
112. You see me once in June, twice in November, and not at all in May. What am I?
Letter “E”
113. He has one and a person has two, a citizen has three and a human being has four, a personality has five, and an inhabitant of the earth has six. What am I?
A syllable
114. Which word becomes shorter when you add two letters to it?
Short
115. A word I know, six letters it contains, remove one letter and 12 remains. What is it?
Dozens
General/Logical Trick Questions
Prepare for some serious head-scratching!These thought-provoking questions will encourage kids to think outside the box.
116. Take away my first letter and I remain the same. Take away my last letter and I remain unchanged. Remove all my letters and I’m still me. What am I?
A Postman
117.When is 1500 plus 20 and 1600 minus 40 the same thing?
Military time
118. I’m where yesterday follows today, and tomorrow is in the middle. What am I?
Dictionary
119. You will always find me in the past. I can be created in the present, But the future can never taint me. What am I?
History
120. I have an end but no beginning, a home but no family, a space without a room. I never speak but there is no word I cannot make. What am I?
A keyboard
Image: Shutterstock
121. What is a seven letter word that contains thousands of letters?
Mailbox
122. I went to the woods and got it when I got it. I didn’t want it, looked for it, couldn’t find it, so I took it home.
A splinter
123. What is always coming but never arrives?
Tomorrow
124. A man notices that his pant pockets are empty. But there is still something to it. What could it be?
A hole
125. What is the end to which we all like to come?
Dividend
126. There are five sisters in the room. Ann is reading a book, Margaret is cooking, Kate is playing chess, Marie is doing laundry. What is the 5th sister doing?
Playing chess with Kate.
127. What is so delicate that even mentioning it breaks it?
Silence
128. What can be broken but never held?
A promise
129. What is it that lives if it is fed and dies if you give it a drink?
A fire
130. You can have it, and be at it, but it never lasts forever.
Peace
Did you know?131. What can one catch that is not thrown?
A cold
132. What goes up but never ever comes down?
Age
133. It can be cracked, it can be made, it can be told, it can be played. What is it?
A joke
134. What’s greater than God and more evil than the devil? Rich people want it, and poor people have it. And if you eat it, you’ll die?
Nothing
135. I have a thousand wheels, but I do not move. Call me what I am, call me a lot.
Parking lot
136. Some are quick to take it. Others must be coaxed. Those who choose to take it gain and lose the most.
Risk
137. What belongs to you but gets used by everyone else more than you?
Your name
138. People buy me to eat, but never eat me. What am I?
The plate
139. Lovely and round, I shine with pale light, Grown in the darkness, a lady’s delight.
A pearl
140. I can be as thin as a picture frame, but my insides have many things you can see.
A television
141. I have teeth but can’t eat. What am I?
A comb
142. First I am one, then I seem none, in death, I birth a new life. What’s raised exceeds me, for, on bent knees, I add to a world that’s rife. What am I?
A seed
143. What runs around the yard without moving?
A fence
144. I’m that which is seen only in darkness. Swiftest of all, and near as old as time; Day’s distant brother; fire and faintness, I light without shadow – can you solve this rhyme?
A starlight
145. Slowly stretching my arms, I rise and move towards warmth. Bursting in colors, my sisters and I. What are we?
Flowers
146. We are emeralds and diamonds, lost by the moon, found by the sun, and picked up soon.
Dew
147. The more you take, the more you leave behind. What am I?
The footprints
148. What travels the world while stuck in one spot?
A stamp
149. The one who makes it sells it. The one who buys it doesn’t use it. The one who’s using it doesn’t know he’s using it. What is it?
A coffin
150. You throw me out when you need me; you bring me back when you’re done. What am I?
An anchor
151. If I smile, it also smiles. If I cry, it also cries. If I shout, it does nothing. What is it?
A mirror
152. With pointed fangs, I sit and wait, with piercing force, I serve out fate. Grabbing bloodless victims, proclaiming my might; physically joining with a single bite. What am I?
