Rhyming Riddles for Kids
- 15 riddles
- Ages 5-10
- Answers included
These are written in rhyme, which makes them much easier to remember and considerably better read aloud.
A child who hears one of these twice will usually be able to repeat it to somebody else, which is the real test of a riddle.
I have a tail and I have a head, but I have no body, so I am said. What am I?
A coinHeads and tails are its two sides.
I go up when the rain comes down, I keep you dry all over town. What am I?
An umbrellaYou open it when it rains.
I have no legs, I never walk, I have a mouth but cannot talk. What am I?
A riverA river has a mouth where it meets the sea.
I am tall when I am new and young, and short when all my work is done. What am I?
A candleIt burns down as it is used.
You see me once in every minute, twice in a moment, never in an hour. What am I?
The letter MLook at the spelling, not the meaning.
I follow you by day with ease, then vanish when the sunlight flees. What am I?
Your shadowIt needs light to exist.
I have four legs but cannot run, I hold your plate when day is done. What am I?
A tableIt stands on four legs and does not move.
I open wide to let you through, then close behind you when you are through. What am I?
A doorIt swings open and shut.
The more of me there is to see, the less that you can see, you see. What am I?
DarknessMore darkness means less visibility.
I have no wings but I can fly, I have no eyes but see the sky. What am I?
A cloudIt moves across the sky without wings.
I am not alive but I can grow, I need no lungs but air I know. What am I?
FireFire spreads like growth and goes out without oxygen.
Break me and I am of more use, keep me whole and I am no use. What am I?
An eggYou crack it to cook it.
I have a bed but do not sleep, I have a bank but nothing keep. What am I?
A riverA riverbed and a riverbank are its parts.
I speak without a single sound, my words are read the whole world round. What am I?
A bookIt communicates silently through print.
I have a ring but not a hand, I call to you across the land. What am I?
A telephoneIt rings without wearing jewellery.
Questions about Rhyming Riddles for Kids
Why are rhyming riddles easier to remember?
Rhyme and rhythm give the brain extra patterns to hold on to, which is why oral traditions used verse for thousands of years.
What age suits these?
Ages five to ten. They are best read aloud rather than read silently.
Can children write their own?
Yes, and it is a good exercise. Ask them to think of the answer first, then find two words that rhyme and describe it.
Which of these is hardest?
The one about the letter M, because it works on spelling rather than meaning, and saying it aloud makes it harder rather than easier.