Body Riddles for Kids
- 15 riddles
- Ages 5-10
- Answers included
Every answer here is something a child is carrying around with them, which makes these the easiest riddles on the site to check.
Several teach a real fact along the way, so they work well alongside a science lesson on the body.
I have five brothers on my hand and I am the shortest and fattest. What am I?
The thumbIt is shorter and thicker than the four fingers.
Two of us sit above your nose and we close together when you sleep. What are we?
Your eyesEyelids usually close at the same time.
I am the hardest thing in your whole body and I am in your mouth. What am I?
A toothTooth enamel is the hardest substance the human body makes.
I beat all day and all night and I never take a rest. What am I?
Your heartIt beats around 100,000 times a day.
There are two of us and we work in pairs, filling up and emptying, all day long. What are we?
Your lungsThey fill with air when you breathe in and empty when you breathe out.
I am the longest bone in your body and I am in your leg. What am I?
The thigh bone, or femurIt is about a quarter of a person's height.
I hold your whole body up and I am made of many small bones stacked in a line. What am I?
Your spineIt is made of vertebrae stacked one on top of another.
I grow all your life, I do not hurt when cut, and you have them on your fingers. What am I?
Your nailsThey are made of keratin and have no nerves.
I am the biggest organ you have and I cover all of you. What am I?
Your skinIt is the body's largest organ by area and weight.
You have two of us on the sides of your head and we never stop working, even in your sleep. What are we?
Your earsHearing continues while you are asleep.
I am inside your head, I use a lot of your energy, and I am doing the work of solving this riddle. What am I?
Your brainIt uses around a fifth of the body's energy.
There are more of us in your hand than you would guess: twenty-seven in each one. What are we?
BonesEach hand has 27 bones, which is why hands can do so much.
I am red, I travel all round you in tubes, and I carry food and air to every part. What am I?
BloodIt carries oxygen and nutrients through blood vessels.
I appear when you are happy and I use fewer muscles than a frown. What am I?
A smileA common claim, though the exact numbers are argued about.
I am on top of your head, I keep growing, and a barber cuts me. What am I?
HairIt grows about a centimetre a month.
Questions about Body Riddles for Kids
What age are body riddles best for?
Ages five to ten. Younger children can answer most of them by pointing at themselves.
Do these teach real science?
Yes. Tooth enamel really is the hardest substance the body produces, each hand really does have 27 bones, and the brain really does use about a fifth of the body's energy.
How can I use these in a lesson?
They work well as a warm-up before a topic on the human body. Ask the child to point at the answer rather than say it.
Are any of these too hard for a five-year-old?
The ones about the femur and the spine usually need a hint. The rest are answerable by any child who knows the names of body parts.