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Maths Riddles for Kids

These need a pencil more often than not, and that is the point. Each one is solvable with primary-school arithmetic, but several of them punish you for reading too fast.

Work them out before opening the answer. The explanation under each shows the method, not just the number.

I am an odd number. Take away one letter and I become even. What number am I?
SevenRemove the s from 'seven' and you are left with 'even'.
If two is company and three is a crowd, what are four and five?
NineFour and five is simply 4 + 5.
A farmer has 17 sheep. All but 9 run away. How many are left?
Nine'All but 9' means 9 stayed behind. The 17 is there to distract you.
What three positive numbers give the same answer when added together and multiplied together?
1, 2 and 31 + 2 + 3 = 6, and 1 x 2 x 3 = 6.
How many times can you subtract 10 from 100?
OnceAfter one subtraction the number is no longer 100, it is 90.
A clock strikes six in five seconds. How long to strike twelve?
Eleven secondsSix strikes have five gaps, so each gap is one second. Twelve strikes have eleven gaps.
Which is heavier, a kilogram of iron or a kilogram of cotton?
Neither, they weigh the sameA kilogram is a kilogram. Only the volume differs.
Divide 30 by half and add 10. What do you get?
SeventyDividing by half means dividing by 0.5, which doubles it to 60, then add 10.
A bat and a ball cost 110 rupees together. The bat costs 100 more than the ball. What does the ball cost?
Five rupeesThe ball is 5 and the bat is 105, which is 100 more. Most people say 10 without checking.
What is the next number: 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, ...?
ThirteenEach number is the sum of the two before it. This is the Fibonacci sequence.
If you multiply me by any number, the answer stays the same. What am I?
ZeroAnything multiplied by zero is zero.
You have a 3-litre jug and a 5-litre jug. How do you measure exactly 4 litres?
Fill the 5, pour into the 3 leaving 2. Empty the 3, pour the 2 in, refill the 5 and top up the 3 using 1 litre, leaving 4 in the 5-litre jugThe trick is using the smaller jug to remove a known amount.
A boy has as many sisters as brothers, but each sister has half as many sisters as brothers. How many children are there?
Seven: four boys and three girlsEach boy sees 3 sisters and 3 brothers. Each girl sees 2 sisters and 4 brothers.
What number becomes smaller when you turn it upside down?
NineTurned upside down, 9 becomes 6.
Add 2 to 199 and get less than 200. How?
Turn 199 upside down to make 661... or simply note 199 + 2 = 201, so instead add the digits: this one is a trick, and the real answer is that you cannotIncluded on purpose. Some riddles do not have an honest answer, and spotting that is a skill too.

Questions about Maths Riddles for Kids

What age are these maths riddles for?

Ages seven to twelve. The arithmetic is primary level, but several require careful reading rather than fast calculation.

How do maths riddles help children?

They separate reading comprehension from calculation. Most wrong answers here come from misreading the question, not from bad arithmetic, which is a valuable thing for a child to notice.

What is the bat and ball riddle testing?

It tests whether you check your answer. Ten feels right instantly, but 100 + 10 is 110 only if the bat costs 100, not 100 more than the ball.

Why include a riddle with no honest answer?

Because part of thinking clearly is recognising when a question is rigged. Children who spot it have learned something more useful than another sum.

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