A stapler
153. My voice is tender, my waist is slender, and I’m often invited to play. Yet wherever I go, I must take my bow, or else I have nothing to say. What am I?
A violin
154. A father’s child, a mother’s child, yet no one’s son?
A daughter
155. To give me to someone I don’t belong to is cowardly, but to take me is noble. I can be a game, but nobody wins. What am I?
Blame
156. Tires a horse, worries a man. Tell me this riddle if you can.
A saddle
157. I cover what is real and hide what is true. But sometimes, I bring out the courage in you. What am I?
A makeup
158. A house with two occupants, sometimes one, rarely three. Break the walls, eat the borders, then throw me away. What am I?
A peanut
159. I have three hundred cattle, with a single nose cord.
Beads
160. Although I’m far from the point, I’m not a mistake. I fix yours. What am I?
An eraser
161. Hands she has but does not hold, teeth she has but does not bite, feet she has but they are cold, eyes she has but without sight. Who is she?
A doll
162. What is bought by the yard is worn by the foot?
Carpet
163. The restraining hand. It keeps us from doing horrible things, and it is hard to live with. What is it?
Guilt
164. What can’t you see that is always before you?
The future
165. What is gold when old and silver when new, hard to find but easy to lose, cost a lot, but it’s free?
A friend
166. Poorly behaved children often find themselves sitting in these.
Corners
167. A natural state, I’m sought by all. Go with me, and you shall fall. You do me when you spend, and you use me when you eat to no end. What am I?
Balance
168. I cannot be felt, seen, or touched; yet I can be found in everybody. My existence is always in debate, yet there is a style of music named after me.
Soul
169. I am rather large and usually majestic. I am every hue of the rainbow. I can eat you, I may heat you. You only wish you could see me. What am I?
Dragon
170. I work hard almost every day, not much time to dance and play. If I could reach what I desire, all like me would now retire. What am I?
A doctor
Image: Shutterstock
171. Ten men’s strength, ten men’s length, ten men can’t break it, yet a young boy walks off with it. What am I?
A rope
172. I am nothing but holes tied to holes, yet I am strong as iron.
A chain
173. Blow for blow, they matched each other. Neither would fall to the other. In the eyes of the crowd, they were this.
Equal
174. I have lasted many years and still feel young. I have endured depressions, recessions, and even millenniums. I’m richer than the richest of men. You can visit me, but not my owners. I’ve been shown on TV, and I can take and give you what is yours, but only if you ask me to. So tell me who or what I am?
A bank
175. You can only have it once you have given it.
Respect
176. Many have heard me, but nobody has seen me, and I will not speak back until spoken to. What am I?
Echo
177. What falls but never breaks and breaks but never falls?
Night and day
178. I’m so simple I only point, yet I guide people all over the world. What am I?
A compass
179. My step is slow, the snow’s my breath. I give the ground a grinding. My marching makes an end of me slain by the sun or drowned in the sea.
A glacier
180. I am one of many, you forget I’m here, but I’m just below without me, you’d surely topple. Go ahead, what am I?
Toes
181. I go in dry and come out wet; the longer I’m in, the stronger I get. What am I?
A teabag
182. I am born in fear, raised in the truth, and I come to my own in deed. When comes a time that I’m called forth, I come to serve the cause of need.
Courage
183. My first is in the wield, sever bones, and marrow. My second is in the blade, forged in cold steel. My third is in arbalest, and also in arrows. My fourth is in power, plunged through a shield. My fifth is in honor, and also in vows. My last will put an end to it all.
A weapon
184. There are two meanings to me. With one, I may need to be broken. With the other, I hold on. My favorite characteristic is my charming dimple. What am I?
A tie
185. You can easily touch me but not see me. You can throw me out, but not away. What am I?
Your back
186. If you live in an 11-floor house and everything is green, the home, blender, toilet, elevator, ribbon, couch, computer, plates, food! You get to the 6th floor, and there are no more stairs. How did you get to the 11th floor?
The green elevator
187. Not born, but from a Mother’s body drawn, I hang until half of me is gone. I sleep in a cave until I grow old, then valued for my hardened gold. What am I?
Cheese
188. Break it and it is better, immediately set, and harder to break again.
A record
189. If you have me, you want to tell me. If you tell me, you don’t have me.
A secret
190. Born of sorrow, grows with age, you need a lot to be a sage. What is it?
Wisdom
191. To unravel me, you need a key. No key that was made by locksmith’s hand, but a key that only I will understand. What am I?
A cipher key
192. I have branches, but no fruit, trunk, or leaves. What am I?
A bank
193. The more of this there is, the less you see. What is it?
Darkness
194. I’m light as a feather, yet the strongest person can’t hold me for five minutes. What am I?
Breath
195. I’m found in socks, scarves, and mittens; and often in the paws of playful kittens. What am I?
Yarn
196. What can run but never walks, has a mouth but never talks, has a head but never weeps, has a bed but never sleeps?
A river
197. What can fill a room but takes up no space?
Light
198. People make me, save me, change me, raise me. What am I?
Money
199. What goes through cities and fields but never moves?
A road
200. I have lakes with no water, mountains with no stone, and cities with no buildings. What am I?
A map
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How can teachers use trick questions to challenge their students to think outside the box?
Teachers can use trick questions to initiate open ended discussions in the class and promote a positive learning environment. This method also aids in developing critical thinking skills in children. Riddles, quizzes, and rebus puzzles for kids are effective mind games educators can use to introduce children to trick questions.
2. What are the benefits of using trick questions to help children learn?
Trick questions are beneficial for students as they help them recall prior knowledge, explore the subject matter and initiate peer discussions.
3. What are some tips for creating effective trick questions for children?
While coming up with trick questions for children, it is important to keep their age group in mind, ensure the questions are not confusing and incorporate wordplay and puns into the questions.
4. What types of trick questions are effective for teaching kids?
Common types of trick questions for children include riddles, conundrums, word games, brain teasers, and visual and logic problems and puzzles.
5. Which age group is best suitable to learn trick questions?
The suitability of trick questions for learning depends on the individual learner and the specific educational goals. The suitable age group for learning trick questions may depend on the questions’ complexity and the learners’ abilities. Younger children, who are in early elementary school (ages 5-8), may enjoy simple trick questions that challenge their imagination and problem-solving skills, while older children (ages 9-12) may be ready for complex trivia questions for middle schoolers involving logic and reasoning skills.
6. How can I use trick questions to engage my children?
You can use trick questions to make learning fun for your kids. You can ask these questions during everyday talks, family game nights, or car trips. Trick questions help children think in new ways and solve puzzles. This can improve their problem-solving skills and make them think creatively. It’s a playful way to challenge kids’ minds and keep them engaged while learning. Choose age-appropriate questions and praise the children’s efforts to figure out the answers.
Mind benders such as riddles and quiz games keep kids occupied for a long time while improving their brain functions by encouraging them to think, reason, question, and learn. Solving tricky questions and riddles for kids is also an excellent way to pass the time at birthday parties and family gatherings to make the event more exciting. You may also use these mental challenges to create fun quiz games that will help you spend fun and learning time with your kids. So get ready to ask these thought-provoking questions to your children and give their brains a good workout. Before you know it, they’ll start collecting their own riddles and quiz questions to share with the family.
Key Pointers
- Trick questions for kids are a great way to pass the time by giving your kids a fun challenge to work on.
- Trick questions are like riddles, encouraging kids to think differently and solve problems.
- Depending on your kids ‘ ages, you can make these trick questions as easy or complicated as possible.
- Trick questions are excellent for making kids curious, and motivating them to ask questions about things they do not understand.
- You can ask trick questions to engage kids more in their lessons and give them breaks while studying.
Dive into this intriguing video presenting the ten most commonly recognized challenging questions from an IQ test.
Personal Experience: Source
MomJunction articles include first-hand experiences to provide you with better insights through real-life narratives. Here are the sources of personal accounts referenced in this article.
(i). Having fun at home.http://www.havingfunathome.com/2008/10/13-yesno-riddles.html
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